The return of another well loved series was on our screens last night in the form of Spooks, which to be honest, I’ve never been that big a fan of. I can’t seem to get ‘into’ it, but last night’s new series opener did, I must admit, have me on the edge of my seat a few times.
It’s been nearly a year since it was last on our screens so die hard fans will have been wondering all that time what was to become of Harry, played lovingly by Peter Firth. And it was obviously a bit of a downer that the head of MI5 had been bundled into a Russian’s boot…
Leading me to ask, what chance the rest of us if the man largely responsible for our security is so compromised? It’s a sticky wicket… Read more & comment »
This film was an odd assortment of fact, rumour and frankly, sensationalism, all of which have been added to an already bubbling pot of accusation and finger pointing at 76 year old Betty Neumar, the ‘granny’ of the title.
Made by acclaimed filmmaker Norman Hull, this documentary purported to question the suspected guilt of Neumar who’s had five husbands, all of whom have died. However, rather than pick holes in what is already a somewhat flimsy case – albeit one fairly steeped in circumstantial evidence and or coincidence – Hull’s film seemed to me to err more on the side of adding fuel to the fire.
And it’s a fire that was started by Al Gentry whose brother Harold was one of those five husbands; he believes that Betty hired a hitman to kill Harold, and it’s taken him 22 years to get someone to take his accusation seriously. Read more & comment »
Until I watched this show last night, I didn’t realise it was based on the true life tales of both Garrow and some of his clients, and it made an already very good drama excellent.
Andrew Buchan as the pioneering, genuinely caring lawyer – which is why I at first thought it was all a fiction – understatedly and utterly convincingly wandered the corridors of the Old Bailey doing his best for the wrongly accused innocents.
His associate and mentor Southouse was similarly nobly portrayed by Alun Armstrong, and together with a cast of genuinely convincing 18th century folk – well done costume and make-up department – we were transported back to a time when the accused’s solicitor couldn’t speak to the jury, were not privy to the deposition against their client, weren’t permitted to visit their client or to deliver an opening statement or closing speech in court. Read more & comment »
As we leave October behind and go boldly forward into November, there are some great shows to herald the start of winter scheduling.
In the coming week, the new series of The Family gets underway and we’ll get to look at the lives of another family in this fascinating show.
We’ll also get to see another slice of life with Yvette and Karl and chew over the contents of what goes into our food… strong stomachs at the ready for both shows! I jest; I love watching the shows about Yvette and Karl… Read more & comment »
Channel 4’s Cutting Edge is of course renowned for bringing to our screens moving, emotive and thought provoking films, but this must be one of the most alternately desperately sad and incredibly inspiring that I’ve ever seen.
Katie Piper’s life changed when she was attacked; sulphuric acid was thrown in her face by way of revenge from a jilted boyfriend. He determined that he would ruin her life, and he tried, but ultimately, he hasn’t succeeded because for as much as Katie’s life is now very different, the surgeon, Mohammad Ali Jawad, who was hailed as a “medical miracle” is helping her piece back together her beautiful face. Read more & comment »
The TV and movie industry is littered with actors who were tipped to be ‘the next big thing’ only to end up with non-speaking parts in the latest Jean-Claude Van Damme film. Predicting stardom is a precarious business but Alexander Skarsgard has as good a chance as any of making it big. Movie-star good looks? Check. Sensible career choices so far? Check. An engaging and intelligent personality? Check. Family pedigree in the business? Well, his dad is Hollywood star Stellan Skarsgard, so: Check. He’s also recently starred in two of the most critically acclaimed and successful TV series to come out of the US last year, True Blood and Generation Kill.
Now that the nights are drawing in and it’s just too dang cold to go anywhere, why not cosy up with your telly and a duvet, because there are some great shows on this week.
And as it’s soon Halloween, we’ve got lots of scary recommendations that should make sure you need to sleep with the light on for a week or so! Read more & comment »
I wonder if Robbie Coltrane has the human capacity for failure? If he does, it’s never been evident on-screen, and his performance for ITV’s Murderland last night was no exception.
Although playing a detective rather than the wily I-can-read-your-thoughts psychologist he was in Cracker, in David Pirie’s Murderland, it’s somewhat inevitable that Robbie’s familiar Scottish brogue and the elements of Fitz’s anti-establishmentarianism would traverse to this new role, but it was no detriment to the part at all.
Coltrane’s role as DI Hain was utterly credible, and his empathy for the victim of the murder he was investigating was almost palpable. As was the depth of feeling he had towards the victim’s daughter, vividly portrayed – as the younger version of Carrie – by Bel Powley. She’s obviously a very talented young woman and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a great deal more of her in future. Read more & comment »
My first impressions of this Channel 4 programme included some dislike for the senior investigating officer of Operation Fletcher. DCI Hogg seemed altogether too cheery and blasé considering that he was dealing with the burnt body of a young woman who’d clearly died an horrific death, but there he was on the screen grinning while describing the crime.
However, as the programme wore on, I discovered that this is just Jason Hogg’s persona and not intentionally meant to be heartless. In fact, he and his team have a lot of heart, though not of the bleeding, intense kind that we’re used to seeing on TV police dramas.
Nobody on Operation Fletcher was seen overnight in the incident room rifling frustratedly through the files with stubble on his – or indeed, her – chin, complete with rumpled suit and a drawer containing a whisky bottle, but as fiction does of course mirror reality, there were any number of similarities with fictional police shows. Read more & comment »
Dexter actress, Julie Benz has revealed that the season four finale of the show, left the whole cast in shock.
The 37-year-old actress, who plays Rita on the show, told Cinemablend:
“Obviously at the beginning of the season we see Rita has it all,” she said. “I mean, she has everything she’s ever wanted. She has the perfect husband, the great kids, the new baby, the dream house in the suburbs but you know, just like anything, nothing great lasts forever.
It’s a great week on TV again this coming week, with loads of classic films, new series and the return of some old favourites, so here are our recommendations for the next seven days viewing… Read more & comment »
Friday night’s TV was an embarrassment of riches, such was the quality of shows on offer, but it was also an annoying toss-up between watching the final instalment of Criminal Justice or Benidorm. As I don’t have Sky+, I decided to watch Benidorm and catch-up on Criminal Justice on BBC’s iPlayer, which is without doubt a superior on-demand service to ITV’s.
So which was better? Well, they were both equally brilliant, but I’ll start with the last part of Criminal Justice. When I first watched it and Juliet got sentenced to five years for manslaughter – to serve two-and-a-half years before consideration of parole – I felt it was a bit of an anti-climax, however, having thought about it, I can now see why Moffat wrote the ending that way… Read more & comment »
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