I’ve been on crutches for the past month or so (blame sciatica), so I’ve been a lot less mobile. I thought that this would give me some time off work but… since I literally write about television for a living, that hasn’t been so easy since I’ve just been watching more of it.
Anyway, I’m back on my feet so expect more frequent newsletters from now on.
THE SHOW YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING RIGHT NOW
Renegade Nell (Disney+, all episodes) - Two words. Sally Wainwright.
This is the project that the creator and writer of BBC One’s Happy Valley — one of the best television shows of past decade — has gone to next. Starring Louisa Harland (Orla in Derry Girls), this new series follows a female highwayman as she discovers that she has superpowers, but these powers are only granted to her at certain moments (by a magical spirit that lives in the ring on her finger, which is played by Nick Mohammed).
I know, a surreal concept, but a brilliant one. What Sally is so great at is character, character, character, and building up suspenseful plots that you can only ever attempt to predict. And whilst this is clearly a period piece, it has the energy of a contemporary show. Can’t find any flaws. This is a great show.
AN INTERESTING CONCEPT
The Assembly(BBC One, one-off)- The best thirty minute programme this week features more than thirty autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled interviewers questioning the actor and director Michael Sheen on any topic of their own choosing. Coinciding with Autism Awareness Week and made by Rockerdale studios (the disability led UK production outfit), the questions put forward by the guests are great and the responses from Sheen are genuinely interesting.
The show has also resulted in an (overdue) discussion about the depiction of autistic and neurodivergent people on television. There’s a great recent article on this topic by Elsa Williams, who sums it up well:
What I’m waiting for, still, is a nuanced portrayal of autistic adults on our screens. Something that elicits more than an ‘Aw!’, as you do to a donkey wandering off a Nativity stage.
Because there’s so much to say. I’d like to tell you how your world looks equally baffling to ours, except your absurdities are our social expectations. We’d be amused by it all, just like you’re amused by us, but we have to play the game.
HOOK IT INTO MY VEINS
Race Across The World(BBC iPlayer, new episodes every Wednesday) - The fourth series of the country-hopping reality show debuted this week, and it’s looking like it will be a corker. The previous non-celebrity series, which saw teams compete in a race across one country (Canada) had to be that way due to the covid restrictions at the time. But it also felt limited because there were only so many routes that each team could take, resulting in them bumping into each other again and again.
This series feels stronger because teams are racing through multiple countries again, this time travelling more than 9000 miles through Japan and Indonesia. The backstories of the participants are always engaging, but I think the real strength of this show lies in the way it shows you such fascinating parts of the countries — which never get featured on any other travel shows because they’re usually just slightly out of the way.
OTHER SHOWS WORTH A LOOK
The Regime (NOW - all episodes) - A new six-part drama with Kate Winslet (above) playing the authoritarian leader of a fictional European country which is falling apart at the seams. The thing is, whilst being brilliantly acted by Winslet, there lacks a cohesive satirical edge to it, which is surprising considering it’s made by one of the showrunners of Succession. Having said that, I binged the lot. The show might be of particular interest to political geeks.
Scoop (Netflix - just one big film) - A lot has been said about this film looking at how the 2019 Prince Andrew interview was secured. And whilst it doesn’t tell us much that we don’t already know about the interview itself, it is a good watch for media nerds, and it is a celebration of all the people in news shows who don’t sit in front of the camera.
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr (BBC One, new episodes every Tuesday) - We’re now approaching the quarter-finals of the interior design show we all love to critique (two glasses of wine deep). The true joy is in innocently making snarky remarks about everyone’s work — particularly if you have no experience in interior design yourself. Though, half the time, the show’s judge (Michelle Ogundehin) praises the work that you at home criticise. It makes it all wholly unpredictable, which honestly only adds to the fun.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK
I wrote about the impact of Mr Bates VS The Post Office to coincide with the show airing on PBS in the United States. I spoke to Gwyneth Hughes, the show’s screenwriter, about why this small British show has a universal appeal.
“These things are happening everywhere,” Hughes said. “People are at the mercy of soulless bureaucracies and bunker mentalities in big corporations and government departments that end up victimising the little guys.
I also wrote for Broadcast Magazine about the importance of TV continuity announcers and how the job is actually harder than you might think.
