Worth Watching: 'Black Mirror', 'Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland', and 'Changing Ends'
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Hello,
Welcome to Worth Watching. Hope you’re doing well.
Next week is Glastonbury Festival. As well as the usual TV coverage, I thought I’d let you know that BBC iPlayer is launching Glastonbury’s Festival Hits, a streaming channel showing iconic Glastonbury performances 24 hours a day from Monday.
It is similar to the non-stop Eurovision channel that the BBC launched ahead of Eurovision, and a great way for the BBC to use archive material they already have the rights to. It’s made me wonder whether — in the age of endless programmes — more streamers could just do online channels, simply to get everyone watching. Trying to find shows to watch is an endless struggle.
Anyway, here are this week’s recommendations.
SHOW OF THE WEEK
Black Mirror (Netflix - five episodes, anthology) - Charlie Brooker is such a talented writer. He’s one of the only people I know of who can write for so many different genres, yet still maintains such a distinguishable style that the whole show itself remains cohesive. It is what has made Black Mirror such a success in the first place.
Six seasons in, the anthology has evolved beyond its usual mixture of terrifying stories which revolve around technology in some way. Television itself is now firmly under the microscope; from an episode called Loch Henry — which explores the devastation and rubbernecking that true crime documentaries can lead to — to Joan Is Awful, which looks at how algorithms and tailored content have shaped our lives (all the more surprising being that this is a Netflix show).
A particular highlight for me is the episode Demon 79, a doomsday / horror thriller. I won’t go into the synopsis, as that itself is a spoiler, but the chemistry between the episode’s leads — Paapa Essiedu [pictured] and Anjana Vasan — is some of the best I’ve seen in a drama so far this year.
DOCUMENTARY RECOMMENDATION
Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland (BBC iPlayer - all episodes available) - There’s been a resurgence of stories about Northern Ireland of late. From the captivating police drama Blue Lights, to the final episode of Derry Girls, to the engrossing BBC Sounds series Blood on the Dancefloor, a podcast looking at how the murder of a gay police officer in Belfast, in the late nineties, nearly derailed the peace process.
This new comprehensive five part documentary looks at The Troubles from the very start. It’s a compelling account which will no doubt be enlightening for those generations who have grown up in the years following The Good Friday Agreement, but there’s a lot about this era that older viewers may learn too. For example, Belfast’s surprising and active punk scene, with thriving establishments where Protestants and Catholics socialised together under one roof.
COMEDY OF THE WEEK
Changing Ends (ITVX - all episodes) - A biographical sitcom about Alan Carr growing up in Northampton in the 1980’s. I know. Random, but this six-parter is an absolute delight. Oliver Savell [above left] captures Carr’s mannerisms perfectly, with the written material a mixture of the deadpan humour you would come to expect from Carr, along with the observational wit of Two Doors Down writer Simon Carlyle.
The sitcom, essentially, is a love letter to parents who support their children no matter what. Although Carr’s parents in this piece are initially confused by their son’s campness growing up, they accept him for who he is and encourage him to be unapologetically himself. And there’s something about this that is moving to watch.
OTHER GOOD SHOWS OUT AT THE MOMENT:
Poker Face (Sky Comedy and NOW - all episodes) - Natasha Lyonne stars in this Rian Johnson detective thriller (he’s the guy who made Glass Onion). It’ll make you feel nostalgic for Murder She Wrote, because the plot of each episode and mystery is pretty much self-contained. How I wish more television was like that these days. Too many show plots can feel as knotty as the laces on your shoe.
Gods of Tennis (BBC iPlayer - all episodes) - A documentary, made by a production company co-founded by Louis Theroux, looking into the golden age of tennis and the global superstars it created. The best documentaries are ones that get you interested in a subject you wouldn’t be otherwise. This is one of them. If you’re not a big follower of tennis, I promise that there’s a lot you’ll love here.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK:
On Must Watch this week we reviewed Jack Thorne’s Best Interests, Disney+’s The Full Monty and the hot mess that is The Idol on NOW. Subscribe on BBC Sounds.
Thank you so much for reading.
Scotty / @scottygb