Worth Watching: “Colin in Black and White,” “Doctor Who: Flux” and "Dalgliesh"
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Welcome to the monthly (free) edition of Worth Watching.
The start of November is always a bit of a weird time for television. The big Autumn dramas the channels were most excited about have just finished their run, yet we’re nowhere near any of the festive specials the channels are excited about too.
Many of the show currently on now are leftovers, or shows these channels don’t exactly know what to do with. There are some shows still worth looking at this weekend however, so here’s a round-up.
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A THOUGHT PROVOKING DRAMA
Colin in Black and White (Netflix) - If there is one thing that you should be watching this weekend, even if you know nothing about American football and the NFL, it is this autobiographical drama about the sports star Colin Kaepernick on Netflix. He became worldwide news and inspired millions back in 2016 for kneeling during the American national anthem as well as speaking out about police brutality, but he was also subsequently dropped by his team and became a frequent target by Trump.
This series, which he co-created with Ava DuVernay, looks back at his formative years, with Kaepernick frequently appearing to talk about how his experiences relate to wider themes of racial injustice. This mixture of a TED Talk / Apple presentation and drama is captivating, personal and thought-provoking.
A shout out to Jaden Michael, who portrays Kaepernick in the series, lighting up the screen every time he’s on it. He’s such a good actor in many of the scenes you even tell what he’s thinking. One to look out for, I reckon he's got a big career ahead of him.
SOME ENTERTAINING SPACE NONSENSE
Doctor Who: Flux (BBC iPlayer) - I have been pleasantly surprised by the latest Doctor Who series, which started last Sunday. In case you stopped watching this show a while back (like I have), instead of a different adventure for Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor and her companion to explore each week, there is just going to be one big Doctor Who adventure for the next six weeks.
Whittaker’s era has often felt a bit let down due to Chibnall’s writing and surprisingly poor characterisation and pacing. With Whittaker and Chibnall both standing down next year (and with the news that Russell T Davies is returning to become show-runner), this series feels as if Whittaker and Chibnall are throwing everything at it, hoping that their era ends on a bit of a high. The pacing is absolutely wild and the energy is ridiculous. I’m all for it, personally. Second episode airs Sunday.
INTERESTING POLITICAL DISCUSSION
The Problem with Jon Stewart (Apple TV+) - I wrote about Jon Stewart's new fortnightly TV series a month ago in this newsletter, where the former Daily Show host looks at one big issue in greater detail. The first couple of episodes felt a bit preachy and the pacing was a bit uneven, but I am starting to think that it is finding its groove.
What makes it stand out from other shows such as Last Week Tonight is that the last half an hour of the show is a frank discussion about the issue in question with people who have been affected by it or know a lot about it. I like that Stewart doesn’t like the sound of his own voice. He just gets them talking.
A TWO HOUR TRADITIONAL CRIME DRAMA
Dalgliesh (Channel 5 and My5) - This Channel 5 drama based on the P.D. James Inspector Dalgliesh novels isn't doing anything particularly innovative or new. It just takes a very the tried and tested period whodunnit format you’ve seen hundreds of times before and does it extremely well. The first episode is out on My5 with new episodes out to watch every Thursday. It’s a good show to watch as the nights draw in.
OTHER INTERESTING SHOWS OUT NEXT WEEK:
The Tower (ITV) - New police procedural starring Gemma Whelan from Game of Thrones and Rev’s Jimmy Akingbola.
Both Mary Berry and Nadiya have their own cooking show back to back in the schedules (a dream), launching on Thursdays from 8pm on BBC Two.
BAFTA award-winning drama In My Skin returns next week on BBC iPlayer. I haven’t watched this series yet, but there’s been quite a bit of a buzz around it, so I’ll review and get back to you on this next week.
HERE IS SOME NEWS:
Adele has announced an ‘Audience With’ special on ITV on the 21st November (that is the same day as the new series of I’m A Celebrity debuts). The special, which will be filmed at the London Palladium, will feature an audience of “family, friends, fans and her own personal heroes and heroines, fellow musicians, artists, actors and more.” It’ll be the hottest ticket in town.
There has so far been no announcement on who will host the special (if indeed there is one). The production company behind the show is Fulwell 73, who make The Late Late Show with James Corden and did the Friends Reunion earlier this year. Adele has also got a special with CBS in the US on the way, but so far no channel has announced that they have got the rights over here.
Sky have confirmed that And Just Like That (the new Sex and the City) episodes, will be out this December and you’ll be able to watch it through the streaming service NOW and Sky Comedy. Here’s hoping it is better than SATC2.
Netflix has announced that their games platform will be soon available to play on their mobile app. Netflix has experimented with games before, but so far they have only been able to play within its own shows, such as that Choose Your Own Adventure episode of Black Mirror.
Why are Netflix doing this? Well, to keep viewers on its platform for as long as possible, especially if there aren’t any new programmes enticing them back for a while. It is also a good brand extension for existing shows, with two Stranger Things games being some of the first available to play.
Oh, and happy 20th anniversary to this.
Where to find me this week:
Ahead of the release of “Spencer,” for The New York Times I wrote about other depictions of Diana in other films and television shows and how they all compare. I wouldn’t recommend Diana: The Musical, if I am being honest.
I’m a contributor on Complaints Welcome, a new weekly Channel 4 show that explores complaints sent in by viewers. Episodes are out Thursdays 10pm.
I was back liveblogging Bake Off for The Guardian on Tuesday. You can read Michael Chakraverty and I’s commentary on their website.
On Must Watch on BBC Sounds this week we reviewed Colin in Black and White, Dalgliesh and spoke to Mandip Gill about her role on Doctor Who: Flux. You can listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds.
Finally, as it is Dyslexia Awareness Week Scotland this week, I did an interview with primary teacher Roddy Graham talking about how my dyslexia impacts my life. Plus we talk about misconceptions people still have about dyslexia and why dyslexia it can be benefit, not a hinderance.
Finally, I can’t let this email to go to your inbox without mentioning CNN host Wolf Blitzer, who earlier this week tweeted that he was in Edinburgh for the COP26 Climate Summit, when of course the conference was taking place 46 miles away…
… in Glasgow.
Naturally, a lot of people over here (especially Glaswegians) were quite offended. Out of all of tweets he received, here is my personal favourite:
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Thanks so much for reading, as ever.
Scotty / @scottygb