GEORGE MICHAEL: OUTED | KATHY BURKE: GROWING UP | FUNNY WOMAN

This article was originally published in The Courier of 4th March 2023. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

George Michael: Outed – Monday and Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

In 1998, George Michael was arrested for committing a so-called lewd act in a Los Angeles public toilet. That scandal could’ve ended his career, but instead he turned it into a landmark moment for gay liberation. He owned it. 

This comprehensive two-part documentary places George’s highly publicised outing in acute sociohistorical context. 

He shot to fame in the 1980s, when the tabloids exploited the AIDS crisis to create a virulently homophobic moral panic. His private anxiety was emblematic of fears within the entire gay community. 

A valuable social document, the programme illustrates the blatantly unethical ways in which certain powerful portions of the media persecute minorities for their own political gain. Its timely subtext is clear.

A Special School – Monday, BBC Two, 7pm

In the final episode of this current series, the staff and pupils of Ysgol Y Deri are nearing the end of summer term. 

Sport’s Day is back for the first time since the pandemic. Egg and spoons abound. As one staff-member notes, these fun little memories will hopefully be something the kids will cherish in their adult lives. 

It’s also time, after months of rehearsal, for the big summer production of Aladdin. 

As always, A Special School illustrates the importance of gently encouraging children with diverse needs towards creative and active endeavours which may allow them to project hitherto untapped facets of their personalities. 

If you’ve seen this show before, then you’ll understand why I repeatedly wax lyrical about it.

Jamie’s £1 Wonders – Monday, Channel 4, 8pm

Cost of living crisis be damned, here comes big-hearted millionaire chef Jamie Oliver to give us some advice about how to survive on a meagre budget. 

The problem with Jamie is that he probably does mean well, but he’s a fundamentally silly man utterly lacking in self-awareness. So ostensibly good-natured ventures such as this always come across as blunderingly offensive. He has no real idea of how much we’re all struggling. 

Anyway. In episode one, he faffs about with some chickens, pizzas and pancakes. He also calls upon his old pal Gennaro Contaldo to share some tips on traditional Italian cooking. Those tips don’t involve toast and baked beans, so I found myself lost from the outset.

Kathy Burke: Growing Up – Wednesday and Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

Kathy Burke, like most decent people of sound mind, would balk at being described as a national treasure. And ‘balk’ is a polite way of putting it. Nevertheless, Burke is rightfully beloved. 

She doesn’t project a cynically contrived persona, she’s a genuinely frank, funny, kind and inquisitive person who has no time for narrow-minded nonsense. Hence why she’s carved a successful career in semi-retirement as the host of documentaries such as this, in which she challenges negative stereotypes about people old and young. 

While confronting the realities of ageing and death, she examines the inherent difficulties of young adulthood in the 21^st century. It’s a typically insightful and humane essay, shorn of all the usual clichés.

Cold Case Detectives – Thursday, STV, 9pm

Carol Ann Stephens was murdered in Cardiff in 1959. She was six-years-old. Her killer has never been found. This new series attempts to find some justice for Carol at last. 

I’m generally disinclined to recommend programmes of this nature, as they’re quite distressing for obvious reasons. So with that in mind, please tread carefully. 

In episode one, we’re introduced to a detective who was childhood friends with Carol. We also follow, throughout the series, cold case detectives and forensic experts as they revisit old crime scenes, interview new witnesses and unearth crucial pieces of information. The team also investigate some other historic murders. 

Funny Woman – Thursday, Sky Showcase, 9pm

Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, this likeable comedy-drama stars Gemma Arterton as Barbara, a mid-1960s Blackpool beauty queen who flees to Swinging London. Inevitably, she discovers that London only swings for those who can afford it. 

Barbara is determined to do something with her life, but has no real idea of what that might be. She idolises Lucile Ball. Perhaps she could be Britain’s answer? 

Adapted by that great comic actor and writer Morwenna Banks, Funny Woman is a warm, witty, charming tribute to our estimable comedy heritage. Arterton proves once again that she’s a talented comic performer, and Rupert Everett has an absolute whale of a time as an ageing showbiz impresario.

Becoming Frida Kahlo – Friday, BBC Two, 9pm

Frida Kahlo is widely regarded as one of the most significant artists of the 20^th century. But that wasn’t the case during her lifetime. This beautifully-made three-part profile pays homage to a truly transgressive artist. 

It begins at the beginning, with a young Mexican girl growing up in a time of revolution. Those formative experiences inspired her uncompromising independence and iconoclasm.

Programmes of this nature often rely on lazy platitudes, they tell the stories of ‘icons’ in a superficial way, but this one is different. It’s curated by people who understand why Kahlo was so important. They never forget that she was an actual human being, not just some sort of symbolic legend. 

LAST WEEK’S TV

Endeavour – Sunday 26th February, STV

Here we are then. It’s the final series of this Inspector Morse prequel, which began way back in 2012. Naturally, some Morse fans were sceptical at the time. Do we really need a detailed backstory for this quietly enigmatic detective? Aren’t some mysteries best left unsolved? 

Well, I’m no Morse purist, but from where I’m standing Endeavour never sullied the legacy of one of TV’s most beloved coppers. It was made with evident care and respect for, not only John Thaw’s iteration of the character, but for the quietly ingenious spirit of Morse creator Colin Dexter. 

Youngish Morse’s latest case, which took place in 1972, was a typically diverting and elegant piece of superior Sunday night clue-sniffery.

The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland – Tuesday 28th February, BBC Scotland

Chapter two of Kirsty Wark’s enlightening essay travelled through the 1980s and 1990s, a bold new era of opportunities for women. Or so they were told. In fact, the struggle for equality was far from over. Sexism, misogyny, harassment and domestic abuse were still rife. 

Wark’s interviewees included the daughter of Jean Porcelli, who fought a landmark sexual harassment case which changed the law for women across Britain, and Karen Koren, the Gilded Balloon artistic director who encouraged so many women to blaze a trail through comedy. 

Wark also told the story of Anne Hepburn, whose feminism shaped her quest for more inclusivity in the Church of Scotland. 

All three episodes of this excellent series are currently available on iPlayer. 

UNFORGOTTEN | MURDER IN THE PACIFIC | STEPHEN FRY: WILLEM & FRIEDA – DEFYING THE NAZIS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 25th February 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Unforgotten – Monday, STV, 9pm

There is something oddly comforting about how every series of Unforgotten begins on exactly the same grisly note, with the chance discovery of some human remains. 

We wouldn’t have it any other way, as creator Chris Lang knows only too well. A good, sly, intelligent writer, he cleaves to a proven formula while never repeating himself. 

But will the latest series survive the loss of Nicola Walker, whose character was killed off last time around? Her warm, understated chemistry with co-star Sanjeev Bhaskar was key to Unforgotten’s appeal. 

Well, she’s been replaced by that fine actor Sinead Keenan, and episode one suggests that fans have nothing to worry about. The central dynamic is different, but without being jarringly dissimilar.

A Special School – Monday, BBC Two, 7pm

Our latest visit to Britain’s biggest special education school, Ysgol Y Deri, begins on an atypically downbeat note. 

Thousands of pounds worth of water sport equipment has been stolen. But the staff don’t dwell upon that setback. They can’t, there’s no point. Their pupils are of far more importance. 

Also, Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. When the kids make their smitten feelings known, it’s touching yet never sentimental. 

Produced in partnership with the Open University, this exceptional series is an honest snapshot of the everyday challenges faced by young people with diverse needs, and the dedicated professionals who support them. 

We must never, ever take institutions such as Ysgol Y Deri for granted, they provide a vital service.

Sex Actually with Alice Levine – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

As she begins series two of her commendably frank and non-judgemental odyssey, Levine visits the world’s first cyber-brothel as part of an investigation into the rise of sophisticated sex robots.

I probably don’t have to stress this point, but just in case: Sex Actually with Alice Levine contains scenes that viewers of a more prudish or sensitive bent may find offensive. Their discretion is advised, but please bear in mind that we’re not dealing here with some snickering gawp-fest a la Channel 4 stablemate Naked Attraction. 

Executive produced by Louis Theroux, it’s a thoughtful show hosted by a witty, warm and inquisitive person with a genuine interest in the multifaceted subject at hand.

Saving Lives in Leeds – Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Brought to you by the team behind that deservedly lauded BBC series Hospital, this is a similarly sympathetic frontline study of our beleaguered NHS doctors and nurses. 

Leeds General Infirmary nestles at the heart of one of the UK’s largest NHS Hospital Trusts. In episode one, we meet a pioneering expert in hand transplantation surgery. His patient lost all his limbs after being electrocuted at work. 

Meanwhile, in the neurosurgery department, doctors struggle with a moral dilemma. They only have one confirmed post-operative bed at their disposal, but they’re dealing with two patients in urgent need of treatment. 

The same problem arises at Leeds Children’s Hospital, where two children with cerebral palsy require beds on the same day.  

Django – Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Loosely based on Sergio Corbucci’s cult Spaghetti Western, this new series follows a tortured drifter who winds up in a makeshift city populated by social outcasts. 

Django takes itself very seriously indeed. It neither immerses itself in subversive mayhem a la Tarantino (whose Django Unchained was also vaguely inspired by the source material), nor takes full heed from the artistry of Corbucci himself. 

It’s a reverent tribute to the Spaghetti Western genre, and that’s the problem; it doesn’t quite understand why people dug those films, with their unique combination of weird black comedy and stylised revenge fantasy violence, in the first place. 

Also, Django looks more like a bedraggled hipster ale brewer than a tough, grungy Western antihero.

Murder in the Pacific – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

In July of 1985, Greenpeace’s flagship vessel the Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sank by the French intelligence service off the coast of New Zealand. 

They’d been ordered to prevent Greenpeace from protesting against France’s nuclear testing on South Pacific islands. A photographer by the name of Fernando Pereira was killed during the attack. 

This three-part docudrama examines in authoritative detail an utterly appalling scandal. 

All of those aboard Rainbow Warrior, a prominent symbol of peace, were attempting to draw the world’s attention towards environmental matters of the utmost urgency, they did not deserve to be targeted with violence. 

The first episode focuses on the background and build-up. You will despair.

Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda – Defying the Nazis – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, two heroic Dutch resistance members helped to rescue thousands of Jewish people. Their names were Willem Arondeus and Frieda Belinfante. 

Willem was a struggling artist. Frieda was an accomplished cellist. They both lived openly gay lives. 

In this fascinating documentary, Fry pays tribute to their extraordinary bravery while confronting an uncomfortable truth: Willem and Frieda are barely remembered today, because for decades their homosexuality precluded them from being officially recognised as national heroes. 

That’s no longer the case, and Fry ends the programme on a hopeful note, but his timely message is clear. If we don’t stand up against bigotry in all its toxic guises, abject horror will ensue.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs – Sunday 19th February, BBC Two

I’m not a qualified palaeontologist, believe you me, but I have watched quite a few dino-docs over the years. And this one, a two-parter presented by Liz Bonnin, failed to live up to its title. 

At the risk of sounding jaded about such an interesting subject, we’ve heard these secrets before. 

Bonnin joined an international team of palaeontologists as they carefully excavated a dinosaur graveyard in Wyoming. They’re doing good work, more power to their dusty elbows, but they must be irked by TV crews turning up every week to make the same programme about their necessarily slow and painstaking endeavours. Leave ‘em alone. 

Also, the computer graphics looked like they were programmed on a Commodore 64.

Beyond Paradise – Friday 24th February, BBC One

Hapless Kris Marshall stars in this spin-off from the unstoppable Death in Paradise, which relocates from the sun-blessed Caribbean to a sleepy Devon town. But it’s very much business as usual. 

This franchise has never taken itself seriously, it’s a knowingly Scooby Doo-esque spoof of murder mystery tropes. Everyone involved is in on the joke, so in that sense it’s virtually critic-proof. What can I say that the production team and fanbase aren’t already aware of themselves? 

It’s polished nonsense, a clown nose glazed in fake blood, a cosy knockabout whodunit with zero pretensions. On and on it trundles, like Compo in his recalcitrant tin bath. It’s there if you want it, ignorable if you don’t.

A SPECIAL SCHOOL | THE WOMEN WHO CHANGED MODERN SCOTLAND | THE GOLD

This article was originally published in The Courier on 18th February 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

A Special School – Monday, BBC Two, 7pm

Penarth’s Ysgol y Deri is Britain’s biggest special education school. It remained open during the pandemic to provide support for the children of key workers. 

In series two of this uplifting documentary, staff and pupils are preparing for their annual Christmas pantomime. They’re also about to enjoy the first school trip since 2019. 

This isn’t merely a job for the staff, they’re devoted to the welfare and development of the children placed in their care. The headmaster, an abundantly kind and decent man, is even moved to tears at one point. 

One of his colleagues sums up their commendable mission statement: “School is very structured, a safe place, but we want them to take those skills into the real world.”

Inside Our Autistic Minds – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

In the second and final episode of this sensitive series, Chris Packham meets more people who are, like him, on the autism spectrum. 

His interviewees this week are an aspiring teenage rapper, and a teaching assistant who moonlights as a trance DJ. They both love music, but that passion triggers a certain set of problems. 

Packham assists them in the making of personal short films designed to educate their classmates, colleagues and us. This is how they see and hear the world. It’s a touching, candid exercise. 

Packham also spends some time with an expert in autistic hypersensitivity, and a doctor who helps our host to understand his own need for precise daily order.

The Dangerous Rise of Andrew Tate – Tuesday, BBC Three, 10pm

Andrew Tate is a vile misogynist influencer who commands a legion of radicalised male followers. A fascistic cult. 

Two months ago, in his adopted home of Romania, he was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. This disturbing documentary follows journalist Matt Shea as he gains highly restricted access to Tate’s Romanian compound. 

Tate has zero self-awareness, so he presumably regarded this venture as yet another piece of cleverly controlled self-promotion. Shea, in his quietly Theroux-esque way, encourages Tate to dig an even deeper hole for himself. 

Most importantly of all, we hear from some of the traumatised women who allege abuse by this toxic grifter. Tate’s empire may be crumbling, but what he represents is still frighteningly prevalent.

The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

This fascinating series celebrates many of the great Scottish women who, over the last 50 years, have challenged the patriarchy. 

It’s a valuable social document in which our empathetic host Kirsty Wark traces an ongoing battle for equal rights. 

Her odyssey begins in the 1960s, when female footballers weren’t allowed to compete officially. 

From there we progress towards the pioneering efforts of some heroic feminist politicians, a group of slyly empowering journalists who worked on teen mag Jackie during its 1970s heyday, and the origins of Scottish Women’s Aid, a vitally important charitable organisation devoted to the prevention of domestic abuse. 

Societal attitudes have improved, at least to an extent. Wark and co explain why that shift had to happen.

Untold: Help! My Home is Disgusting – Tuesday, Channel 4, 11:05pm

When Kwajo Tweneboa shared the nightmarish details of his social housing situation online – imagine a miasma of cockroaches, mice, mould and overflowing toilets – he was inundated with responses from people struggling in similarly unacceptable environments. So much so, he is now a high-profile social housing campaigner. 

In this documentary, Tweneboa visits people living in various states of utter despair. Whenever they confront their landlords, they are ignored. Pay your rent, or get out. 

Tweneboa’s report highlights the direct correlation between dismal living conditions and the exacerbation of severe mental health issues. He also exposes the sheer number of complaints aimed against some of the biggest housing associations.

The Supervet: Safari Special – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Professor Neil Fitzpatrick, the Supervet himself, is one of television’s most benign and genuinely helpful resident experts. Should your domestic animal friends ever find themselves in times of trouble, Fitzpatrick is the softly-spoken physician you’d want by their side. 

In this Very Special Episode of his long-running vehicle, he ventures off to South Africa.

Fitzpatrick is renowned for his neurosurgical and orthopaedic innovations, he’s improved the lives of countless small animals, but he’s never dealt with anything on this particular scale before. 

While working and learning alongside a dedicated South African team who deal with big cats etc. on a daily basis, he emphasises the importance of protecting these magnificent creatures.

Life and War: Ukraine A Year On – Thursday, STV, 9pm

ITV's Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo has witnessed the invasion of Ukraine first–hand. In this report, he interviews civilians, medics and soldiers, all of them fighting desperately for survival. 

When Russia invaded Ukraine, the country mobilised to defend itself. It was not, as Putin presumably expected, immediately overcome. Millions fled the country, but many more stayed to face their invaders. 

Preview copies of this programme weren’t available, so I’m obviously not qualified to comment upon its specific contents. But I don’t need to stress why I’m bringing it to your attention. 

ITV, self-evident faults and all, is rightfully renowned for its occasional sober detours into investigative journalism.

LAST WEEK’S TV

The Gold – Sunday 12th February, BBC One

A six-part dramatisation of the Brink’s-Mat robbery, that notorious 1983 heist in which a criminal gang stole a stack of gold bullion worth £26 billion, The Gold is presented neither as a celebration nor outright condemnation. 

Written by Neil Forsyth of Bob Servant and Guilty renown, it’s a nuanced piece about some desperate men struggling under the yoke of Thatcherism. Forsyth doesn’t ask us to sympathise with them unequivocally, but he places their actions in thoughtful socio-political context. 

It’s a fascinating saga, recounted with Forsyth’s usual wit and flair. Also, hats off to the production team for capturing the uniquely overcast aesthetic of early 1980s television dramas shot on film. 

Better – Monday 13th February, BBC One

Would a corrupt cop and an organised crime boss really conduct their clandestine affairs with such wantonly face-to-face abandon? That’s what I found myself dwelling upon after episode one of this watchable, if not entirely plausible, thriller. 

DCI Slack (Leila Farzad) and Col McHugh (Andrew Buchan) are indebted to each other. They’ve been in cahoots for years, but a series of unfortunate events places their relationship in jeopardy. 

Better demands that we suspend a considerable amount of disbelief, which isn’t a great starting point for any drama. It may, however, develop into a serviceable potboiler. 

Farzad and Buchan are solid, and the script is etched in pleasingly sardonic shades of the recently departed Happy Valley.