HELP + ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL + THE NORTH WATER

This article was originally published in The Courier on 11th September 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Help – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Jodie Comer and Stephen Graham star in this devastating drama about a Liverpool care home struggling to cope during the first few months of the pandemic. 

Written by Jack Thorne (This is England; The Virtues) it’s a compassionate paean to the beleaguered fortitude of professional carers and an unflinching indictment of, in Thorne’s choice words, “the indifference and incompetence of our government.” 

It tells the story of a kindly care home nurse (Comer) who befriends a middle-aged man (Graham) with early-onset Alzheimer’s. 

Comer and Graham are both outstanding, while Thorne succeeds in making his vital, angry point: care homes were effectively abandoned during the pandemic, leaving staff to look after their vulnerable residents without adequate funding or resources.

Alma’s Not Normal – Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

A semi-autobiographical sitcom written by and starring comedian Sophie Willan, Alma’s Not Normal is a frank study of mental illness, alienation and addiction. But, you know, with a light-hearted slant. 

Alma is a single, unemployed working-class woman in her thirties who dreams of becoming an actor. So far that prize has eluded her. Alma’s mother (the excellent Siobhan Finneran) is a heroin addict and occasional arsonist; this is not a conventional family, but they get by in their way. 

Alma is a likeable underdog, and Willan deserves plaudits for her willingness to explore difficult issues in a refreshingly matter-of-fact manner. And despite the sombre subject matter, there’s an underlying sweetness to it all.

Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Ah, the 1990s. What a time to be alive. This new series promises to tell the story of how a manufactured UK girl group became a global phenomenon. Preview copies weren’t available at the time of writing, but I’m recommending it anyway as it could potentially be an interesting piece of social history shot through the prism of popular culture. Apologies if it isn’t. 

We’re promised some rare archive footage and new interviews, presumably with the Spice Girls themselves. Naturally, it begins with their formation in 1994 and goes on to ask whether their ‘girl power’ stance was more than a mere marketing gimmick: did it actually have some lasting influence on contemporary feminism? Hopefully we’ll find out.

Undisputed: The Life and Times of Ken Buchanan – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

The former undisputed lightweight world champion Ken Buchanan is widely regarded as one of the greatest British boxers. Feted for his unremitting left-handed jab, the Edinburgh-born pugilist was a single-minded hurricane of energy, skill and willpower. This vivid profile pays tribute to him. 

Now 76, Buchanan recently developed dementia, but he has no trouble remembering the details of his early life and career – an amazing journey that took him to sweltering Puerto Rico, Franco-era Spain, Madison Square Garden and out on the dancefloor with Princess Anne. 

But like so many top athletes, he struggled to cope with life in retirement. Yet despite the problems he’s faced, the champ remains sanguine. His legacy is assured.

The Man Putin Couldn’t Kill – Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm

In August of last year, Russia’s charismatic opposition leader Alexei Navalny was rushed to hospital after being poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. He survived the attack and continues to campaign against his all-powerful political rival Vladmir Putin. A risky endeavour.

This documentary – which was still being edited at the time of writing – sounds intriguing, as it purports to uncover a particularly murky case of international espionage. Not only that, it apparently features one of Navalny’s would-be assassins confessing to his victim. 

The programme also addresses the issue of why Navalny poses such a threat to Putin. Just what does his ongoing struggle mean for the future of Russia and the world at large?

All Creatures Great and Small – Thursday, Channel 5, 9pm

The TV sleeper hit of 2020, this adaptation of the memoirs of Yorkshire vet James Herriot was a source of comfort during lockdown: unchallenging escapism incarnate. 

Which isn’t a back-handed compliment; just like the much-loved BBC adaptation starring Christopher Timothy, the all-new All Creatures Great and Small is an irresistibly charming confection that fulfils its brief with élan. It’s well-written, adroitly performed and looks lovely. 

Series two begins with James returning to Yorkshire after a brief sojourn back home in Glasgow. Will he be able to rekindle his romance with Helen? Fans of the books and original TV series already know the answer, but that doesn’t impede our enjoyment. Its continuing success is assured.

The Cleaner – Friday, BBC One, 9:30pm

The second episode of this enjoyable sitcom about a hapless crime scene cleaner is effectivly a two-hander between Greg Davies, who writes and stars, and special guest turn David Mitchell. He plays a highly-strung author whose grandmother has died in a bizarre fireside accident. 

And that’s really all there is plot-wise: it’s primarily an excuse for Davies and Mitchell to do their respective things to reliably amusing effect. 

It doesn’t build upon the premise established in last week’s opener, although it would appear that Helena Bonham Carter returns in a later episode. The Cleaner isn’t typical Friday night on BBC One sitcom fare, being spiritually more suited to BBC Two, but that’s part of its mildly subversive appeal.

LAST WEEK’S TV

After 9/11: Scotland’s Story – Tuesday 7th September, BBC Scotland

This commendable documentary examined the long-term repercussions of 9/11 on the people of Scotland. It featured testimonies from members of Scotland’s Muslim community, some of whom were physically attacked in the wake of 9/11: a sharp rise in overt displays of racism and Islamophobia is one of the many heinous consequences of that atrocity. 

Other contributors included the organiser of a vast anti-war demonstration in Glasgow - just one of many such events that were ignored by Tony Blair – and the mother of a Scottish soldier who was killed in Iraq. But the programme ended on a cautiously hopeful note, with the Muslim contributors suggesting that attitudes towards race in Scotland have improved in recent years.

The North Water – Friday September 10, BBC Two

Colin Farrell and Stephen Graham (that man again) star in this promising new drama about a 19^th century whaling expedition to the Arctic. 

Farrell plays a violent alcoholic drifter – an imposing greasy bear of a man – while Graham, looking like a squashed Barry Gibb, is the ship’s furtive captain. Also on board is an ex-army surgeon (Graham's This is England co-star Jack O’Connell) with a shady past. 

A co-production between the BBC and American network AMC (home of Breaking Bad and Mad Men), The North Water so far appears to be a satisfyingly grim journey into Hell. Mired in wretched grime and murk, it’s a laudanum-laced nightmare spiked with piquant dialogue and solid performances. Gruesome fun.