I'm going to try and be more prompt with my musings on TV consumables, given that the last roundup I did was a summer catchup in July. Given that we're in the situation we're in, however, I thought a winter round up to finish off 2025 would be appropriate, before my new year's resolution of writing more often takes effect. With that in mind, here are eight programmes that I …

This year's Taskmaster New Year Treat was a two-parter, the first time the festive special has been extended from one hour, and both parts were absolutely brilliant. The New Year episodes tend to feature a cast that aren't comedians, and this time we had Big Zuu, Jill Scott, Sam Ryder, Suzie Dent and Rose Ayling-Ellis - a dream cast. The tasks included rolling some dice, finding a big ted, painting …

This is the time of year when people are making resolutions and trying to revolutionise their lives - myself included - but that can be overwhelming and easily ditched once January really kicks in. One habit that could be useful is to use Finch, a self-care app that has an adorable and gamified approach to keeping you on track. At heart, the app is a wellness manager, trying to help …

For a few years now, the goal has been to watch 100 movies during the year, with a nice mix of old and new along the way. Last year, we just scraped across the line with The Holdovers being the 100th movie in the last few days of December. The trouble is, whilst the films are still out there and calling out to be watched, streaming television has been SO …

Last month, Apple released an excellent ad that showcased the accessibility features that can give more people the opportunity to experience college and student life (specifically in America, but obviously everywhere). I was going to blog about this at the time, but had forgotten until it was mentioned on The Last Leg of the Year on New Year's Eve. As host Adam Mills said: Yes, it was self-serving, yes they …

This year I really reigned myself in and clamped down on book purchases so that finally, FINALLY, I have made some progress on the to read book pile. I'm still embarrassed by the number of books that are on that list, but we'll get there. Meanwhile, I supplemented those books with digital tomes from the library, and really managed to get through a lot of books this year. However, this …

2025 was the 10th year of On the Record, my album adventure that involves listening to a variety of albums throughout the year to widen my musical taste and knowledge. It’s amazing to look back and think about how this little project started and what it has turned into, a pillar of my weekly routine with many highs and lows and the occasional unlistenable record. To recap, at the start …

I was nervous heading into the first episode of Apple's hit show Pluribus, because the title doesn't give much away and the poster - featuring Rhea Seehorn screaming on a vivid yellow background - was a little offputting. But of course I needn't have worried, Apple TV has scored another success with a quality programme that came to an end this past week. The show is hard to describe but …

Another year of listening to old and new albums is complete and I've loved the adventure this year. It felt like things got off to a bit of a slow start but gradually things picked up and I ended up with a short list for best albums of the year of 13. The worst part of the year is having to narrow that down to five, but the debate has …

This year I achieved the impossible - getting the Apple Watch Monthly Activity Challenge badge every month for the full year! This is an achievement not so much because of getting the badge each month, although that does deserve a big pat on the back. These badges vary month on month so can be anything from reaching a certain number of exercise minutes each day, or walking a certain number …

The blanket is finally finished! Let's not dwell on the fact that it has taken more than a year to get to this point, but it's done, and it's lovely. The photo doesn't really give a sense of the scale of the blanket, it's about 1.1m wide and long. I think I went a couple of stripes longer than the pattern suggested, but it's turned out really well. A big …

It's become a bit of a tradition now that each Christmas I set about working on a music playlist to replace some of the more traditional ones on radio and streaming services. I get slightly annoyed with them because they either feature songs that are clearly not Christmassy (slowed down pop tunes for festive adverts should not be there!) or they repeat the same classic tunes over and over. When …

For the past couple of years, the Strictly final has meant basically two to three hours of crying. I wasn't expecting it this year, because whilst I love the remaining couples, none of them had that emotional impact for me. And yes, we're saying goodbye to Tess and Claudia but they've always said it's about the couples not them, so that won't be too bad either, will it? Wrong! Ten …

It's been a whole year since I wrote anything about Mischief Theatre, but I recently got to see their festive stage show Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and it was spectacular. I'd previously only seen the BBC version, an hour long special which features the main story of Scrooge and the ghosts, and of course, plenty of things going wrong. The stage show is extended, with more fun and games around …

I love Jonathan Creek, the BBC mystery series from the late 90s, early 2000s. Alan Davies in that duffle coat, mooching about a windmill, using his big brain to solve seemingly impossible crimes. Wonderful. The earlier episodes are perfect, and despite knowing whodunit, I get quite a lot of comfort from rewatching them. The show went downhill a bit towards the end, but still, lots to love. The series is …

The semi-final, and whilst the quality remains incredibly high, and the dancing very entertaining this felt like a bit of a letdown of a show - because the conclusion was so foregone. Given recent dance offs, it was entirely obvious who would be in the bottom two, and thus who would be going home. However, before all that, the dancing had to be done and this time we have two …

Musicals week, the final theme before the final and oh, it's always a good one. This time, there was a big opening number where each of the couples took a turn in the spotlight. It was so much dancing before the proper competition had even begun - where they just bored this week or what? I loved it though, a great medley! --- George & Alexis - Argentine Tango (Phantom …

I was on a car journey recently and was instructed to test out the Vehicle Motion Cues on the iPhone. This was a feature that I had no idea existed and it blew my mind a little bit. If you switch on this Accessibility motion feature, it adds some dots to the side of the iPhone screen, which move around in relation to what the vehicle is doing, and somehow, …

Back from Blackpool and everyone has been talking about their being a dip in energy, so I wasn't expecting absolute perfection from this week's performances. Plus there's that new gimmick, Instant Dance, in which the couples get a dance style, a new piece of music, quick choice of clothing, ten seconds to think about it, and then go go go. It's going to be a disaster. --- Alex & Johannes …

We make quite a lot of fun of the build up to Blackpool but I feel bad for that now because this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing show was spectacular and worth all the hype. You kick things off with an incredible Steps medley with professionals, contestants, extra dancers, and the judges all taking to the sprung floor, and you know you're on to a winner. Then you have the downside …

If you said getting a handful of celebrities and their parents and asking them questions in a quiz show, you wouldn't think it would make a particularly good television show. But throw in the twist that the parents have to decide whether they think their child knows the answers or not, plus the joy of Romesh Ranganathan and his mother hosting, and you've got a hit. I stumbled across Romesh …

Hmm, in case you hadn't realised, next week is Blackpool. I tried to count the mentions during this episode and got to 27 - half of which were within the first ten minutes of the show. A very good job I didn't go for the drinking game I was considering! On with the pre-Blackpool show, then. --- Balvinder & Julian - American Smooth The technique seemed to have improved, there …

If you haven't already started (and finished!) watching Riot Women on the BBC, then you must stop what you're doing and do that instead. It's absolutely brilliant TV. Of course, the elements are all there to make it magical - the cream of the crop of British female actors (of a certain age), the writing skills of Sally Wainwright, the gorgeous Yorkshire backdrop, and a story about these women putting …

We're halfway through the series and the quality of the dancing is getting better and better each week, as you would expect. But how can we live up to the highs of last week, where we saw the first 40 of the year? Let's find out! --- Lewis & Katya - Cha Cha Cha This was good, obviously, and not annoyingly good - it was completely watchable and a great …

Halloween night and the judges went all out on their costumes. I genuinely didn't think I was going to be able to get through a whole night of looking at Shirley like that! And I saw a video afterwards of Motsi having to take that make-up off... was it worth it, I ask you?? Meanwhile, on with the spooky set of dances this week! --- Vicky & Kai - American …

Tom Daley is everywhere at the moment - after a far-too-brief stint on Celebrity Traitors, he's got a new show on Channel 4 starting imminently. The series, called The Game of Wool, is one of those cosy competition styles, like Bake Off, but featuring knitting and crochet rather than oven-based larks. It's going to be a fascinating watch... I knit so slowly I can't really fathom anyone creating something within …

I was sad to read about the death of Prunella Scales today, aged 93. Every tribute and reference I've seen has mentioned her turn as Sybil Fawlty in the iconic Fawlty Towers, but I have to go out on a limb and say I vastly prefer her performance in After Henry. I'm mildly obsessed with this sitcom, written by Simon Brett, which started life as a radio series and made …

Strictly Come Dancing this week featured an Icons theme, which I had thought was a one off last year but apparently is now an annual thing. It’s fine, a great idea, but it does lead to some questions over who is and isn’t an icon. What even makes someone an icon in the first place? Is it global superstardom? Is it just being that person for one specific contestant? Given …

Lots of news this week. When the Claudia & Tess story broke, someone said to me 'have you seen the Strictly news?' and my immediate reaction was 'WHAT NOW?' This show can't catch a break. And the presenting duo leaving overshadowed the sad news that Stefan had to withdraw from the show due to injury, a shame after he had just come back from sickness. But he achieved what he …

Last week, Tess and Claudia surprised Strictly Come Dancing fans and the rest of the world by announcing this series would be their last. It was shocking, obviously, because they are part of the fabric of the show, and also because it came out of nowhere - I hadn’t heard any serious rumblings of them leaving and no one had leaked the announcement before it happened. Instead it was just …

No theme this week, no extra guest mentors, no messing about, we've got a full house and a collection of dancers who are ready to prove what they can do. So let's just get on with the show! --- Karen & Carlos - Quickstep The training VT made this look great, and it was fab on the floor too. The frame slipped on a few occasions, but it was a …

I've just recently finished watching the second series of Platonic and it was absolutely incredible, even better than the first one. It doesn't look like I wrote anything after watching the first series which is a surprise because it was an excellent set of ten episodes. Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen star as best friends who had fallen out for a while but end up reconnecting and getting wrapped up …

It was nice to be back in the Strictly party watching sort of live on a Saturday rather than a day delayed, and what better way to celebrate than with Movie Week! Hooray! The best part of this is guessing the movies as the celebrities walk down the stairs, and then by extension what song they're going to be dancing to. We really will make a quiz out of anything. …

Two years ago, I wrote about the emergency hot water bottle cover I knitted and how proud I was of the result. It was a super easy pattern that came together really well and quickly, and I went on to knit a couple more covers for family members so that we could all have that extra bit of warmth and protection. They're all pretty well used now, those original covers, …

I always love going to the coast, and what's better than combining a trip to the seaside with a spot of musical theatre at the same time? Weymouth Pavilion was the setting for this adventure, a glorious theatre that is right on the seafront, overlooking some choppy waters. They were definitely choppy when I was there as the wind had picked right up. As the winter night drew in, the …

You'll have seen it by now, I'm sure, when Eugene Levy met Prince William as part of his travel show The Reluctant Traveller. This Apple TV show began life by putting Eugene out of his comfort zone, as someone who didn't really like travelling or care much about broadening his horizons. Three series in and his outlook has changed, so each episode is more just an exploration of a different …

I ended up watching this show late, picking it up on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday night party. It was weird, but did mean that I could go straight from the live show into the results show, so that was fun! This was the final time we'd see all fifteen couples competing, with the first vote, the first dance off, and one person facing leaving the competition at the …

Strictly's first live show of the year and we are back in action baby - technical gremlins and all. The show opened with a rather self-indulgent but still lovely dance through the decades, and then we were introduced to our judges (still insisting on doing the dance and shimmy over to the chairs despite the fact they never manage to get their on time, I'm looking at you Shirley). Our …

This time last year, I wrote about how I was heading into the new series of Strictly with mixed feelings. There had been endless bad news coming from the Strictly camp and the selection of celebrities didn't have me jumping up and down with enthusiasm. I said: Guess how long it was into the launch show before I was giddy and clapping and bouncing around the room? About ten minutes, …

I had missed the BBC's dramatisation of the Brinks-Mat gold heist when the first series aired in 2023, but when the second series came around, there was so much talk of it (and my love for Jack Lowden had grown so much) that it was impossible to ignore. What an incredible TV show, based on an even more incredible story. The scale of this crime and the ongoing repercussions are …

I've never been a big fan of Peanuts, the kids in the show are annoying and I just never really gave it much time. But the Apple TV screensavers that feature Snoopy and Woodstock are absolutely brilliant. The pair of them spend most of the time snoozing in various locations, but occasionally they also get up to mischief - Woodstock tending to get the better of Snoopy, or the dog …

Until I saw the DriveTribe video, I didn't realise that Richard Hammond was working on his own gin - but, of course, it makes perfect sense. Hammond has long been a gin drinker, enjoying the tipple in many episodes of Top Gear and The Grand Tour. And when James May created his line of gin, Hammond was first in line to do the taste testing. As I wrote previously, he …

My job involves a lot more meetings and scheduled phone calls than it used to, and although that is all managed through the calendar app, I've found jotting down the upcoming schedule on paper can be really helpful for me getting organised and prepared for the day ahead. I've tried a few different planners, initially starting with just a simple ruled notebook, and then moving on to the more dedicated …

This is just amazing - Brian May joined Andrea Bocelli on his tour for this incredible performance of Who Wants to Live Forever... the only good thing to come out of the Highlander movie. I have not given Brian May enough credit for his vocals before! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygIWCseYI0

The pattern of this striped cardigan caught my eye and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Although it says it's designed for men, it looks pretty unisex to me. So I set about knitting it and am pretty happy with the result. The only issue with the final result is that one of the shoulders sticks up a bit like it should have shoulder pads in it. The other one …

When the sun comes out, lots of people migrate towards the coast. The beaches are crammed with families swimming and building sandcastles, and the coastlines are full of tourists enjoying the weather and the views. Recently, I was one of those people! However, so many humans travelling in the same direction makes traffic a bit of a bore, and therefore makes public transport more enticing. I'm not a big fan …

I'm not really sure how this happened but I know it's worth commemorating - four film adaptations of War of the Worlds in a row! The first two were definitely planned but then whilst researching what other War of the Worlds movies were out there, I discovered I had a copy of Jeff Wayne's musical concert, and then of course had to go back to the 1950s and see how …

Oliver! the musical has had many outings since its inception in the 1960s, and the most recent is a West End Revival that burst onto the scene last year. I saw a performance on one of the variety shows and immediately bought tickets to see it. Taking up residence at the Gielgud theatre, the show is currently booking through to March 2026 and is so far having a very successful …

This is the second part of a two-part round up of not-so-recent television I've been watching. There was a sizeable reduction in what I was able to get to over summer due to the great events such as Glasto and Wimbledon, but I'm back in front of the little grey box again and there'll be more to discuss soon. Meanwhile, these shows caught my eye over the past few months. …

As usual, I took some time off work this year over the Wimbledon fortnight to watch as much tennis as I possibly could. This time, I decided to shift the days a bit and focus more on the second week rather than the first... so typical that this was a year in which most of the top seeds went out super early and so I was left watching rather random …