This article was originally published in The Courier on 23rd October 2021.
NEXT WEEK’S TV
The Outlaws – Monday, BBC One, 9pm
An agreeable comedy thriller co-devised by writer/director Stephen Merchant, The Outlaws follows a group of strangers doing community service in Bristol.
Our mismatched antiheroes are: an obnoxious Daily Mail-reading businessman; a militant left-wing black woman; a studious Asian teenager who shoplifts as a cry for help; a damaged reality TV star; a black teen from a high-rise estate who’s in trouble with a local gang (Merchant’s co-writer Elgin James is a former gang member); Merchant himself playing a variation on his usual blundering character; and a roguish ex-con played by Christopher Walken (yes, really).
It’s knowingly presented as a microcosm of modern Britain, albeit one inhabited by Christopher Walken. The entire premise is fraught with potential embarrassment, but Merchant and James are clearly coming from a good place. The results are rather sweet, sharp and addictive.
Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm
The penultimate episode of this riveting series confronts Blair’s defining legacy: the war in Iraq. It gradually becomes a psychological study of this haunted man, as he struggles to present his case for the defence.
Blair trots out his familiar spiel, presumably honed over several sleepless nights. “I think about the decision and its consequences virtually every day,” he says. But still he can’t fully admit that he made a catastrophic mistake.
Clare Short, who resigned in opposition to the war, reveals that there was no serious plan in place to take care of the Iraqi people once Saddam was dethroned. “Which is disgraceful,” she sighs. Brown, meanwhile, more or less admits that the government’s actions “were not proportionate.”
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Monday, Sky Showcase, 10:40pm
It’s (somewhat) remarkable to consider that this impeccable sitcom has been running, off and on, for over 20 years. It’s always a pleasure when another season rolls around, as Larry David and co rarely disappoint.
The latest run begins with an episode titled The Five Foot Fence. I wish I could tell you what this entails, but unfortunately preview copies weren’t available. However, I'm fairly certain it will involve comical misunderstandings, ludicrous petty grievances and various characters losing patience with our hero. Guest stars this year include Jon Hamm, Woody Harrelson and Tracey Ullman.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is an A-grade farce orchestrated by a true comic maestro; how blessed are we to live in its epoch.
Who Do You Think You
Are? – Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
TV’s ever-popular celebrity gene-fest continues with a particularly poignant episode in which TV presenter and former England footballer Alex Scott finds out more about her Jewish and Jamaican ancestry.
She’s proud to discover that her great grandfather fought against Mosley’s fascists during the Battle of Cable Street. The other side of her family were part of the Windrush generation, but up until now she’s never known anything about their lives in Jamaica.
The story she uncovers during her visit there is terribly sad on a number of levels. It involves slavery, poverty and mental illness. This is Who Do You Think You Are? at its best: a sensitive and perceptive piece of far-reaching history.
Impeachment: American Crime Story – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9:15pm
In episode two of this darkly comic drama about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the protagonists finally meet. It charts the early stages of their clandestine affair, during which the unworldly Lewinsky fell for a powerful and utterly disingenuous man who made her feel special. We’re essentially watching a predator grooming his victim.
Meanwhile, the press start to dig into allegations of sexual harassment. Clive Owen is very good as sleazebag Clinton, he captures his husky snake oil charm to a tee.
But the star turn once again is Sarah Paulson as the Machiavellian Linda Tripp, who looks and operates in ways not dissimilar to Pauline from The League of Gentlemen. She’s sad yet formidable. It’s an outstanding performance.
My Kind of Town – Wednesday, BBC Scotland, 8pm
Cumnock in Ayrshire is famed for coalmining and being the home of Labour Party founder Keir Hardie. But there’s more to it than that.
As Glasgow prepares to host COP26, the latest UN conference on climate change, Cumnock is in the process of becoming Scotland’s first green town; hopefully a blueprint for communities in the rest of the country.
In episode one of this new series, genial host Ian Hamilton and his guide dog Major find out how Cumnock has changed in the 40 years since Thatcher closed the pits. Thankfully, it seems to be thriving.
Now the UK’s
largest manufacturer of fire engines, the factory in question is pioneering the
use of zero emission electric vehicles.
Peckham’s Finest – Wednesday, ITV2, 10pm
This buoyant reality show focuses on various young black people living in the London district of Peckham. They’re a likeable bunch; spending time with them just shooting the breeze and going about their daily business is a thoroughly pleasant experience.
This week, pole dancer Kelechi teaches a class for two plus-sized women who want to feel better about themselves. It’s a success. Meanwhile, DJ and local radio presenter Gilly hopes to give something back to his community by creating a new creative hub for local kids; a place that will inspire them.
Peckham’s Finest is a refreshingly positive endeavour. There is no manufactured drama or conflict, it seeks only to spread good cheer. Imagine that!
LAST WEEK’S TV
The Trick – Monday 18th October, BBC One
In 2009, shortly before the UN summit on climate change, hackers stole thousands of emails from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia. The perpetrators were climate change deniers who falsely claimed that the emails contained proof that global warming is a lie.
This standalone drama revisited ‘Climategate’ from the perspectives of those directly caught up in it, chief among them Professor Philip Jones (the brilliant Jason Watkins), a respected scientist who suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of the attack.
A hugely important subject, but unfortunately it was handled in a frustratingly unfocused and stiffly expositional way. Jones was the emotional core, but too often it strayed away from him. A well-intentioned disappointment.
The Love Trap – Wednesday 20th October, Channel 4
One handsome eligible bachelor. A mansion full of beautiful women. Yes, this new series is just never-ending American reality series The Bachelor in thinly disguised UK trousers. But it’s worse. Much worse.
Half of the women, we're told, are there for a legitimate chance of romance, but the other 50% are only interested in the prize money. It’s up to our personality-deficient hunk to decide who’s on the level and who should literally be dropped through a trapdoor. I wish I was making this up. Begone, gold-digging woman! Truly a misogynist’s dream.
What an idiotic, offensive and profoundly depressing misfire. It’s 2021. We’re supposed
to be better than this.
