Recommendations: "I Hate Suzie", "The Legend of Walter Mercado", "Dear..." and more.
PLUS... all of the big talking points from the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Hello,
Welcome to Worth Watching, the newsletter that tells you what's worth watching on TV at the moment.
It’s the time of the year where the channels announce what is coming up between now and Christmas. You may be wondering if coronavirus and the lockdown mean that new shows are few and far between.
Actually, it’s not that bad. There are new series of His Dark Materials and The Crown on the way. There's also the revival of Spitting Image, new political thriller Roadkill starring Hugh Laurie, plus Steve McQueen’s Small Axe on BBC One. Strictly will be back too (but with fewer episodes) and if all else fails, there’s Nigella on BBC Two.
It’ll be in 2021 where gaps might become more noticeable, but I would expect channels to commission cheaper (and easier) shows to fill that gap anyway. TV is great at thinking on its feet. I mean, just look at the last few months.
Here’s some shows I have loved watching recently:
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (Netflix) - A wonderful documentary film looking at the extraordinary life of the Puerto Rican television astrologist Walter Mercado. Nope, I hadn’t heard of him either, but not knowing him is also a good reason why you should watch this as well.
For nearly 30 years, Mercado was a staple on television for million of Spanish-speaking households because of his daily horoscope broadcasts, all of which contained positive messages of hope and happiness. And I mean it when when I talk about the positivity. His star signs were so eternally optimistic, he ended up becoming sort of television spiritual guru. He was also known for wearing some of the most extremely elaborate costumes you would have ever seen. Stick around for the story too, you won’t regret it.
I Hate Suzie (Now TV) - Billie Piper is sensational in this new Sky drama, about an actor who finds out that her phone has been hacked and that intimate photos of her has been published on the internet. In particular, the drama explores public shaming: how people might be willing to talk about your life on the internet or read it in the news, but may not have the confidence to bring it up in person. The feeling too of falling apart in public. It’s funny and thought provoking, with an energy and originality that keeps you watching.
Dear… (Apple TV+) - Simple concept, but a good one. This series consists of celebrities, from Oprah to Big Bird, reading aloud letters that they have received from fans in recent years. Many of these letters are about how their work helped them through a tricky moment in their life, or inspired them to go into a certain career.
Yep, it sounds a bit cliché and a bit *eyeroll*, and at times it is, but weirdly that’s part of the charm. It’s also a worthwhile reminder of how the work or things you do might have an impact on someone you may never meet.
All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5 and My5 - Monday) - Finally, this reboot of the the classic vet series set in the Yorkshire Dales is a carefree way to pass an hour. It The most dramatic storyline in the first episode (spoiler alert!) surrounds the birth of a baby calf. It has also done remarkably well in the ratings for Channel 5, beating both the BBC and ITV.
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It was the Edinburgh TV Festival last week and like everything else this year, they went virtual. This meant that I hosted the ‘Meet the Controller’ BBC Three and ITV panels from home with my face talking into an iPad, leaning on a book, on an ironing board.
Here’s some of the talking points:
Many of the sessions at Edinburgh, quite rightly, were dominated by conversations about improving representation. Professor David Olusoga did a damning MacTaggart lecture on how there has been a ‘lost generation’ of black talent both in front and behind the camera.
Many channels have launched initiatives to improve diversity, from BBC spending £100m of its content on diverse productions to Channel 5 Controller Ben Frow saying that he won’t commission a show if it crews are not representative (his words: “no diversity, no commission.”) But as Olusoga points out in his speech, there has been a legacy in ineffective training schemes and failed initiatives. Will any of these new schemes actually work?
The controller of BBC Three, Fiona Campbell, explained the logic behind bringing BBC Three back as a traditional channel, not long after it did a big campaign to go entirely digital. Campbell says that TV schedules are still vital in making shows popular, a tool that streaming giants don’t have at their disposal: “TV is still a massively powerful presence in many people’s lives,” she said.
Meanwhile, Kevin Lygo, controller of ITV, said that X Factor is not “definitely coming back” next year, after reports that it will. Talking about the upcoming series of I’m a Celebrity, Lygo says that the celebrity cast will “eat some shit but not kangaroo testicles.”
There’s also quite a lot of TV news out at the moment, so here’s a quick update:
Now we’re sucking diesel: Line of Duty has resumed filming after suspending it in the spring. They hope it will air next year.
Bake Off has also released a first teaser of the new series. The series was filmed essentially in a ‘bubble,’ which meant that the crew and the contestants couldn’t go home between filming days. The filming process was quicker as a result. Episodes would have usually started to air by now, but will likely start later this September.
Newsround aired their last ever teatime bulletin. From this week onwards there will only be a short bulletin in the morning, with more of their budget being spent on their website instead.
Olympian Nicola Adams is to be part of the first same-sex pair on Strictly. She told BBC Breakfast: “It’s really important. It’s a big step for the show as well. It’s nice to see that we are able to move on.”
Ant & Dec no longer have to socially distance from each other whilst presenting because they are now getting tested every few days and their houses are now connected as a ‘cohort.’ The only other presenting duo that can do this, to my knowledge, are Ruth and Eamonn as they are married.
On Must Watch on BBC Radio 5 Live this week we spoke to Sian Clifford aka. Claire from Fleabag on the weirdness of winning a BAFTA TV Award on Zoom this year (in short: she was nominated alongside Phoebe Waller-Bridge and was with her on the night, but had to be in a separate location from her so that there wouldn’t be a feedback loop on the call).
And here’s a fun fact I learnt the other day that hurt my head a bit.
That’s all from the newsletter this week. If you find this newsletter helpful, telling other people about it really makes a difference. Just get them to sign up with their email on this homepage. That’s it!
Thanks so much for reading.
Scotty / @scottygb