GET ON UP: THE TRIUMPH OF BLACK AMERICA | SUCCESSION | CELEBRITY HUNTED

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

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Get On Up: The Triumph of Black America – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

The British actor David Harewood has lived and worked in America for just over a decade. He’s witnessed first-hand the vast influence of African American culture on popular culture all around the world. 

In this insightful and uplifting two-part series, he pays tribute to several game-changing African American artists. 

It begins in the 1960s, the decade of his birth, when Sidney Poitier and Motown crossed over into the mainstream. Pioneers, they challenged racist stereotypes with their talent, dignity, elegance and tacitly political defiance. They made a difference. 

Harewood also delves into the uncompromising artistry of 1970s Blaxploitation cinema and speaks to actor Jon Amos, who played the adult Kunta Kinte in that landmark TV miniseries Roots.

Succession – Monday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

So here it is, the fourth and final series of Succession. This scabrous saga is almost over. We’ll miss these compellingly awful people when they’re gone. 

I don’t have access to preview copies, as they are at present buried in a secret lead-lined desert vault owned by Logan Roy, so all I can tell you is this: media conglomerate Waystar Royco is still on the verge of being bought up by a rival tech billionaire. Naturally, this triggers all-out war among the grasping ranks of the Roy dynasty. 

Succession is a bleakly amusing and all too convincing study of the filthy rich villains who corrode our planet. It is, like all great satire, fuelled by anger and despair.  

Bear Grylls Meets President Zelenskyy – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm

Grylls may seem like an odd choice of host for a documentary about Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he was actually invited to participate by the Ukrainian President himself. And he does a pretty good job. 

Mercifully, he doesn’t treat his three tense days in Ukraine like one of his usual action man survival missions. This is a sombre and respectful journey into the heart of a country living under the constant threat of missile attacks. 

Prior to his thoughtful encounter with the commander in chief, Grylls talks to several ordinary Ukrainian citizens who explain what life is like for them on a daily basis. Despite the enormous hardships they’ve been forced to endure, they – and their elected leader – remain defiant.

This World: Murder in Mayfair – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

In 2008, Norwegian student Martine Vik Magnussen was murdered at her home near Mayfair in central London. The prime suspect is the son of one of Yemen’s richest men. He fled the UK before the police had a chance to question him. 

In this sensitive documentary, Yemeni-British BBC journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi tracks him down. Their telephone conversations are grim. What happened that night? And why hasn’t he made any attempt to contact the police? 

During the course of her investigation, Al-Maghafi also meets with Martine’s father, who has spent the last fourteen years campaigning for justice for his daughter. The BBC has, quite rightly, fallen under fire of late, but this is an exceptional piece of journalism.

Celebrity Hunted – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

If you’ve seen Hunted before, then you know the frantic drill. But just in case: ten ersatz prison escapees – celebs in this iteration, as it’s all in aid of Stand Up to Cancer – go on the run while being tracked by an expert squad reading from a terribly laboured ‘quip-filled’ script. The fun side of state surveillance. 

Our fugitives have no money, phones or access to the internet. The ersatz authorities have just fourteen days to catch them. 

It’s a mildly entertaining exercise in which the comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble effortlessly steal the show. They won’t split your sides, I’m sure, but you may find yourselves amused by their refusal to take the whole thing seriously. 

The Dog Academy – Thursday, Channel 4, 8pm

Fact: every television programme ever made would be instantly improved with dogs as its primary focus: I, Dog; Doctor Dog; Tales of the Unexpected Dog; Only Dogs and Dogs; Dog. I really could go on. 

So no wonder The Dog Academy is such a pleasing distraction. Various canine behavioural experts get to grips with their four-legged patient’s ailments while chatting to their vaguely troubled bipedal housemates. 

It’s basically a gentle session of relationship counselling, in which the ups and downs of human cohabitation are shown to have a direct impact on the animals we live with. Now, we already know that, but there’s no harm in providing a reminder. 

A good-natured show. And the pooches are delightful, obviously.

Taskmaster – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

The fifteenth series of this enjoyable breeze of concentrated silliness plays host to comedians Frankie Boyle, Jenny Éclair, Ivo Graham, Mae Martin and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. 

In episode one, they have to choreograph a silent disco wedding dance with chief Taskmaster Greg Davies’ co-conspirator Alex Horne. Will you be able to guess what songs they’re listening to on headphones? Well no, of course you won’t, but that’s all part of the fruitless fun. 

They’re also tasked with unwinding a ball of string against the clock, hooking as many rubber rings as possible while haphazardly steering a barge along a narrow canal and, in the final round, throwing bricks, balls and other alliterative items into large clay pots.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Challenge Anneka – Saturday 18th March, Channel 5 

A Saturday night staple in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Challenge Anneka lifted the nation’s spirits with its charitable against-the-clock endeavours. 

And now it’s back, with not one iota of the original format altered. Rice is even reunited with trusty Dave the cameraman. If it ain’t broke etc. 

In episode one, Rice was tasked with refurbishing a canine rescue farm. Reader, she succeeded. 

Rice is a natural broadcaster, an engaging pro, and if you can ignore the fact that television personalities shouldn’t have to support ailing charities and small businesses, then this revival will work its entirely well-meaning magic.

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer – Sunday 19th March, Channel 4

Channel 4’s annual Stand Up to Cancer campaign continued with this spin-off from one of its most popular ‘brands’. 

Round one involved Matt Lucas welcoming various celebs to the tent. Chief among them, of course, being David Schwimmer. Fellow contestant Jesy Nelson was under no illusions: “I know I won’t win it, I’m just here to see Ross from Friends!” 

I’ll never truly understand the appeal of this abundantly harmless series. It is, like Thursdays, New Order and the actor Martin Jarvis, something that’s objectively tolerable and inoffensive. Something that’s just there. But I’m not the target audience, it’s not for me. 

Now, The Great British Crisp Off, that’s a show I could get behind.

KAREN DUNBAR'S SCHOOL OF RAP | PHOENIX RISE | BRITPOP: THE MUSIC THAT CHANGED BRITAIN

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

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Karen Dunbar’s School of Rap – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 10:30pm

Dunbar playfully admits in her intro that this sounds, on paper, like a terrible idea for a documentary: a comedian running a rap workshop for elderly grannies? The potential for embarrassment is immense. 

You know where this is going, folks, but of course it’s not embarrassing. On the contrary, it’s a touching exercise in which Dunbar and a friend from empowering community outreach initiative the Glasgow Girls Club encourage older working-class Scottish women to express themselves. The abiding lyrical themes are friendship, faith and family. 

Self-evidently lovely people, they reflect upon their losses while celebrating life’s treasures. In their modest way, these unlikely rappers are representing a generation whose voices are so often ignored. A delightful programme. 

The Gold: The Inside Story – Monday, BBC One, 9pm

A companion piece to Neil Forsyth’s excellent dramatisation of the notorious Brink’s-Mat robbery, this documentary revolves around a fascinating interview with Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce. He led the convoluted investigation, and this is the first time he’s spoken about it on camera. 

The programme exposes glaring loopholes in 1980s banking machinations. A lack of strict regulations with regards to money laundering coupled with fervent Thatcherite desires to rebuild London’s docklands laid the groundwork for the biggest gold bullion haul in history. Corrupt opportunism writ large; white and blue collar crimes working in tandem. A disastrous domino effect. 

If you haven’t caught up with The Gold, all six episodes are available on iPlayer. Watch this afterwards.

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Honeytrap Murder – Monday and Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

A Luton man has been brutally murdered. He bled to death in the hallway of a block of flats. The police are baffled. What happened and why was he totally naked? A terribly bleak story unfolds. 

As usual, I recommend this sort of thing with a sensitive note of caution. 24 Hours in Police Custody is very well-made, it’s objectively better and more thoughtful than all of those rubbernecking ‘Woo! Bang! What a Grisly Crime!’ atrocities you sometimes stumble across in the nether regions of our TV schedules. 

But what are we left with when the closing credits roll? A gnawing sense of hopelessness. That’s my default setting, I’d rather it wasn’t compounded. Tastes may vary.

Imagine… Stephen Frears: Director for Hire – Monday, BBC One, 10:40pm

Stephen Frears is a talented British filmmaker who doesn’t reside in one particular genre. Highlights from his eclectic body of work include High Fidelity, My Beautiful Laundrette and The Queen. 

This profile follows Frears as he wanders ruminatively around Vienna while filming an ambitious drama for HBO. He’s dryly amusing and affable. Glowing tributes are gushed by associates such as Steve Coogan, Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. 

As always with Imagine, you’ll have to grit your teeth and tolerate the buffoonish presence of host Alan Yentob. But after years of dogged practice I can assure you that it’s almost possible to blank him out. Imagine there’s no Yentob, it’s easy if you try…

Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily – Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, for it is they, are the stars of this standard-issue sunny travelogue. Pernice was born and raised in Sicily, so he does at least possess some local knowledge and emotional attachments. His Panama hat-sporting Strictly pal is just along for the expenses-free ride. 

Both men merrily embrace their designated roles: Du Beke is the hapless Englishman abroad, while Pernice is the laidback expert. Scenic odd couple jollity ensues. 

These shows are contrived by their very nature, we’re essentially watching semi-scripted holiday videos, but I must admit that our guides do come across as actual friends. Their chemistry feels fundamentally warm and genuine.

Phoenix Rise – Friday, BBC Three, 7pm

Based around a fictional school in Coventry, this promising coming-of-age drama follows six teenage students as they re-enter the mainstream education system after being excluded. 

A likeable bunch played by an entirely natural cast of talented young actors, at first they don’t appear to have much in common beyond their shared situation. But gradually, close friendships start to form. Their fresh start is a significant experience, something they’ll never forget. 

Phoenix Rise is – if you’ll excuse the pun – textbook BBC Three, and I mean that in a positive way. A drama about, and primarily aimed at, young people, it’s empathetic and authentic. The target audience isn’t patronised. Grange Hill creator Phil Redmond would doubtless approve.

Locked Away: Our Autism Scandal – Friday, Channel 4, 7:30pm

The award-winning filmmaker Richard Butchins presents this Dispatches report about parents on the autism spectrum who are struggling within mental health units. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but it sounds stark. Butchins, who is autistic, allows his interviewees to tell their stories via secretly recorded videos. Many of them have been incarcerated for years in unsuitable wards and hospitals. 

The press release contains this quote from a young inpatient: “People need to speak out and so many voices are silenced. I feel like that's my duty to do, not just for myself, but for others because it's not going to change if... it's not going to change if it's not spoken about and we need to be heard."

LAST WEEK’S TV

Wild Isles – Sunday 12th March, BBC One

Attenborough’s latest stellar report from the wildlife frontline has been overshadowed by a bogus controversy surrounding its ‘missing’ sixth episode. The great man must despair, as this is a typically absorbing and beautifully filmed essay in which he celebrates Britain’s wide variety of wildlife while explaining why our island environment is so crucial to its survival. 

As always, he doesn’t shy away from stark empirical facts. And that’s what certain mendacious parties don’t want to hear. Why can’t this kindly old man just show us some entertaining footage of cute little animals? That’s not Attenborough’s job, he’s a learned environmentalist who cares passionately about our damaged ecosystem. 

We’ll miss him, this estimable educator, when he’s gone.

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain – Sunday 12th March, Channel 5

Britpop, as you know, was a cultural phenomenon in the mid-1990s. Indie bands such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Suede scored actual top ten hits, they were bona fide stars. But what did it all mean (man)? 

This enjoyable series reminds us that Britpop was a movement in which none of the major players sounded anything like each other. What they did have in common was a certain concerted ‘Britishness’. 

The likes of Alex James, Alan McGee, Louise Wener and various prominent music journos delivered eyewitness reports. I’m not convinced that it’ll add up to much more than a bittersweet bolt of nostalgia for ageing pop kids such as myself, but I can’t deny that Proustian rush.

PAULA | BEND IT LIKE BOLLYWOOD | WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT COSBY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 11th March 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Paula ‐ Monday and Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

The popular broadcaster Paula Yates passed away in 2000 at the tragically young age of 41. This sensitive profile pivots around a previously unreleased interview recorded during one of the lowest points in her life. 

It allows Yates to partially narrate her own story, which is of course entirely at odds with the prurient tabloid-spun narrative. We’re reminded that Yates was very funny, smart and likeable, an engaging personality. 

She was also an attractive woman who had relationships with famous male pop stars, hence why she was cruelly hounded and mischaracterised by our ghoulish sexist media as some sort of glorified groupie. They hastened her demise. 

Curated with self-evident care and research, this tribute respects her memory.

Between the Covers ‐ Monday, BBC Three, 7pm

The latest series of Sara Cox’s cheery little book club welcomes to the fold DJ Spoony, broadcaster Angela Scanlon, the musician and radio presenter Cerys Matthews, and TV barrister Rob Rinder. 

As always, Cox’s guests wax lyrical about some of their favourite tomes while reviewing designated assignments. This week, they pore over In The Blink Of An Eye by Jo Callaghan and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. 

Between the Covers is a pleasingly straightforward show in which some people chat informally about things they’ve read. There’s – and I’m aware of the pun – literally nothing more to it than that.

Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism ‐ Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm

Christine McGuinness was diagnosed with Autism in 2021. That’s when her life began to make sense. In this ruminative documentary, she meets up with several women whose behaviour patterns have either been ignored or misunderstood. 

It raises important questions about gender bias and attitudes towards people on the Autism spectrum. 

Cynics will continue to carp about McGuinness positioning herself as a public figure. Her claim to fame is being married to the comedian Paddy McGuinness. I don’t care about that. Her opportunistic Peter Kay sidekick husband is lucky to have a showbiz career in the first place, so at least she’s exploited that association to make some television programmes of actual social value. Good luck to her.

Bend It Like Bollywood ‐ Wednesday, BBC Three, 9pm

The star of this uplifting documentary is Vinay, a gender non-conforming artisan who runs popular ‘Bollyqueer’ dance classes. Life hasn’t always been easy for the openly gay Vinay, as you can imagine. 

He (a pronoun Vinay is happy with) fled Leicester for London as a teenager, hoping to be embraced by the warm bright lights of cosmopolitan society. A profoundly formative experience. And now he’s back in Leicester, teaching people of all ages how to express themselves freely through the medium of dance. 

But Vinay also has to bridge a difficult gap of understanding between himself and his father. Spoiler alert: you’ll emerge from this programme with a smile and some hope.

Bali 2002 ‐ Thursday, ITVX

Eleven years ago, two of Bali’s most popular nightclubs were besieged by terrorists. This granular four-part drama pays tribute to the people caught up in those attacks. 

Balinese locals and international tourists, while desperately scrambling to escape from the chaos, did everything in their power to rescue the injured and comfort those whose lives hung in the balance. 

We also follow the Indonesian and Australian authorities as they investigate the case. Who was responsible for this atrocity? And why? 

Developed in close consultation with various survivors, Bali 2002 doesn’t cheaply romanticise instinctive acts of bravery and kindness. Most human beings are fundamentally decent, in times of dire need they’ll do whatever they can to help each other.

Nazanin ‐ Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a British-Iranian charity worker. In 2016, while about to return home to London after visiting her parents, Nazanin was arrested at Tehran airport. She was charged with spying, separated from her two-year-old daughter and sentenced to five years in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. 

Several years in the making, this moving documentary gains access to Nazanin while following husband Richard’s tireless campaign for her release. 

Nazanin is a political prisoner whose fate is bound up within complex historical events that have nothing to do with her. “I’ve never done any propaganda against the Iranian regime,” she says while languishing in solitary confinement, “I am not a political person. I need to go home.”

Comic Relief 2023 ‐ Friday, BBC One, 7pm

This year’s charitable harlequinade is hosted by David Tennant, Zoe Ball, Joel Dommett, AJ Odudu and Paddy McGuinness. 

Dunno about you, but I’m old enough to remember when Comic Relief was hosted by actual comedians. Wasn’t that originally the point? Yes, I know, obviously the most important point is raising lots of money for worthy causes, but Comic Relief once did that, many moons ago, while rolling out a marathon of comedy. 

David Tennant is a very nice man, but he’s no Rowan Atkinson. I’m sure he’d be the first to admit that. 

Anyway. There will be sketches, musical numbers and all manner of whatnot. Moments of amusement may arise. Donate some money if you can.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over ‐ Saturday 4th March, BBC Two

The great Dionne Warwick was the perfect conduit for the exquisite songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. She’s a soulful singer who intuitively understood how to interpret their sophisticated compositions. 

This terrific feature‐length documentary allowed Warwick, an abundantly decent person, to tell her extraordinary story in the company of admirers such as Alicia Keys, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and, in one of his final interviews, Bacharach himself. 

The chapter on her pioneering AIDS activism was particularly fascinating, and I was tickled by the retelling of her 1990s encounter with Snoop Dogg, who was genuinely contrite when she challenged him about the misogyny in his lyrics. When Miss Warwick talks, you listen.

We Need to Talk About Cosby ‐ Sunday 5th March, BBC Two

The serial rapist Bill Cosby was once fondly regarded as America’s Dad. Throughout his hugely successful career, he projected an affable, wholesome family man image. His reputation as a pioneering comedian and African American crossover artist is now irretrievably tarnished. 

In this outstanding series, writer/director W. Kamau Bell unpicks Cosby’s complex legacy. He speaks to several associates, social commentators and, most significantly, survivors. 

Bell ‐ who describes himself as ‘a child of Cosby’ ‐ began by explaining why his former hero was so beloved and revered. Only by placing his cultural impact in context can we understand how he exploited that trustworthy public persona to abuse women over several decades. 

This is an important piece of work.

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.