Worth Watching: Eurovision (obviously), ‘Colin From Accounts’ and ‘Queen Charlotte’
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Welcome to Worth Watching. Hope you’re doing well.
The week ahead is a massive one for television. Millions of viewers around the world are expected to tune into the King’s coronation tomorrow, and an expected audience of around 160 million are expected to tune into Eurovision the following Saturday.
These are both live televisual events, but what’s interesting is that this comes at a time when traditional live television formats are surprisingly under threat. With traditional broadcasters focusing more of their efforts on boxset viewing, and with BBC bosses hinting that the future could consist of no television channels at all, live television shows (such as Late Night Lycett) could become a thing of the past.
I wrote for Broadcast Magazine about why this would be a great shame.
REJOICE, BRIDGERTON FANS
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix, all episodes available) - Prequels and sequels usually feel like spare parts to the main series, or can fall into the trap of being pure fan-service without adding much to the overall story. Yet this prequel to Bridgerton is just as good, in fact arguably even better, than the main series.
This six-parter, nearly entirely written by Shonda Rhimes, delves into the backstory of Queen Charlotte, who is portrayed by Golda Rosheuvel in the main series and the fantastic India Amarteifio [above] in flashbacks. It’s a fantastic exploration of a character, and why someone is the way they are, whilst weaving in the changing values and attitudes within the Bridgerton universe itself.
There has also been criticism that Bridgerton has failed to adequately explore LGBTQ+ relationships. This series sees an unexpected exploration into queer love between two of the characters. It’s great to see a show listening to its audiences.
COMEDY OF THE YEAR (SO FAR)
Colin from Accounts (BBC iPlayer, all episodes from series one) - A hugely funny sitcom — created, written and starring real life husband-and-wife Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer [pictured above]. It’s about two single people who end up having to spend time together after they’re both involved in a car accident resulting in an injured dog and a huge medical bill. And, alas, they end up falling for each other.
What makes this comedy such a draw is its gag rate, with three or four jokes every minute. Nothing misses. I haven’t watched a comedy that has managed to remain so consistent since the first three series of Arrested Development (we don’t talk about the show’s revival).
INTERVIEW OF THE WEEK
Amol Rajan Interviews… Richard Branson (BBC Two) - There’s a trend of long-form interviews being shown on television of late. I guess this is likely down to the popularity of these sort of conversations in podcasting. Louis Theroux recently did a BBC Two series where he interviewed a celebrity for 45 minutes or so about their lives. Now there’s a series where the BBC’s Amol Rajan interviews a well-known name about their worldview and how their lives have shaped others.
A good episode to start with is the interview with entrepreneur Richard Branson. The interview is compelling because it focuses on Branson’s contradictions: why a man who talks so much about climate change is sending rockets into space, why someone with dyslexia started a print magazine, and why an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights has business dealings with countries like Abu Dhabi.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING…
The Diplomat (Netflix, all episodes) - All about a US diplomat (played by Keri Russell) who is sent to become the US Ambassador in the United Kingdom, but hates her job because she doesn’t like pomp and pageantry. Despite featuring lots of people saying lots of smart things (which will make you feel smart because you are watching people saying lots of smart things), the plot is surprisingly soapy. It was described by Anita Singh at The Telegraph as Emily in Paris meets Homeland and I think that’s accurate. It’s weirdly addictive though.
The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld (BBC iPlayer, one-off documentary) - A one-off documentary looking into the life of the eccentric but hugely successful fashion designer who died in 2019. Although the documentary is a little long, there are some interesting stories. Plus, Lagerfeld’s love for his cat Choupette is so well known people are actually employed to look after her following his death. Look out for the captions ‘CAT AGENT’ and ‘CAT NANNY’ appearing throughout.
EUROVISION CORNER
BBC iPlayer has launched a 24 hour pop-up channel playing non-stop Eurovision hits, hosted by Scott Mills and Natalie Cassidy (!!!).
OK so it doesn’t exactly have 24 hours worth of content — it is a looped three hour show — but I like how it brings in a live audience. Could live pop channels such as this become a mainstay for the future?
For the first time, the Eurovision Semi-Finals are going to be on BBC One. Expect them to air on Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm.
And, finally, I would also recommend listening to this episode of The Reunion on the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.
AND YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEKEND’S CORONATION.
Thanks so much for reading.
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Scotty / @scottygb