Years & Years & Years & Years & Years & Years & Years & Years & Years
I wonder if anyone will watch this show in 15 years time to see how accurate it was.
Hello,
Scotty here. Here’s a few things to look out for this week.
Years & Years (BBC One, Tonight 9pm) - The BBC have been pushing this new Russell T Davies series a lot. A lot of people have who have seen it already have told me that they like it. The dystopian drama explores the consequences of extremist Twitter trolls gaining electoral power, Trump escalating diplomatic tensions with China and more on a typical British family.
Does it work? For me, it doesn’t. Too many times the drama verges into ‘state of the nation’ speeches by all of its characters, rants you groan at when you see them on your own Facebook Newsfeed. I won’t reveal spoilers, but the first episode ends with the most ridiculously apocalyptic sex scene I have ever seen on television. I just wish that the messages in it were a bit more subtle. Emma Thompson is fantastic in it, though.
Another thing… Russell T Davies was interviewed on this week’s Must Watch podcast, which you can listen to on BBC Sounds.
The Virtues (Channel 4, Wednesday 9pm) - This drama really knocked me off my feet, but I don’t want to tell you the premise. Why? Well, it doesn’t reveal what it is about either. Not at first. This Shane Meadows / Jack Thorne drama unfolds slowly, delicately, over the course of an hour. At times it's a difficult watch and I couldn’t look at the screen, but I haven’t seen something as authentic and as raw on television in ages. This is, without a doubt, Stephen Graham’s greatest role yet.
Mum (BBC iPlayer) - Talking about authentic television, this BBC sitcom is absolutely worth your time. I’m only three episodes (I missed it first time round) and I will write more about it next week, but get stuck into it now if you can. Final series out soon.
The Eurovision Song Contest (semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday on BBC Four, final on Saturday on BBC One) - THAT’S RIGHT! The song competition is back. If you want a guide, look no further than the official Popbitch guide. I was going to write a guide to the entries myself but then I remembered this one is the best. My favourite entry is the BDSM entry by Iceland (lyrics about death!).
Little BAFTA corner - did the right winners win? When it came to the big awards, like drama, absolutely. Killing Eve deserved everything it got (which included Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw’s award wins). There was a lot of chat at the afterparties about some of the unexpected winners further down the list, such as now BAFTA-award winning A League of their Own (really?) and whether Sally4Ever deserved to beat the unstoppable Derry Girls. Also, at the afterparty, I saw Phoebe Waller-Bridge dancing next to Andrew Scott. It was like some sort of wonderful alternative Fleabag ending. I can’t wait for Fleabag to win all the 2020 BAFTAs in *checks calendar* A YEAR.
Here’s a show that is pretty rubbish fun… The Society (Netflix) - If you’re into watching very attractive looking American high schoolers arguing for a long period of time, The Society is the show for you. A town is beset by a weird smell, the local school is evacuated and then all the adults who were in town disappear. What then develops is a drama that is as moreish as a Pot Noodle; bad for you but you don’t care. Although I think 90% of the TV you should watch should be the best it can be, you should always make room for trash too (why? Why not). It reminds me of this similar Channel 5 show called The Tribe (same premise) that used to clash with my Saturday morning clarinet practice.
A reader recommendation from Phil… “Him & Her and Uncle (Netflix) both deserve a throwback mention as pleasant binge-able viewings.”
If you have a recommendation, just reply to this email and I’ll take a look.
And an announcement - Last year, when I was TV Editor at BuzzFeed, we announced a TV review show on Twitter called #What2Watch. It’s now got a date and I’m hosting it with my partner in crime, Dionne. It starts June 6th (note to TV publicists reading: tell me about the shows you are working on!)
So here’s where you can catch me reviewing stuff: this email on Mondays, BBC Sounds podcast on also on Mondays, Twitter TV show on Thursdays and Radio Times column on Fridays.
As a friend told me, this is like the worst Craig David song of all time.
Scotty x