INSIDE MAN | MAKE ME PRIME MINISTER | TASKMASTER

This article was originally published in The Courier on 24th September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Inside Man – Monday, BBC One, 9pm and Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

Written by Steven Moffat of Doctor Who renown, this arresting new thriller is typically dark and audacious. Your charismatic co-stars are Stanley Tucci and David Tennant.

Tucci plays an erudite American death row inmate whose criminology background is frequently called upon by guilty establishment figures and curious journalists. Imagine Hannibal Lecter without the cannibalism. 

Meanwhile, way over yonder in a picture postcard English village, Tennant turns on the charm as an apparently groovy vicar. 

Moffat – an often dazzlingly bright and witty writer who revels in constructing puzzles – has a whole lot of fun subverting tropes he and we are fully aware of. 

The set-up is irresistible, it’s queasy, odd and unpredictable. Hopefully it all pays off.

Bad Chefs – Monday, ITV2, 9pm

Preview copies weren’t available for this new series, but it sounds like a passable way to while away some time. Apologies in advance if that’s not the case. 

It’s a reality show in which – so it says here – some ‘takeaway addicts’ are forced to ditch their apps and do some cooking from scratch. 

Now, I know what you’re (probably) thinking. That sounds potentially patronising. This is an ITV2 show after all. But let’s give it the benefit of the doubt. 

Maybe it will somehow turn out to be an uplifting show in which people, during this horrific cost of living crisis, discover how to cook decent, healthy meals on a reduced budget. Onwards and upwards, eh?

 Celebrity I Literally Just Told You – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

A throwaway nugget of mildly diverting escapism, this Jimmy Carr-fronted gameshow revolves around a simple yet effective premise: the answers to every question are seeded by Carr’s links and whatever occurs during the various rounds (an industrious panel of backroom researchers type up questions as the show unfolds). 

Which means, in that time-honoured TV quiz tradition, you can play along at home. Just pay close attention to everything that’s said. 

The latest series kicks off with a charity fundraising sport-themed episode starring footballers John Barnes and Sue Smith, broadcaster and gymnast Gabby Logan, and football manager Harry Redknapp. 

Carr is in his element here, it’s the slick, vaguely Monkhouse-esque vehicle he’s always coveted.

Make Me Prime Minister – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9:15pm

Good grief. This Apprentice-style reality series is so woefully misjudged, it may trigger an actual revolution. 

The premise: twelve contestants, under the watchful gaze of celebrity politicos Alastair Campbell and Sayeeda Warsi, attempt to prove how much better they’d be than the Prime Ministers we’ve endured during the last 40–odd years. 

Two of those PMs – Blair and Cameron – occasionally crop up to issue advice. 

Now, I concede that perhaps I’m a laughably old-fashioned bore with deeply held moral convictions, but politics isn’t supposed to be entertaining. It’s not a game, the decisions these people make have a devastating impact on millions of lives. 

I urge you to watch it, though. You’ll be astonished and angered. It’s jaw-dropping.

Taskmaster – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Glory be! Greg Davies and Alex Lowe have returned for another series of this absolutely charming load of old nonsense. 

You presumably know the score by now: a bunch of comedians have to complete a series of maddening, pointless tasks, most of which require a bit of ingenuity, cheating and chutzpah. 

Our contestants this time around are Dara Ó Briain, Fern Brady, John Kearns, Munya Chawawa and Sarah Millican. The opening round involves a fiendish display of hip-touching, hand-finding and milk-lifting. 

Taskmaster works for one fundamental reason: it seeks only to entertain. It has no truck with cruelty or cynicism. Davies is an ostensibly acerbic MC, but his insults are always delivered with a twinkle.

GHOSTS | RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE UK | AM I BEING UNREASONABLE?

This article was originally published in The Courier on 17th September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Ghosts ‐ Friday, BBC One, 8:30pm

All hats off to the original Horrible Histories team for creating such a rare treat: a family‐friendly sitcom that’s neither bland nor compromised or condescending. It’s funny, daft, clever and sweet, an obvious labour of love. 

The latest series begins with Alison and Mike anxiously welcoming their first guests to the manor house B&B they’ve been working on for all this time. Hopefully the well‐meaning spectral inhabitants won’t get in the way. 

As always, the writers seamlessly blend their driving narrative with nicely‐rounded subplots and some great fleeting gags. My favourite line this week: snooty Lady Button reveals that she once met The Elephant Man. What was he like? “Rather boring, couldn’t see the fuss.”

Mastermind ‐ Monday, BBC Two, 7:30pm

In 1972, Mastermind introduced a hitherto unthinkable solemnity to the TV quiz arena. 

The darkened set, the black leather chair, Magnus Magnusson rattling out questions on a wide variety of subjects, none of which would ever be touched upon by populist contemporaries such as Monkhouse and Forsyth: the intense no‐frills quiz to end ‘em all. 

So no wonder it celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. A world without Mastermind is no world at all. 

In round one, smooth incumbent host Clive Myrie welcomes contestants whose specialist subjects include hardboiled detective novelist Raymond Chandler, influential Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, Team GB’s performance at the 2020 Olympics, and Peaky Blinders (the latter contestant comes dressed for the occasion).

Cunk On Earth ‐ Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

The bewildered cultural commentator Philomena Cunk started out as a recurring character in Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. Since then, she’s been spun off into various solo vehicles. 

This one, a parody of self‐consciously epic BBC documentaries, invites that age old question: how do you mock something we automatically roll our eyes at anyway? An awestruck presenter standing atop a mountain while synthetic orchestral music swells is one of the most hackneyed pieces of TV grammar. Making fun of it has become a cliché in itself. 

Diane Morgan, who plays Cunk, is brilliant. She’s a naturally funny performer with a deadpan gift for subtle improvisation, but the scripted material she’s working with only raises an occasional smile. 

Sensationalists: The Bad Girls and Boys of British Art ‐ Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of Sensation, the controversial contemporary art exhibition which put that entire generation of provocative Young British Artists ‐ Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin et al ‐ on the map. This vivid three‐part series places it all in context. 

Those punk‐inspired provocateurs, who went out of their way to overturn the elitist art establishment, were the disenfranchised children of Thatcher’s Britain. 

Episode one unfolds across a canvas of art schools, squats and job centres. It was a political movement, initially at least. Later episodes will presumably examine the ways in which it eventually bolstered the dubious Cool Britannia myth, but episode one captures the anger and desperation of a creative generation with nothing to lose.

Doc Martin ‐ Wednesday, STV, 9pm

The Doc’s valedictory tour of duty continues with an episode in which Ben Miller returns to the show for the first time since series one way back in 2004. 

He plays Stewart, a local park ranger in a state of some distress. Stewart is beside himself with worry about an upcoming survival course he’s agreed to commandeer. If it doesn’t go well, he might lose his job. In an effort to help him out, surgery receptionist Morwenna encourages two series regulars to take part ‐ with, of course, amusing consequences. 

Meanwhile, Louisa, Doc Martin’s eminently sensible and sympathetic wife, agrees to speak at a local school assembly. Alas, complications ensue when several pupils are stricken with a rash.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK ‐ Thursday, BBC Three, 9pm

As the latest series of this fabulous celebration of fabulousness kicks off, extra‐special guest judge Joanna Lumley joins the panel alongside Graham Norton and Michelle Visage. 

But the real stars of the show are, as always, our latest cavalcade of contestants, most of whom would appear to be potential winners. After all, no one competing in Drag Race ever turns up looking like they’ve made a fatal error of judgement. 

It’s a landmark series in that one of the contestants, Dakota, is the first trans woman to participate in this particular version of RuPaul’s global phenomenon. She represents her community with humility, pride and a considerable amount of pizazz. 

As usual, everyone involved is utterly lovely. An uplifting endeavour.

John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf ‐ Thursday, STV, 9pm

Joe Bishop, the son of comedian and actor John Bishop, has an autoimmune condition causing progressive deafness. 

In this intimate documentary, Joe and John find out more about what it means to be part of the deaf community. John sets himself a challenge: he will perform an entirely signed stand‐up set for a deaf audience. The bill also includes established deaf comedians. 

John, a self‐evidently nice and empathetic man, doesn’t make it all about him. Far from it, he and Joe are united in their desire to educate people while throwing a spotlight on talented performers who might not otherwise receive mainstream exposure. 

Life After Deaf is followed at 10:45pm by a recording of the concert itself.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Frozen Planet II ‐ Sunday 11th September, BBC One

I’m sure I wasn’t alone last Sunday in considering the legacy of David Attenborough. He’s been an integral part of our lives for seven decades. A universally beloved figure. At the risk of sounding morbid, one can’t help thinking that every public appearance he makes these days might turn out to be his last. 

I mention that only because this exceptional Frozen Planet sequel encapsulated the tone of most of Attenborough’s autumnal works. A paean to Earth inspired by a more or less equal amount of sadness and hope. 

Has any major British broadcaster ever informed and educated with such compassionate insight? Answers on a rhetorical postcard.

Am I Being Unreasonable? ‐ Friday 16th September, BBC One

Now this is great. It’s a new comedy thriller written by and starring Daisy May Cooper (This Country) and Selin Hizli, in which the former plays Nic, a lonely woman married to a boring man she doesn’t love. 

Nic was once in love with her husband’s brother, and the feeling was mutual. They carried out a secret affair, which ended in tragedy. Grief‐stricken Nic witnessed his death, but she can’t share her trauma with anyone. 

And then she makes friends with another local mum (Hizli, Cooper’s real life best bud), who appears to be a kindred spirit. That’s when things take a most peculiar turn. 

Grounded in messy reality, this sharp, funny, honest confection is something to savour.

SHETLAND | STORYVILLE: GORBACHEV. HEAVEN | HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON

This article was originally published in The Courier on 10th September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Shetland – Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm

Time now for D.I. Jimmy Perez to bid adieu to TV’s most incident-packed Scottish archipelago. His final case, which began with a missing teenager and ended up with a radicalised local setting off bombs all over the principality, proved to be a decent send-off for the character. 

Perez will never be regarded as one of the greatest ever made-up crime-solvers - he was no Columbo, Fitz or Tennison – but his quiet, hangdog integrity and compassion were appealing traits. Douglas Henshall, a sensitive actor, was perfectly cast in the role. 

As you’d expect, the finale consists of a series of terse windswept confrontations and dramatic revelations. Plus the denouement is rather poignant.

Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next? – Tuesday, BBC Three, 10pm

Deepfake technology is an increasingly sophisticated form of digital manipulation whereby images of people can be convincingly placed in an entirely different context. In this troubling documentary, presenter Jess Davies talks to three deepfake victims. 

These non-consenting women suffered severe trauma when they were made aware of graphic mocked-up pornographic footage of themselves online. Davies reveals that there is no official legislation to protect victims of this devastating crime in England and Wales. There is nothing they can do. 

She also encounters deepfake creators who, without any fear of legal action hanging over their heads, have no qualms about continuing with this abuse.

Storyville: Gorbachev. Heaven – Tuesday, BBC Four, 9pm

Originally released via iPlayer on 31^st August, purely by chance just a few hours after its subject’s death was announced, this intimate documentary about Mikhail Gorbachev is being swiftly repeated for obvious reasons. 

Filmed towards the end of his life, it shadows the frail former Soviet leader as he reflects upon his controversial legacy. Hailed by many in the west as a hero for his role in ending the Cold War – Gorbachev was the architect of Glasnost and Perestroika – he’s reviled by many in his homeland for destroying the Soviet Union. His policies had, to say the least, long-lasting consequences. 

The film doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for Gorbachev, but he cuts a rather sad and lonely figure.

The Great British Bake Off – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm

The latest series of this sugar-coated juggernaut begins, as it always must, with Cake Week. 

A fresh batch of contestants are tasked with producing 12 perfect mini cakes, a sumptuous sponge cake, and a mercifully scaled-down dessert facsimile of a home close to their hearts. Preview copies weren’t available, but this will obviously be business as usual. The Bake Off format takes care of itself, it needn’t ever change. 

The main event is accompanied on Friday at 8pm by The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, in which host Jo Brand and various celebrity chums cast – oh yes – a sideways glance at the week’s events. We also check in with the first ejected contestant.

Nadiya’s Everyday Baking – Wednesday, BBC Two, 8:30pm

If you weren’t fully sated by Bake Off’s return, then here’s the delightful Nadiya Hussein with more kitchen tips. 

Her latest series is based around a simple mission statement: “baking for you, for me, and for the people we love.” Yes, it’s basically just your standard ‘busy parent’ cookery show - life hacks you can activate before that stressful school run! - but you’d really have to go out of your way to be pointlessly annoyed by it. 

Nigella’s programmes, which revolve around the same premise, are admittedly more compelling because she has such a bizarre presentation style. They’re inadvertently funny parodies of an upper middle-class fantasia. Hussein is far more down to earth and relatable.

My Grandparents’ War – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

A wartime-focused version of BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are?, this returning series follows various celebs as they find out more about the roles their ancestors played during World War One and World War Two. 

The second series begins with Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, whose grandfather served alongside James Bond creator Ian Fleming in Naval Intelligence. He was subsequently recruited by MI5 and MI6, and went on to commandeer one of the most notorious spying operations of the 20^th century. Another one of grandad Harington’s colleagues? Kim Philby. 

Young master Harington also uncovers a tragic romance. This, clearly, is not your standard family backstory. An eventful panoply of riches, no less.

LAST WEEK’S TV

How To with John Wilson – Sunday 4th September, BBC Two

This comic documentary series provides proof, if proof be needed, that irony and sincerity aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s an utterly charming confection in which the American filmmaker John Wilson provides gentle tutorials on how to get through life. 

Wilson is a sweet-natured nerd with a nice line in droll understatement. He wanders his homeland in pursuit of people and their stories. Some of Wilson's interviewees are rather unusual, but he never mocks them. He's genuinely interested in what they have to say.

Episode one, which initially presented itself as an amusing treatise on the art of small talk, ended up being an affecting study of anxiety, loneliness and grief. A very special little show with a generous spirit, I can’t recommend it enough.

MARTIN COMPSTON'S SCOTTISH FLING | DOC MARTIN | RIDLEY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 3rd September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 10pm and Friday, BBC Two, 9:30pm

The Line of Duty actor positively swells with national pride during this perfectly pleasant scenic travelogue. He reacquaints himself with Scotland in the company of his pal, the TV presenter Phil MacHugh. They’re an affable duo. 

The series begins on the West Coast, where Compston is from. In Dunoon they shoot the cheerfully innuendo-laden breeze (and play crazy golf) with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney. 

Later on, they climb a hill with Zahrah Mahmood, who’s made a name for herself on Instagram as The Hillwalking Hijabi. Their view from the summit is stunning. “You know how a lot of people say the great outdoors are their church?” she smiles, “I feel like this is my mosque.”

Inside Central Station – Monday, BBC One, 8pm

The latest series of this observational doc about Glasgow’s Central Station heralds some major changes for staff and passengers alike. 

We follow engineers as they deal with one of the biggest renovations the Argyll line has ever seen. This project necessitates the temporary closure of Glasgow Central’s low level station, which serves over five million passengers every year. 

Despite all of this stress and upheaval, everyone appears to take it in their stride. There’s no point complaining about minor inconveniences, especially when they’ll ultimately lead to improvements. Wise words, I know. 

Inside Central Station is a genial show, a modest little masterclass in how to compile a workplace documentary. It’s full of low-key character and charm.

24 Hours in A&E – Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

The 28^th series of 24 Hours in A&E was filmed at St George’s Hospital in London during the lockdown autumn of 2020. It begins with Sara, who’s been rushed to A&E after collapsing at work. The doctors are concerned that she may have a bleed on the brain. 

Meanwhile, teenager Flynn hits a car while riding his bike, and Jane – who visits A&E with a severe headache – reflects upon her childhood spent in Zambia and Lancashire. 

As always, it’s a reliably tender compendium of human interest stories. The formula never changes, because it doesn’t need to. Our innate empathy connects us with these people. It could be you, me, or any of our loved ones in those hospital beds.

First Dates Hotel – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Another year, another spin-off series in which maître d’ Fred Sirieix and his matchmaking squad usher yet another group of hopefuls into their exotic luxury love shack. 

Ex-military paramedic Gareth has pretty much given up on the hope of ever meeting anyone. Gareth, having applied to appear on First Dates, obviously wasn’t expecting the producers to match him up with a theoretically perfect partner. 

The twist in this particular story – First Dates doesn’t half love its twists – is that Gareth and his date, Carys, once chatted with each other on a dating app. But they never took things any further than that. 

We also meet a retired taxidermist embarking upon her first date in 39 years.

Doc Martin – Wednesday, STV, 9pm

Martin Clunes has been playing TV’s most beloved Cornwall-based grumpy medic on and off for eighteen years. And now it’s time for him to say farewell to the character. 

The final series begins with our hero in self-imposed retirement, a decision he’s clearly starting to regret. Your special guest star is Fay Ripley, who plays a woman struggling with a stressful divorce. 

Doc Martin lasted so long for several very good and straightforward reasons: well-written scripts, lovely scenery and likeable characters brought to life by a solid cast, a cast spearheaded by Clunes exuding his uniquely lugubrious charisma. 

A warm, droll comedy drama with popular appeal, it achieved everything it ever set out to do.

Katie Price: Trauma and Me – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Last year, Katie Price experienced PTSD following a car accident. In this documentary, she talks about her ongoing mental health struggles. 

The programme wasn’t available in time for my deadline, but I’m flagging it up because Price is a very candid and thoughtful person. The documentaries she’s fronted in recent years have always been worthwhile. This one features contributions from Price’s parents, who express understandable concern about their daughter’s wellbeing. 

Price, as always, interviews and listens to people who are experiencing similar problems. They discuss the various triggers that can cause them to spiral, while highlighting the ways in which we can help ourselves and each other. 

I predict with some confidence that it will all be handled sensitively.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Ridley – Sunday 28th August, STV

I’m still not entirely convinced that this new crime drama starring Adrian Dunbar isn’t a masterfully deadpan post-modern parody of every cliché in the Sad Cop Bingo playbook. 

He plays former DI Alex Ridley, who recently lost his wife and daughter in an arson attack. Naturally, Ridley lives alone in a big expensive house on the banks of a picturesque lake while listening to mournful jazz records. 

His replacement on the force, a former protégé, entices the great Ridley out of retirement to help her solve some mystifying cases. Perhaps that will give him a new lease of life? 

I mean, really. Come on. Dunbar, a fine actor, deserves better than this. So do we. 

The Capture – Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August, BBC One

It’s been three years since series one of this superior conspiracy thriller – its return was presumably delayed by the pandemic – hence why series two began with a very lengthy recap. That wasn’t necessary, as it revolves around a new case for counter terrorism agent Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger). 

Newcomers to the show would have experienced no problems following the action; the opening scene clearly established that the villains of the piece are capable of corrupting CCTV footage using sophisticated deepfake technology. The framed victim in this case is an up-and-coming government minister with ties to China. 

The Capture is a slick, smart confection that actually has something to say about real-world concerns surrounding data protection and surveillance.