Friday Five: TV I've Been Watching

Here is the latest in the sporadic round-up of TV programs I've been watching. I've got a running list for the past 18 months or so, so here is a list of a few of them over in alphabetical order. 

Five TV Shows I've Been Watching:

1. Beckham (Netflix) - You simply couldn't avoid the hype for this Netflix documentary about the golden couple. As it was aimed at an American audience, I was concerned that it wouldn't cover the actual football, which was the part in which I was interested. David Beckham was a global star because he was attractive, married a Spice Girl, and had an uncanny ability to advertise in all the right places. I knew him as a phenomenal footballer, for whom the category of 'most assists' was invented, who went from a louche kid reviled by the English press for 'losing us the World Cup' to the much-beloved captain of the national team two years later, and who, with his absolutely magical Man Utd. 'class of '92' team of  dominated the local pitch when I lived in Manchester. It's all there. The words of wife Victoria, as she deals with his obsessive behaviour and passion (she claims that she still doesn't like football) are an added bonus, giving great depth to the analysis of an icon. 
2. Brassic (ABC iview) - Originally filmed in Bacap, a bunch of friends in a fictional Lancashire town, sort of led by Vincent 'Vinnie' O'Neill (Joe Gilgun - also co-creator), a disturbed young man with bipolar disorder who lives alone in a shack in the woods. His quick-witted confidence, eccentric intensity and great depth of compassion leads to a number of friendships with an odd collective including Dylan (Damian Molony) and Erin (Michelle Keegan). The group commit various petty crimes to get a bit of cash, but many of them begin to wonder if there may be more to life beyond the town. Dominic West has a great cameo role as Vinnie's GP with the worst professional manner you've ever seen. Lucy Mangan of the Guardian wrote, "It is a hilarious, warm, brutal mélange that works because it has heart without sentimentality and authenticity without strain."



3. La revolución (Netflix) - It's based around the time just before the French Revolution where the aristocracy have literally got blue blood and have to drink the blood of the peasants to stay alive, thus upsetting the social order. They range from glamorous and conflicted to cruel and twisted. Fortunately, Joseph Ignace Guillotine, discovers the virus and has a potential cure up his sleeve - he just needs to keep his head on his shoulders (other puns are available). Total preposterous nonsense with glorious period costumes and a gothic/ noir style cinematography. I really enjoyed, but Netflix apparently didn't as it was cancelled after one season.
4. Super Pumped (Stan) - The story of American rideshare start-up company Uber is not pretty. There is rampant capitalism, pursuit of growth at all costs, a vile frat-boy misogynistic culture, and a complete lack of empathy for anyone or anything that gets in the way of making millions. It is narrated by Quentin Tarantino and the part of CEO and slime on a stick, Travis Kalanick, is played to perfection by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Uma Thurman has a star-turn as the right-wing mentor, which makes a change from the men in polo necks and loafers trope. The whole thing is flashy and entertaining and so crammed full of macho-bullshit that it makes me happy to be a peasant.
5. The Virtues (Stan) - I really think it's time that Stephen Graham got to play a happy role - one where he isn't an alcoholic with a deeply troubled past who loses his kids because he's an unreliable parent. Meanwhile, he's in this miniseries drama from 2019 co-written and directed by Shane Meadows in which he plays Jospeh, an alcoholic with a deeply troubled past who loses his kids because he's an unreliable parent. It also features Niamh Algar, Helen Behan, Frank Laverty and Niamh Cusack. After a horrifically-well directed drinking binge, Joseph uses the last of his money to return to his estranged sister in Ireland, thereby unearthing traumatic incidents which he has repressed from his memory. The Virtues is a powerful and bruising story that examines the sacrosanctity of the parent/child relationship and the horrific effects that abuse can cause for many years to follow, like the ripples caused by a stone thrown into a stagnant pond.

Friday Five: More TV

I haven't done this for a while, which means there is a whole lot to catch up on. So without further ado...

Five TV Shows I've Watched Since the Last Time I Did This, in Alphabetical Order:

1. Death in Paradise (ABC iView, BINGE, Foxtel) - I love this utterly preposterous series. It is total comfort TV, of the 'cosy murders' trope, and I, along with many others I'm sure, binge-watched it through COVID lockdowns. There are limited characters on a small Caribbean island and a murder an episode (there are twelve seasons, with another two in the works) doesn't stop the visitors piling in. Mind you, as an actor, it would be hard to say no to a two-week stint in a tropical paradise. In a Calypso-Christie homage the half dozen or so suspects are rounded up at the end of each episode where the seemingly impossible crime is explained and the perpetrator is led away with a shake of the head and a sorrowful expression. And it all begins again next week. The detectives change every few seasons - we started with Ben Miller in 2011, through Kris Marshall (2014-2017), Ardal O'Hanlon (2017-2020) and latest incumbent Ralph Little (2020-current) - as do their sergeants and other officers. The two characters who have remained throughout are the bar/ restaurant owner Catherine Bordey, played by Elizabeth Bourgine, and the highlight of the show, Police Commissioner Selwyn Patterson played by the inimitable Don Warrington. There's also a CGI lizard called Harry, who has his own fan-following. Yes, it's that kind of show.
2. Fisk, Season Two (ABC iView, Netflix) - This has more of the same gloriously understated humour that was so enjoyable in the first season. Kitty Flanagan continues to write, direct and star as the not-quite-so-flash lawyer, dealing with obnoxious workmates and an overbearing father, This time round guest cameos come from Denise Scott, Harley Breen, Stephen Curry, Geraldine Hickey, Glenn Robins, Anne Edmonds, Rob Sitch, and Colin Lane, amongst others. Entertaining half-hour-long episodes make for perfect mid-evening viewing.
3. The Good Fight, Season 6 (SBS VICELAND, SBS On Demand, Stan, Paramount +) - If you want proof that the U.S. can do sharp, surreal, political, satire, look no further than The Good Fight. The final season sees the lawyers of Reddick & Associates trying and failing to ignore the collapse of their society, where white supremacists gather around the building, bombs are intermittently exploded, and Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) undergoes therapy with the bloke from Madman (John Slattery). She is prescribed a mild hallucinogen which helps her to see the funny side of barely futuristic news headlines in an only slightly altered reality. There are in-house leadership struggles, snappy suits and even-snappier spectacles, power plays and explorations of moral values which border on Boston Legal territory but without the obvious schmaltz. Charmaine Bingwa as Carmen Moyo is a great replacement for the much-missed Cush Jumbo as the up-and-coming focus character, while Marissa (Sarah Steele) and Jay (Nyambi Nyambi) continue their eye-on-the-ball down-with-the-kids schtick.

4. Mare of Easttown (HBO; Foxtel) - Kate Winslet won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Leading Actress as Mare Sheehan in a fine example of the 'going over there and taking their jobs' phenomenon as she plays a detective investigating a murder in a small town outside Philadelphia. She vapes, fights with her 'mom' and struggles to raise her daughter while doing her job with as much integrity as she can muster. The series won critical acclaim for its honest portrayal of women desperately trying to balance work and care duties. While failing to live up to societal standards of a good wife, mother, daughter and employee, she actually excels at all of the above to all who matter, and winds up exhausted and under-recognised. Despite multiple awards (Hollywood Critics Association; Primetime Emmy; Golden Globes: Critics Choice; Screen Actors' Guild; Writers' Guild) and box-office smashes (highest viewership for a linear series and one of only two series to see consecutive growth week-to-week for HBO), it still hasn't been commissioned for a second series. Maybe the predominantly male executive producers are still not ready to see women be real women. 
5. This is Going to Hurt (BBC & AMC) - In this stellar adaptation of Adam Kay's best-selling breakthrough memoir, Ben Wishaw and Ambika Mod epitomise the highs and lows of the medical profession, presenting their stories with comedic and dramatic tones. As junior doctors on an obstetrics and gynaecology ward in a National Health Service hospital, they work through the ranks of hospital hierarchy, breaking the fourth wall and addressing viewers directly with dialogue. Apparently you can save people's lives, have babies named after you, provide an exceptionally high level of care in agonisingly difficult circumstances, and be reviled, underpaid, underappreciated and criminalised at the same time. And sleep-deprived. Don't ever forget sleep-deprived. While I don't understand why anyone would undertake the ludicrously difficult position of Junior Doctor, I am forever grateful that there are people who do. And Nigel Lockhart, the Chief Consultant (played with scene-stealing panache by Alex Jennings) is an absolute c*nt.

Friday Five COVID-19: More ISO TV

We're coming out of lockdown today - hurrah! While we will be cautiously allowed out to pubs, cafes and restaurants; theatres and cinemas are not operating at capacity so there will be more TV watched for visual input. Meanwhile, these programs have been on my recent watched list. 

1. Atlantic Crossing (SBS On Demand) - A Norwegian/ American drama miniseries addresses the issue of trying to get Allied support for Norway against the Nazis, who had invaded their country in WWII. Allied intervention was not assured, as the forces were busy on multiple fronts, so while the King of Norway and the Crown Prince Olav were in England, trying to drum up European support, Crown Princess Martha took her children to the U.S.A., where she becomes the guest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. because this is a drama, the script implies there may be more than friendship between these characters. Production values are sleek, design and costumes are exquisite, and the acting varies from subtle and inscrutable to histrionic. Soapy romance elements aside, the politics is fascinating to view from a different historical perspective.  
2. The Head (SBS On Demand) - This Spanish-made, English-language psychological thriller ticks all my boxes; set in a snowy, cold location (The South Pole), a group is left in isolation as the Winterers remain at Polaris VI Antarctic Research Station to continue their research to assist in the fight against climate change. Immediately cracks begin to appear. Fast forward to six months later when the summer team return to find all the Winterers are dead or missing and there is a killer on the loose. Flashbacks indicate that everyone was shifty with a metaphorical axe to grind or a point to prove. It is logical, but I didn't work it out until the very end. It's like Agatha Christie on ice.



3. Time (BBC First) - All praise the new three-part drama miniseries by Jimmy McGovern set in a prison, starring Stephen Graham, Sean Bean, Sue Johnston and Siobhan Finnernan. It's exactly as cheery as one would expect, but the acting and the writing is almost criminally good.
4. Wentworth, Season 5 (ABC iview) - I'm a long way behind with this series - Season  5 finished in 2017, and Season 8 is halfway through (with filming interrupted due to COVID). It chucks in every prison cliché - don't go in the showers; get on gardening detail if you can; beware the butch lesbian; the kitchen deals drugs; most of the screws are bent, but it is one of few mainstream TV dramas that passes the Bechdel Test.



5. War of the Worlds, Seasons 1 & 2 (SBS On Demand) - There are a lot of versions of this story. According to this one (produced by Fox Networks Group and StudioCanal-backed Urban Myth Films), if you send Nick Cave songs out into the cosmos, you might get invaded by aliens from the future. "I don't believe in an interventionist God" has never seemed so apt. The bleak and deserted landscapes are reminiscent of 28 Days Later or The Day of the Triffids, but Gabriel Byrne lends it a touch of gravitas, and the blend of English and French gives it a certain je ne sais quoi. 

COVID-19 Friday Five: ISO TV We've Been Watching

We're in lockdown - sorry, maybe you weren't aware? Well, we are. And everyone is watching TV. I've scrolled through my notes to see what's been keeping me entertained on the small screen.

5 TV Shows We've Been Watching:

1. Fisk (ABC) - Written and starring Kitty Flanagan, this show is light-hearted and fun, even though it is set in a law firm specialising in wills and probate, and the main character is Helen Tudor-Fisk, a woman whose career and marriage has fallen apart. The writing is smart and there are featured roles for a number of favourite Aussie comedians (Marty Sheargold; Julia Zemiro; Aaron Chen), with cameo appearances by many others (Ed Kavalee; Sam Pang; Dave O'Neil). It's a total contrast to the dark, gritty drama I tend towards, and I enjoy it greatly for the light relief. So far there is only one season of six episodes, but I hope there will be more. 
2. Handmaid's Tale, Season 4 (Hulu/ SBS On Demand) - The story continues to be as gripping and the production values as scrupulous as ever. June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) makes it out of Gilead, but how does she cope in Canada? Can she reconnect with her past life? How does she make sense of the fact that people are literally dying to help her? Gilead still exists, and her daughter is still there, so what can she do about that? And will she ever forgive the Waterfords (Joseph Fiennes and Yvonne Strahovski) for what they did to her? So many questions - some of them are answered. It looks beautiful when it's at its most grim.

3. Lucifer, Seasons 1 & 2 (Netflix) - Described as an American urban fantasy television series, it revolves around the story of Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), aka the Devil, who abandons Hell for a stint in Los Angeles where he runs a nightclub called Lux and becomes a consultant to the LADP. Yes, that's ridiculous and it is glib and flashy - apparently based on a character in the comic book series The Sandman. It has elements of comic book conversions about it - lots of sidekicks and pointless characters, most of whom are one-dimensional, with the possible exception of Lesley-Anne Brandt who plays Lucifer's ass-kicking demon ally, Mazikeen. It's worth watching for the way Tom Ellis delivers his narcissistic dialogue with such delight - he is one sexy little devil.
4. National Treasure (Channel 4/ ABC iview) - The four-part 2016 British drama written by BAFTA-award-winning writer, Jack Thorne, is inspired by Operation Yewtree, a police operation begun in 2012 that resulted in the prosecution of a number of veteran TV performers. One such veteran TV performer is Paul Finchley, played by Robbie Coltrane, a once-successful comedian of the 1980s and early 1990s, now hosting a TV quiz show. When he is accused of raping several young women in the early 1990s, he fights to clear his name with the help of his former comedy partner and current star, Sir Karl Jenkins (Tim McInnery), while trying to explain his actions to his wife (Julie Walters) and daughter (Andrea Riseborough). It's unpleasant at times but very well written and acted. 

5. Tin Star, Season Three (Sky Atlantic/ SBS On Demand) - The wildly dysfunctional Worth family are back in Liverpool, making a list and checking it twice. I have really come to care for these characters over the past few series. Even if their actions are morally questionable (i.e. killing people is never a good thing), they are disarmingly charming, and no one does cheeky criminal banter quite like Tim Roth. But three season are enough, and judging from the unequivocal ending, I think we all know that.

Friday Five: More TV

Here is a sample of some more TV series I've been watching - some are better than others, but they have all kept my interest up to a point. I've been keeping a list over the past year or so, so not all of these are bang up-to-the minute, but they are all on free-to-air services.

The women of The Split

5 Recent TV Shows I've Watched

1. Cardinal (SBS On Demand) - There are four seasons of this Canadian series (each of six episodes) which are thoroughly enjoyable in a classic crime-drama fashion. The series adapts the novels of crime writer Giles Blunt, focusing on police detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and his partner, Lise Delorme (Karine Vanassa). They investigate crimes in the fictional city of Algonquin Bay, involving corruption, drug dealers, serial killers, politics, suspicious deaths of family members and all the usual tropes. It is the pace and the setting that make this stand out; it is cold and so everyone is careful and needs to plan ahead, while the lead actors are thorough and understated rather than displaying any of the histrionics and hyperbole one would expect from a US equivalent.
2. Cobra (BBC First) - I'll watch almost anything starring Robert Carlyle (*cough* Once Upon a Time *cough*), and so I was automatically drawn to this political drama. It's tonally a bit odd at the beginning when the UK's power is wiped out by a solar storm causing planes to fall from the sky and we're not sure if it's a thriller or a disaster series. Carlyle is the relatively new Prime Minister, Robert Sutherland, who has to deal with this crisis, as criminals and rioters take advantage of the situation and his daughter becomes embroiled in a drug scandal. Instead of working together, there are factions in the cabinet (mainly between Victoria Hamilton as Downing Street Chief of Staff and David Haig as Home Secretary) that attempt to score points rather than save community. Sound familiar?



3. Last Tango in Halifax (ABC iview) - It is a joy to see great actors (Sarah Lancashire; Nicola Walker; Anne Reid; Derek Jacobi) playing great characters with well-written, humorous dialogue in credible and entertaining situations (series created and written by Sally Wainwright). Set in the beautiful but bleak Yorkshire and Lancashire country and towns, it could probably be described as following the fortunes or otherwise of a blended family. The central couple (both widowed and in their seventies) reunite and act upon their past youthful affection for each other, and the series was praised by critics and endorsed by the charity, Age UK as, 'a triumph against TV's ageism'.
4. The Split, Season 2 (ABC iview) - This was a welcome return after Season One a couple of years ago - I was happy to see Nicola Walker back in her family of divorce lawyers and misfits. Supporting cast members of Stephen Mangan, Deborah Findlay, Annabel Scholey, Fiona Button, Meera Syal, and Anthony Head,  bring kudos to the series. The writing is still excellent (as one would expect from Abi Morgan), and it's refreshing to see a female-led series, but the will-she-won't-she storyline started to drag a little, and I would have liked to see more of the client drama - as apparently the legal focus is to protect women and ensure they get what they deserve from their divorces.
5. Wild Bill (7 Plus) - Rob Lowe is similar to Robert Carlyle in the 'must watch' stakes to me, so I gave this series a chance, which is more than ITV did (they pulled it after one series). Lowe is an archetypal American who arrives as chief constable in Boston, Lincs, tasked with cleaning up crime, which he sets about doing through statistics and a whiteboard. No one really likes the arrogant Yank except salt-of-earth farming type, Muriel (played by Bronwyn James, last seen by me in Harlots). There is some understated British humour and sarcasm, which grates against the American schmaltzy daddy daughter relationship scenes, indicating the potential difficulty in pitching this to the right audience.

Friday Five: More TV Shows

I was doing posts about ISO TV, but feel slightly fraudulent calling it that in Australia, where almost everything is back to normal operations - apart from theatre and festivals. So let's just go with TV shows; here are another five that I have been watching.

5 TV Shows Recently Watched:

1. Belgravia (ITV) It's not a patch on Sanditon, but it has some pretty bonnets, sly asides and wildly anachronistic character developments. The nineteenth-century drama focuses on illegitimate children, inherited wealth and social climbing as one would expect from Julian Fellowes, writer of Downton Abbey. The cast includes Tamsin Greig, Philip Glenister, Tara Fitzgerald, Paul Ritter, Harriet Walter, Saskia Revves and Tom Wilkinson, who are all marvellous, even if they barely get to flex their acting muscles.
2. Between Two Worlds (Seven Network) The monochromatic colour palette (almost everything is a shade of blue or grey) is matched only by the complete lack of inflection in the acting and dialogue. The premise should have been interesting - a man who has a heart transplant starts to imagine he has inherited characteristics of his donor - but the simultaneously tawdry production and deadpan delivery cannot raise a pulse. Models are all very well but their acting is more of the cardboard cutout variety.  Hermione Norris, what were you thinking?
3. Roadkill (BBC) Hugh Laurie seems to be cornering the market in nasty bastards. This political drama written by David Hare has a touch of Yes, Minister crossed with The New Statesman, but the comedy is replaced with cold hard pragmatism. Hugh Laurie plays Peter Laurence, a government minister on the rise until a past scandal threatens to bring him down. Helen McCrory and Saskia Reeves also star. The four-part thriller was filmed last year and, if COVID and finances permit, is perfectly poised for a second season. 



Julia Davis and Catherine Shepherd in Sally4Ever



4. Sally4Ever (Sky Atlantic/ HBO) Inevitably this will be compared with Fleabag because it is written by a woman  (Julia Davis) and features 'normal' women (Catherine Shepherd; Julia Davis) dealing with life and having sex. I long for the days when this isn't such a unique premise and the gender balance is more equal in terms of writers and actors getting decent work. In the meantime, this is a good benchmark. The seven thirty-minute episodes cause the viewer cringing discomfort and cathartic guffaws of laughter. It's black comedy at its best. 
5. The Good Fight, Season Four (CBS All Access) It begins with Diane (Christine Baranski) in an alternate reality where Hilary won, the #MeToo movement has never happened and Harvey Weinstein is still a good guy. After she wakes up it continues with military whistleblowers and an investigation into the death of Jeffrey Epstein. It's well-written and topical, with characters we grow to love (Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quinn; Sarah Steele as Marissa Gold; Nyambi Nyambi as Jay DiPersia; Michael Boatman as Julius Cain) and it combines stand-alone stories with a continuous thread. It's like a cross between Boston Legal and The West Wing, and I enjoy the glitzy American courtroom drama with powerful women not just doing the filing and answering the phone. Only seven of the scheduled ten episodes were fully completed before production was halted due to the COIVD-19 pandemic, and it feels unfinished with a tantalising mystery still in the air and Lucca has left the series. I feel a bit bereft. 

More of this sort of thing: Cush Jumbo, Christine Baranski and Audra McDonald in The Good Fight

COVID 19 Friday Five: Even More ISO TV

I would watch Keeley Hawes in anything; so would Richard Madden in Bodyguard

As we have continued our strange year, I have been watching TV series in groups; trying to mix up the comedy, tragedy, period drama and police procedural. This is a snapshot of some of that.

5 TV Shows Recently Watched:

1. Bodyguard (7plus) - I think Keeley Hawes is excellent and will happily watch her in anything from Life on Mars or Line of Duty to The Missing or The Durrells, so when I saw she had a starring role in a British police political thriller, I wasn't going to miss it. The Jed Mercurio-written drama has garnered rave reviews and high ratings from critics and viewers alike. Hawes is Julia Montague, the Home Secretary battling corrupt politicians, international terrorism and secret schemes to overthrow the government. Richard Madden is David Budd, the special protection officer who is charged with keeping her safe, but he has issues of his own, including PTSD from Afghanistan, burning resentment and a tendency towards anger. Nothing is as apparent as it seems, and story arcs are not always concluded in conventional ways - sometimes irritatingly so - but it is both bright and dark, and ultimately binge-worthy.
2. Dracula (BBC One and Netflix) - sexy and hysterical; the three-part series is as if three different script-writers and directors had a go at bringing together a story. In truth, the drama-horror series was developed and written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, but there is indeed a different director for each installment (Jonny Campbell; Damon Thomas; Paul McGuigan). We follow Dracula (Claes Bang) from his origins in Eastern Europe to his battles with Van Helsing (Dolly Wells) and her descendants. It's all slick and sensual, but the middle episode, confined to a boat with a claustrophobic sense of impending doom and psychological terror, is my clear favourite.
3. Sex Education (Netflix) - We binged two whole seasons of this show one wet weekend, and I'm still trying to work out why I was so invested in watching a series about teenagers and their hormones. Forays into adulthood are fraught with angst and we all remember our own with less than fondness, so to watch others deal with feelings, emotions and sexual expectations is probably better than having to relive our own experiences. Asa Butterfield stars as an insecure young lad at a highly progressive high school doling out advice he has gleaned from his sex therapist mother, Gillian Anderson, who has her own unresolved relationship conflicts. Although it is a British series (created by Laurie Nunn; a variety of British accents; filmed in Wales), the aesthetic is highly mixed with an American-style high school and education system, but beautiful British scenery and sensitivity. The time period in which it is set is also deliberately disorientating with many modern references, but fashion, decor and bicycles from the 80s. It's an intriguing and generous mash-up; sort of like The Breakfast Club meets Gregory's Girl. Strangely recommended.



Michael Sheen and David Tennant in the lockdown drama for our times



4. Staged (ABC iview) - And now, for our times, this is a lock-down comedy about actors who desperately want to act, but the theatres are closed, so they take out their frustrations and their theatrical rivalries over Zoom meetings. David Tennant and Michael Sheen play hyper-real versions of themselves which are equally irritating and fabulous. The six episodes are only fifteen minutes long (the perfect length for a Zoom call) and prove that you can pack a lot in if you know what you are doing. The pair were due to star in a production of Six Characters in Search of an Author on the West End but the pandemic has put paid to that. Not wanting to let this opportunity slip through his fingers, their director Simon Evans (who also wrote the script) attempts to get them to rehearse over the internet, if only they can overcome their distractions, boredom and egos to read the first scene. There are some brilliant cameo appearances from Samuel L. Jackson, Nina Sosanya, Adrian Lester and Dame Judi Dench, and evidence-based research (Him Outdoors and me) proves this is entertaining fare for theatre and non-theatre types alike.
5.  Vanity Fair (BBC First) - I love the novel; I love the character of Becky Sharp; and I love this adaptation by writer Gwyneth Hughes. Olivia Cooke is bold and beguiling (unlike many insipid heroines of period drama) and all her relationships, with Amelia (Claudia Jessie), Jos (David Fynn), George (Charlie Rowe), Rawdon (Tom Bateman), Martha (Sian Clifford), Sir Pitt (Martin Clunes), and Aunt Matilda (Frances de la Tour) are honest and brilliantly played. It's colourful and gaudy and breathtakingly bedazzling. The fact that each episode is opened by a top-hatted Michael Palin orchestrating the carousel at the titular carnival can't do any harm either.

Olivia Cooke is brilliant as Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair

COVID 19 Friday Five: More ISO TV

The A Word, season one

Following a previous post, I am still watching far more television that I normally would. But, hey, I think we've all agreed that nothing is 'normal' anymore.

 

5 More COVID-Friendly TV Series:

1. The A Word (BBC First) - With a punk, post-punk, new wave and indie classic soundtrack of the best music evs (download it from Spotify: it's six hours long) and the stunning backdrop of Lake District fells (often with Christopher Eccleston running over them), this drama looks and sounds exceptional. The titular A word is autism as a family comes to the realisation that their son has it, how they incorporate it into their daily lives, and how the wider community accepts it. It's a rather air-brushed version of reality (no one is mean or petty) but the dialogue (Peter Bowker) and character dynamics are superb. There are currently three seasons (2016; 2017; 2020) and I'm bereft now that I have watched them all.
2. The Capture (ABC iview) - In a society where we rely on surveillance to protect us, it is terrifying to think that it may be easily manipulated. This tense British crime drama written by Ben Chanan and starring Holliday Granger and Callum Turner is gripping, intelligent and startlingly contemporary. With a tagline of 'Seeing is Deceiving', it is the homage to Orwell's Big Brother that we've been waiting for. 
3. Dublin Murders (SBS On Demand) - A crime drama that follows in the footsteps of Broadchurch or Shetland with a mardy moodiness, intriguing writing, and enough flashbacks and plot twists to keep things interesting. Sarah Phelps has adapted Tana French's best-selling novels to a binge-worthy small screen format. However, none of the characters are at all sympathetic, and when one actor/character pretends to be someone else, viewers with prosopagnosia may lose the plot. 

4. The New Pope (SBS On Demand) - If you thought The Young Pope was bonkers (and you'd be right), wait until you see The New Pope. With the incumbent lying in a coma (providing several cameo opportunities for Jude Law), it is up to the cardinals to choose a new leader. After a few false starts they settle on John Malkovich who plays his part with delicious inscrutability. The serious side explores the dichotomy between those who think the Catholic Church represents compassion, and those who fear it has been irrevocably corrupted by sexual and financial scandals. Meanwhile, the throbbing soundtrack and camp, raunchy undertones entertain with twenty-first century sentiment. 
5. Sanditon (BBC First) - Andrew Davies has adapted Jane Austen's unfinished novel (her material covers half of the first episode) into a period drama which will delight Janeites and Regency fans alike. There is a typical predictable romance between an insipid female and a dull and pompous male, but all the subplots and actors are excellent. We have the injustice of female marital imprisonment, an employer's legal and moral responsibilities to their employees, a matter of race and preconception, and a rotten pineapple. All of these are framed by charming set pieces such as a picnic among the bluebells, a rowing regatta on the river or a cricket match on the beach. And Anne Reid takes over from Dame Maggie Smith as the indomitable dowager.

COVID-19 Friday Five: ISO TV

The Durrells Third Series

While I cannot watch live sport or live theatre, I have had to find other ways to entertain myself. As well as listening to a lot of podcasts and reading a lot of books, I have also been watching a lot of TV series. I've been finding it hard to concentrate of late so my usual art-house films and documentaries are on hold, and I don't really like reality TV. I haven't got Netflix or Stan so these are all on free-to-air services.

Harlots Second Series

5 COVID-Friendly TV Series:

1. The Durrells (BBC First) - practically the definition of comfort TV; the adventures of a dysfunctional but charming family led by the matriarch played by Keeley Hawes, and set on the idyllic island of Corfu just before the outbreak of WWII 
2. Friday Night Dinner (ABC iview) - brothers Adam and Jonny Goodman, siblings in an eccentric Jewish family, return home each week for a free meal and to deal with their wonderful parents (Tamsin Greig; Paul Ritter) and their weird neighbour (Mark Heap) - there are six series of this spanning nine years, and I've only just found it! 
3. Harlots (SBS On Demand) - strong roles for women (excellent portrayals from Samantha Morton and Lesley Manville, although the less said about Liv Tyler; the better) as the feuding brothel keepers spit insults at each other in an almost obscenely enjoyable period drama  
4. No Offence (ABC iview) - UK police drama set in Manchester, and in which the three main leads are women with all the ballsy dialogue and attitude you would expect from creator Paul Abbott - also, coincidentally, starring Paul Ritter 
5. Stateless (ABC iview) - excellent Aussie drama with great acting (including Cate Blanchett, Yvonne Strahovski, Asher Keddie and Marta Dusseldorp) and directing but, set around the world of detention camps and illegal immigration, it can be a bit hard to watch in places 

Friday Five: TV Programmes

After the excitement of the World Cup, Tour de France and Commonwealth Games, my television viewing has hit a barren patch. There are, however, a few programmes that I will make an effort to watch.

Neil Stuke, Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones in Silk

Five Programmes I'm Watching:

1. Silk - created by Peter Moffat and starring Maxine Peake, Rupert Penry-Jones and Neil Stuke, this is season three of the adventures of the barristers and clerks of Shoe Lane Chambers. Each episode is a self-contained piece of drama with some fine acting and larger themes of justice and morality.
2. Dr Who - He's back and he's Peter Capaldi. I'm still not impressed with Jenna Coleman's Clara companion, and the signs show no indication that she might fade back into the role of assistant rather than trying to take over. The Doctor, however, has a little more of the edgy madness and less of the cuddly doofus aspect that was threatening to spoil the franchise, so I'm prepared to give it time. (Do you see what I did there?)
3. Utopia - a sort of Australian version of The Thick of It. It's not quite as classy, but office politics and government departments are such rich comedy seams to mine that there are still plenty of nuggets to polish.
4. The Book Club / At the Movies  - personable people having intelligent discussions and reviewing stuff that interests me (i.e. books and films).
5. The Project / Have You Been Paying Attention? - information and questions about current affairs both portrayed in a lighthearted manner, or, as they say themselves, 'It's news delivered differently'.

Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who

Friday Five: TV I'm watching

Yes, tonight is opening night of the Canberra Repertory Society production of Twelfth Night, and, no, I've not been home a lot in the evenings. But thanks to on-line services, I have been able to watch a few programmes to take my mind off persistently running lines in my brain.

Richard Roxburgh as the irrepressible Rake

5 TV programmes I'm currently watching:

1. Rake - my favourite Australian drama; Richard Roxburgh is sensational as the reprobate lawyer and heads a spectacular cast delivering excellent scripts. The tag line is self-deprecatingly 'the bar has been lowered', but this is the highest standard of drama I've seen in this country.
2. The Walking Dead - we arrived late to this series, which surprises me as I have a thing for Andrew Lincoln (since seeing him in Teachers) but it has been worth the wait, even if he's not nearly as sexy with an American accent. I have bought the DVD box-set and we are half-way through Series Two. I love the emotional relationship between characters in extremes; Him Outdoors lies on the sofa calling for 'more zombies'!
3. Downton Abbey - Yes, the acting is unsubtle, the dialogue stilted, and the plots like something out of a cheesy day-time soap opera, but it's just so irresistible. And it's got Dame Maggie Smith.
4. Line of Duty - I stumbled across this by accident and have been hooked ever since. No one does bleak corrupt cop drama like the British.
5. The Dr Blake Mysteries - Craig McLachlan plays a police surgeon in Ballarat in the late 50s/early 60s - in Australian geographic terms, it's not far from Ramsay Street, but in acting ability and plot development it's a fairly long leap.

Line of Duty: It's just good

Friday Five: What I'm Watching

While I wait for the new seasons of Doctor Who and Downton Abbey to arrive in Australia, I have been amusing myself with other television series. Upper Middle Bogan was excellent but has now finished. I will also mention Mock the Week, although I'm not sure it counts as a series, and Dancing with the Stars as the only reality TV show I watch. I even voted for the first time ever the other day - Libby Tricket, in case you're wondering.

I watched one episode of Masters of Sex, which was really good, but it's on a bit late for me. Similarly Sleepy Hollow which was fine until the programmers changed the time slot. I like to not watch flickering screens for an hour before bedtime. I started watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but after two episodes the badly-drawn female characters annoyed me too much to contimue watching. I also enjoyed the two episodes that I caught of First Crossings, in which historic pioneering journeys are recreated by Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald.

5 TV Shows I'm Watching:

1. Whitechapel - with Him Outdoors or during the daytime when it's light - I'm not sure why I find this scarier than any other crime drama, but I do.
2. The Blacklist - the woman is annoying, but the series features James Spader - enough said.
3. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - season two and we're back for more frock horror: such fun!
4. David Attenborough's Africa - yes I know it's a repeat and I've seen it before, but it's Sir David; it's the BBC; it's Africa - what's not to love?
5. Big School - mocking the genre of school sitcom soap like Grange Hill for never-grew-ups, it's awfully compelling.

Friday Five: Chat Shows

I like chat shows. This is a good thing, because they seem to be making a come-back. When I come home from rehearsal or a show, my mind is still whirling and I need to unwind but don't want anything too heavy. Sometimes I have a drink and listen to music. If he's still awake I talk nonsense with Him Outdoors. Sometimes I watch chat shows and listen to snippets from other people's lives.

You are invited to share on a chat show: you learn what they want you to learn - it's not like it's phone-tapping - but there are also involuntary physical gestures that can lead you to form an opinion about the person on the sofa. The format I prefer is when the guests are seated together so they interact with each other. Michael Parkinson once said that this was the way to get the best show. He could just sit back and enjoy it as the party unfolded. That's what feels comfortable to watch too. I also like the variety feel with musical and comedic acts interspersed with the chat.

5 Favourite TV Chat Shows:

1. Parkinson - Michael Parkinson: simply the best
2. The Graham Norton Show - has an interesting variety of guets and Graham Norton knows how to make them come across well (no filth intended)
3. Rove Live - before he went to LA; Rove McManus was the Australian standard
4. The Kumars at no. 42 - The studied awkwardness and faux-family dynamic with guests who played along with the joke; it just worked
5. Wogan - Terry Wogan may have suffered from over-exposure (he was everywhere in the 80s) but his chat show was actually pretty good.

Friday Five: Local TV

Moving to another country is weird in all sorts of ways. Even (or perhaps especially) if you're in a place that speaks that same language and is similar in many ways, you can still get thrown by everyday events, such as 'what's on TV'. Australia appears to be three years behind New Zealand in Coronation Street and, as New Zealand is already at least eighteen months behind Britain, it can all get a bit confusing. Charlie Stubbs popped up the other day, large as life (and twice as ugly)! The second series of Downton Abbey (which I saw in NZ last year) has just begun.

We have got repeats of Doctor Who from the Rose days through the Martha Jones/ Torchwood debacle and the Donna Noble days. I love David Tennant and I really enjoy the Doctor Who Confidential, which strangely manages to add to the magic as it demystifies the secrets. We're also getting old runs of Remarkable Vets, which make me feel nostalgic for the many times Chester visited and was so well looked after. Plus a couple of friends works there, and it's amusing to watch one try and dodge the camera, while another seeks to hog the limelight.

5 TV Programmes I'm Watching:

1. Silk/ Harry's Law - It may not be fair to put them together, but they are both excellent examples of legal dramas in their own way and representative of their county. Silk is intelligent, well-written, and well-directed, highlighting persoanl, political, and legal concerns. It features great acting from Maxine Peake (Veronica from Shameless and Twinkle from Dinner Ladies), Rupert Penry-Jones (Adam from Spooks) and Neil Stuke (Paul from Grafters) and seems real. As a compariosn, Harry's Law is yet another legal drama by David E Kelly, this time starring the inimitable Kathy Bates with good support work from Nathan Coddry and Mark Valley. It's a lot neater and slicker with jump cuts and obvious musical overlays, and you don't have to think much to follow it, but it's fluffy emotional legal drama and I like it.
2. Episodes - Relationships, writers, actors, relationships between actors and writers, anglo-American co-operation and miscommunication - it's all there, and it's funny. And Matt LeBlanc is the perfect foil to Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig (both from Green Wing among countless other things).
3. Tricky Business - worth watching for Antony Starr and the scenery (Wollongong), it's billed as 'an Aussie family drama' about a debt collection company. As it's pretty good, and involves real actors, it will probably be axed in favour of yet another reality cooking/singing/home rennovation/ dancing programme.
4. Once Upon a Time - Everyone is actually a fairy tale character in a parallel universe, and the evil queen prevents them from knowing the truth. It's as fun to imagine which character you might be (I think I'm the gingerbread house witch) as it is to watch Robert Carlyle play Rumplestiltskin.
5. Death in Paradise - Ben Miller is a stiff-upper-lipped policeman trying to battle island crime while sweating in a suit in the French Caribbean - kind of like Bergerac with better weather, or a cross between Wild at Heart and Doc Martin. An excellent excuse to film somewhere exotic, and fill the screen with sun-drenched clichés.

Friday Five: Popular TV

I've started directing another play and taking more singing lessons, plus with the reading that I do for review and dramaturgical purposes, I haven't got much time for television, but there are a few shows I will watch (whether as and when programmed or later, having recorded them, which has the added bonus of missing all the adverts).

I loved the Downtown Abbey Christmas special (shown in the middle of summer, but enjoyed nonetheless with my female friends, Him Outdoors and a bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir) and will watch Coronation Street if I'm home when it's on.

I've begun to take note of Single Father with the incomparable David Tennant and Suranne Jones (Karen from Coronation Street), and Homeland with the wonderful Damien Lewis (who appears to be becoming the new Hugh Laurie - i.e. the Americans want to appropriate him). As I've only seen one episode of each, however, it's too early to tell, and the former is a four-part miniseries anyway, so perhaps that doesn't count.

Football and cricket also meet the regular viewing requirements, but there are some programmes I consider 'appointment viewing'.

5 Favourite TV Shows (at the moment):

1. Frozen Planet - David Attenborough narration over some of the most incredible photography of some of the most amazing landscape and animals; inspiring and beautiful
2. Outnumbered - Fantastic acting from both the parents and children. If ever I feel the merest twinge of remorse that I have not reproduced, five seconds of this programme supports my decision
3. Miranda - Comedy for grown-ups who haven't ever grown-up, with great scripts and asides to camera
4. QI - A quiz programme that doesn't really care about the score; Stephen Fry and Alan Davies plus a coterie of educated and entertaining guest panellists. It's been going for ages and I still enjoy it
5. The Graham Norton Show - Series 10 (I think) and still going strong - a 'light' entertainment chat show with a mix of guests, stand-up, regualr features and performers that works - better in format than Johnathan Ross, or any other chat show on TV

It's Never as Good as the First Time

We are having a mid-season break from Dr Who. This might be a good thing: I need to pause for breath and to recap, as the plot developments have come thick and fast, distorting perceived realities and suggesting thast time is, indeed, 'bendy-wendy'. I like this new series, although it is more sci-fi geekdom and less personality-fest than on David Tennant's watch, but the latest instalment of Harry Potter is out next week and I can only cope with one time-travelling, parallel inter-dimensional universe thing at a time.

I mentioned to a friend how I was hooked on Dr Who and wondered whether I really should have grown out of it by now, or whether it was actually no longer targeted at kids. Apparently what I should be watching is Torchwood as that is the 'adult version', but I am worried that like every other spin-off ever, it will be crap.

Yes, I know, that's a bold statement, but can you really think of any spin-off that is better than the original? Tucker's Luck, Going Straight and Joey spring to mind. So, no, then. Him Outdoors loved the chaos of Tiswas, but it didn't translate to the anarchy of O.T.T., which seemed more like 'Try Too Hard'. And while Dallas and Dynasty may have been bad, they were still compulsively watchable, unlike Knot's Landing and The Colbys which were convulsively execrable.

Apparently Boston Legal came out of The Practice, which I find interesting because I never watched the latter (although it was the fore-runner) but enjoyed Boston Legal immensely. Lawyers and doctors series (Holby City out of Casualty for example) make fertile grounds for spin-offs it seems, as do detectives and cops in general. Inspector Morse was very good and I like the emergence of Lewis as he stalks the streets of Oxford with the sardonic Hathaway in tow.

I remember (in 1980, preceeding Juliet Bravo by four months) Jill Gascoine as a (shock horror) female police detective in LWT's The Gentle Touch. My mum loved it. I preferred C.A.T.S Eyes (1985-87) partly because I was a bit older, and partly because it featured Don Warrington, whom I adored, and Leslie Ash whom I admired (who didn't want to look like her in the 80s before she discovered Lee Chapman and plastic surgery?)

From cartoons to teenage angst, children's programmes have proved a rich seam to mine. Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels began on Scooby Doo; The Perils of Penelope Pitstop and Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines all emerged from Wacky Races; Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock are all inter-linked; and Count Duckula hatched from Danger Mouse (an intriguing zoological phenomenon).

Party of Five (remember that? It was the first time I'd ever heard of a boy being called Bailey - I thought it was the name of a dog or a drink) led to Time of Your Life (I don't remember that); The Six Million Dollar Man spawned The Bionic Woman (as it were); similarly Hercules: The Legendary Journeys begat Xena: Princess Warrior (a favourite of my Dad's - I can't imagine why...); and, from a more innocent era when kids were encouraged to do things with their hands that didn't involve computers, Vision On evolved into Take Hart (not to mention The Morph Files).

Frasier was okay, but true Cheers fans will claim it is nowhere near as good as its parent programme. Not that I was ever a fan of Who's the Boss, but I did watch it occasionally when I lived in New York - not so the sequels Living Dolls or The Upper Hand. It wasn't my era, but I believe many people who liked Man About the House were less than enamoured of the follow-ups, George and Mildred and Robin's Nest.

Sometimes you just have to be in the moment and, if you try to recreate something later, it just doesn't work. Sometimes it really is the X-Factor that can't be reproduced. There are few more depressing developments than Coronation Street: Open All Hours which featured several Street characters (Steve, Vicky, Vikram, Bet, and Reg Holdsworth) floundering in Brighton. Truely it was painful.

And then you get the weird crossover, which isn't so much a spin-off as an odd collaboration - such as when the character of Tanya Turner from Footballer's Wives was sent to prison and ended up in three episodes of Bad Girls. Has this sort of thing happened before, and is there a name for it, I wonder?

Characters can emerge from a trial on a comedy series (or chat show in the case of Dr Phil) and sometimes steal the show from their screen nativity. French and Saunders gave us Absolutely Fabulous; The Mary Whitehouse Experience conjured up both Newman and Baddiel in Pieces and The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show; we have That Peter Kay Thing to thank for Phoenix Nights, and Naked Video is responsible for Rab C Nesbitt - make of that what you will.

So, being as it never is as good as the first time, why do the producers of shows think it might be? Why do they tarnish the lustre of successful programmes with at best dull sequels? Are they ever hopeful that they might find The One, or are they just going through the motions, lazily milking the cash cow. I am reminded of a comic who once reckoned that casting director for a sequel must be the easiest job ever: 'That Arnold Schwarzenegger was quite good as the Terminator in the last film - what say we get him for the next one?'

The trouble with young people today...

We are now being 'entertained' by Dancing on Ice 2011, which has arrived here quite quickly after it was shown in Britain. I won't look anything up because I hate spoiling it for myself - I want to know who wins, but only when I've seen all the dances and outfits, the lights and the sequins, the thrills and the spills, the spins and the jumps. So please don't tell me the outcome, as we're only four weeks into it and I've got heaps of time to waste on the sofa yet. I love the fact that a rider appears on the bottom of the screen reminding viewers not to phone up as 'voting has now closed'. Several months ago. In another country.

I was discussing the dancing phenomenom with friends. As I don't watch any programmes about singing, cooking, decorating, surviving on tropical islands (or even a house) and all the other things that TV producers think we find interesting, it is odd to me that I am so intrigued by the dancing programmes. Perhaps it is because I can't dance to save myself but have always loved the combination of strength and fluidity of movement (being called a 'sugar plum elephant' when I tried my own childish version of galumphing didn't help much, thanks Dad!).

Ballet is impressive, ice-dancing is spectacular and Torvill and Dean are outstanding. One friend reckoned that dancing teaches people respect, elegance, grace, appropriate behaviour and standards of physical contact. In fact, she went so far as to say that 'the trouble with young people today' is that they don't dance 'like we used to'.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that my dancing generally consisted of raving in a field with a glo-stick or leaping up and down in a mosh pit with lots of other sweaty types. I did go in for country dancing when I was a kid (I liked all that heel-toe stuff) but my sisters took the piss. And I once stopped Levellers fans in clogs from stamping on my friend's head after he fell asleep during The Fall at Reading Festival. But I'm not sure that counts. Perhaps that's the trouble with me, too.