Just some ramblings about what I’ve watched lately on the small screen…
Christmas Viewing & New Year viewing:
Apart from (still, after all these years) loving Eastenders and the year-end drama it always provides, the Christmas Day highlight had to be Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Such attention to detail, and the chase sequence being in narrowboats restricted to 4mph was inspired! What I’m now going to say will be heresy in some quarters – but Gavin & Stacey just doesn’t do it for me – never has. I wish I’d watched the Roger Moore programme on BBC2 instead (which was fab when I caught up with it). BBC2 has also offered quiz nights every night on BBC2 which has been great for filling in gaps with Richard Osman’s House of Games, Celebrity Mastermind, Only Connect Christmas specials and Christmas University Challenge (the latter always a joy as the questions are slightly easier and they still get them wrong!)
Around my streaming subs:
In recent weeks, streaming platforms have offered some great viewing: Apple TV+ has had Bad Sisters, season 2 – not quite as good as the first, but still brilliant, and Silo continues – again not as good as the first series, but is building to something. Netflix had the second season of The Diplomat – which carries on from the moment the first ended – and has Allison Janney at the end! I still find Keri Russell’s tousled US Ambassador to the Court of St James unlikely – but it’s so watchable. Also I discovered Temple with Mark Strong as a doctor who runs an ‘underground’ hospital whilst illegally researching a cure for his comatose wife. Amazon Prime hasn’t really offered anything I want to watch series-wise, although I did rent The Critic (Strong again, with Ian McKellen) which was promising at the start but less so by the end.
I’m liking the matching colours above! However, the best new thing I’ve seen is also on Netflix.
A Man on the Inside stars Ted Danson, as a widowed professor who, persuaded by his daughter that he needs to get out and start doing things rather than send her newspaper clippings answers an advert and finds himself working for a detective agency, going undercover in a care home to discover who stole a valuable necklace from one of the residents. It’s an hilarious but gentle comedy, that never takes the mickey out of what it is to grow old and need care. Danson as Charles is superb, super-keen, a little pompous, witty, and a huge hit with the ladies in the home. But having lost his own wife to dementia, there is one touching episode in which he is trying to rule out Gladys as the thief, only to discover she is on that pathway.
Meanwhile, back on the BBC – it’s The Traitors! It is so interesting to see how the show is evolving now it’s in a third series. Just love Claudia. I do hope that they’ll bring back the three who took one for the teams who didn’t even get as far as the castle, especially the gardener chap – he looked fun. Such a shame they got rid of Yin and Keith so early though – both true characters, and hearing Yin talk on Traitors: Uncloaked (follows on on BBC2) was fascinating.
What have you been watching lately? Any good new series to share…
