I don't watch all of SNL UK, but it's hard to ignore it with a NOW subscription. It seems to be really picking up steam in its second series. I'm seeing more clips on YouTube, more discussion about it, and Weekend Update is a roaring success. But also the sketches seem to have improved and this one: An Older and Wiser Boyband is SO good. "We put the naughty in …

I think I missed the news that iconic 90s TV show Baywatch was getting a reboot, because this trailer was a complete surprise to me. Ooooh. It's way too glossy and it'll never be a patch on the original but this is exciting. Honestly, just hearing those drums, the build-up, that song! It gives me tingles. I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable living in a world where Hobie is now …

!! Spoilers for series six, episode four of Slow Horses. Nothing beyond this episode. Only read on if you've seen it! This episode opened with the most intense ten minutes of fighting in a bowling alley, neon lights and everything. It was almost a relief when the opening credits rolled. But it wasn't all action in this fourth episode of the series, as we're finally starting to get some answers. …

!! Spoilers for series six, episode three of Slow Horses. Nothing beyond this episode. Only read on if you've seen it! One thing that makes Slow Horses stand out in a crowded espionage market, is the old-fashioned feel of it, clinging onto the coat-tails of the Cold War. This episode leaned into this in two distinct ways. Firstly, Sid and River were on the run from the hit squad twins. …

!! Spoilers for series six, episode two of Slow Horses. Nothing beyond this episode. Only read on if you've seen it! The second episode picks up right where we left off: River has buried his grandfather and the team are under threat. My concern for Shirley remains, but so far she has survived unscathed. Thankfully in this episode, no major characters were harmed, although a hitherto unknown agent was killed …

!! Spoilers for series six, episode one of Slow Horses. Nothing beyond this episode. Only read on if you've seen it! I've been eagerly awaiting the return of Slow Horses - one of Apple's best original programmes - and the sixth outing of the spy drama got underway this week. The first episode of each series has two jobs to do: catch us up with where everyone is, and kick …

I've just finished watching season three of Silo, which concluded last week - spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't caught up, or worse, hasn't watched any of it yet (what are you doing? Sign up to Apple now and get straight on to season one), I'm going to give away some plot points below. At the very end of the final episode of Silo, season two, we got a glimpse …

There’s a definite cultural trend at the moment for leaning in to nostalgia, which is hardly surprising when you take a look at the world we live in. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. Rather than face up to the current news, I’m more likely to be watching an old episode of Cheers or getting obsessed with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. And I’m not sorry, because when you dig into …

You wait for ages for a good television music quiz, and then two turn up at once. No sooner has the BBC’s The Hit List returned to our screens, than PopMaster TV also popped back up on More4, kicking off this week with a celebrity special. The two shows are both brilliant, a lot of fun, and test your music knowledge past and present, and I love what very different …

I wasn't too far behind the curve on Ride or Die, it was released mid-way through July, but I still ended up having to power through it to be done in time for Hannah Waddingham's next stint on Ted Lasso. The woman is keeping busy and long may it be so! I absolutely loved Ride or Die, a female led spy series with two best friends in Waddingham and Octavia …

It was entirely invevitable that after being obsessed with Crocodile Shoes, I'd have to give Auf Wiedersehen, Pet a look. People have recommended this to me before and I've just never got round to it, but the first two series are available to watch on ITV streaming, so it was worth a look. I LOVED IT. This mismatched group of lads, away from home and just trying to scrape together …

I'm deep in watching Wimbledon at the moment, so TV has taken a back seat but before that I'd watched a few good things that are worth a mention. The Prime Video series The Girlfriend was an eye-opening experience. Reviews have been mixed for that show, but I really liked it. The concept is an over-protective mother of a young guy, and his new social climber girlfriend butting heads over …

I find Jimmy Nail fascinating. Not a traditional heartthrob, he did seem to have a legion of fans and get cast as the lead in rom-com style dramas in the 90s, whilst also having a music career as well. Crocodile Shoes is the point where these two elements combine, an old series about an unlikely pop star trying to break his way into the business. The first series of this …

Back in December, I wrote about the new Jonathan Creek project - a crowdfunding book of a script that writer David Renwick hopes to be a stage play. Prohibitive costs of putting on a show meant the author decided to get the work out there in some form or other, and the form was a book. I got sucked into the idea once one of the funding options included a …

So sad that Anthony Head has died. Of course for most of us, he's either Giles from Buffy (a great excuse to rewatch that show again!) or the enraging ex-husband in Ted Lasso (similar story!). But he had a huge and varied career and I really loved him in a few more things. Cabin Pressure. I think the character of Herc was only supposed to be a brief visitor to …

I stumbled across this video yesterday, which is a nice little behind the scenes feature for the Baftas focused on the show Beyond Paradise. A spin off of the long-running Death in Paradise, this one is set in the slightly less sunny Cornwall and, surprisingly, appears to mostly be filmed in a barn. I love behind the scenes features, it's always surprising just how many people are involved, and how …

The fifth and penultimate season of For All Mankind came to a close this week, concluding another tense and eventful series that moved quite a lot of storylines on, and inevitably led us to the next decade time jump. The show has been renewed for the sixth and final series - I think the creators initially had planned seven, but I'm happy they know it's ending and can plan accordingly. …

Last year, the BBC quietly released one of those cosy humerous detective shows called Death Valley. It featured the odd couple of Gwyneth Keyworth as ambitious but socially awkward detective Janie Mallowan teaming up with retired actor John Chapel, played by Timothy Spall. Chapel's stint as a murder detective on a long-running TV show gives him a useful insight into motives and character arcs, and the pair put their skills …

I, like so many people, was eagerly awaiting the arrival of HBO Max in the UK so that we could sample Noah Wyle's new medical drama The Pitt. Inevitably facing comparisons to ER, the show was billed as something different though - something realistic and emotional and deep. It was all of those things and so much more. I've watched the full first series, and am about halfway through the …

When I reviewed the first series of Hijack, I said “I’m assuming it’s not the kind of show that will get a second series...” and left it there. Well, I was wrong, the show helmed by Idris Elba returned to Apple TV for a second outing and it was really good. I wasn’t convinced this was going to work, obviously, and without spoiling anything, couldn’t see how a second hijacking …

I really wasn't expecting The Paper to be any good. A spin off sequel from the US version of The Office, it felt like another one of those projects that nobody asked for and wasn't needed. Well I couldn't have been more wrong. I was tempted in to watching it by the fact that Tim Key's in it, and he's brilliant, but there's so much else to love as well. …

I'll be straight about this, I've had a crush on Robson Green for as long as I can remember, so I really like his BBC series where he takes friends, family, and fellow actors around his favourite parts of the North. Robson Green's Weekend Escapes features the man himself taking these guests somewhere to rest, relax and recharge, and unwind with an activity that can be sporty, creative, or nature-based. …

I’m not sure I would normally reach for a show like All Her Fault, because the concept of a missing child is pretty depressing and there are other things higher up on the list. The hook, such a good one in this show (you turn up to collect your child from a playdate only to find the person that answers the door has no idea what you’re talking about), usually …

I had a couple of weeks left on my Now TV streaming subscription, which meant that for once, I was able to watch the current hot show at the time everyone else was talking about. And when we say hot, we mean it in more than one way. Heated Rivalry has become a word-of-mouth sensation, following the very steamy love story of two ice hockey players in a sport not …

The second part of my winter catchup, and let's be real, we need to get this out the way so I can start talking about the TV shows I've watched recently - there has been some good stuff. But as a quick recap of some of last year's viewings, here are eight shows that caught my eye. Acapulco I've written about this show a couple of times, and always love …

Whilst we are waiting endlessly for the new Tomb Raider games to arrive (finally they are announced, at least!) there's been the upcoming Amazon MGM TV series to focus on instead. Previously we only knew that there was going to be such a show and that Sophie Turner was playing the lead role. I find Sophie a bit hit and miss, but she was excellent in Joan so I hold …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

Recently, the BBC re-aired the 90s series Showstoppers - a musical extravaganza hosted by Gary Wilmott. I remember having this recorded from its original airing and rewatched it over and over. I know the first episode pretty much word for word... for a musicals fan, it’s a must-watch. The show came about because the BBC Concert Orchestra were basically at a loose end and producers suggested a one off show …

I haven’t been watching much television recently as it’s been too hot to concentrate, alongside all the other extra-curricular activities - Glastonbury, Wimbledon, Goodwood FoS, etc. However, it’s been a while since I did a roundup of what I had previously watched, so there are still quite a few to catch up on. This is part one of a two part catchup for some of my recent viewing. Stacey and …

There’s a bit of a fog in my memory of how I got from enjoying the sports film Friday Night Lights, giving it s score of five out of five, and writing about it favourably, to buying and watching the entire box set of the television series of the same name. The TV show has excellent reviews and I think part of it might have been the participation of Connie …

If you want to watch some educational but entertaining TV, wherein our host travels around ancient countries by train and looks at a lot of burial sites, I have just the thing for you. Alice Roberts, celebrated academic and broadcaster, has produced three series of a TV show for Channel 4 in which she does just that. The first, Ancient Egypt by Train, was the gateway drug that led quickly …

I love a music quiz and The Hit List provides a lively boost of music and energy on a Saturday night. The scheduling of this show confuses me but every now and then a celebrity special pops up, and this past weekend was exactly that. Harry from McFly, some people from morning TV and yay, two Gladiators. Now, there were plenty of questions raised by this appearance - why those …

I recently wrote about my clampdown on spending when it comes to streaming services, but I haven't been lacking in the television department. Most of these were available on 'terrestrial' streamers, and a great variety there has been too! Paradise I just managed to squeeze this in before my Disney+ plan lapsed, and it was really good. The twist at the end of the first episode is up there with …

As I mentioned in my previous post about streaming services, it was the furore around Adolescence that made me sign back up to Netflix. I was managing to ignore the babble about most shows on the network, but this one just couldn't be let go. As soon as I started watching it, I could see why there was such a fuss - it is absolute television gold. I watched all …

One of my goals for this year is to spend less on streaming services. I've mentioned it a few times in posts over the last 12 months or so but it has became a real focus for 2025. I totted up how much I'd spent on streaming services in 2024 and whilst it wasn't a completely extortionate number, it was more than I was comfortable with considering there are only …

I'm loving the new series of Mythic Quest, which is in its second half now, and features all our favourite characters in new and hilarious circumstances. Rachel Meyee tying herself up in knots in front of Congress in last week's episode? Perfection. And actually, Rachel taking centre stage in that episode reminded me of this article from last year that has stuck with me ever since I read it. It …

One of my new year resolutions is to spend a bit less on streaming services, which means I'm having to be a bit more judicious about when I watch certain things... and that I'm inevitably watching more on the free services like BBC and Channel 4. It does mean an increase in ad viewing as well, which is a downside, but at the moment, it's worth the trade off. Here's …