Art critic Waldemar Januszczak in front of Van Gogh's self portrait

The Art Mysteries

Waldemar Januszczak is my favourite TV art critic (James Fox is second in case anyone cares). In The Art Mysteries, Januszczak showed just how much can be done in a 30-minute documentary. Each of the four episodes featured a painting by a giant of post impressionism: Van Gogh, Seurat, Gauguin and Cezanne. Januszczak delved into… Read More

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan in The Trip to Greece

The Trip to Greece

It’s the fourth and apparently final outing for Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan and Michael Winterbottom – the George Martin to Steve and Rob’s John and Paul. Once again, the result is a series of gorgeous backdrops for Rob and Steve to needle each other and do their impressions. If you didn’t like the original Trip… Read More

Nick Mohammed and David Schwimmer in Intelligence

Intelligence

Nick Mohammed has come up with a little gem here. If you liked W1A and Twenty Twelve then this ensemble sitcom set in the cyber warfare division of GCHQ will be up your street. David Schwimmer is great as the NSA liaison officer, though he plays it exactly as you’d expect David Schwimmer to play… Read More

Cobra

Government wobbles in face of regional anarchy caused by natural phenomenon… Cobra, Sky’s oddly prescient Whitehall-and-beyond drama, promised more than it ultimately delivered. The idea was good, and there were some plausible plot lines along with some very implausible ones. But after five good tension-building episodes, the final part seemed rushed with major incidents glossed… Read More

Tin Star poster

Tin Star (Series 1 & 2)

Northern Exposure as directed by Tarantino. It’s frankly astonishing that I’m still watching this after 19 episodes. Tin Star’s third series will be the last and thank god for that. Tim Roth is the only thing keeping this cliché-ridden wannabe noir from sinking under the weight of its own ridiculousness. Series 1 relied far too… Read More

Sally4Ever promo photo

Sally4Ever

If you know Julia Davis’s work then you know that you either love it, are baffled by it, or quite possibly deeply repulsed. Sky Atlantic/HBO’s Sally4Ever is the darkest of her programmes that I’ve seen. The story of Davis’s manipulative sociopath Emma and her reluctant partner Sally, is so excruciating that you will spend large… Read More

Succession poster

Succession (Seasons 1 & 2)

I’ve just binge watched the show that everyone’s talking about (but apparently almost noone is watching). It’s Arrested Development meets Billions, written by Jesse “Peep Show” Armstrong. An ageing Murdoch-style media mogul patriarch and his horrendous extended family of misfits jostle for position and shaft each other regularly. The storylines are simplistic, but Succession is… Read More

The Capture

Clever BBC police drama in the vein of Bodyguard/Line of Duty (though with no connection to either). Much smarter than Bodyguard, less procedural than LoD, but didn’t get the publicity of either. Asks challenging relevant ethical questions about truth, evidence and the greater good and, at just six episodes, it’s tightly plotted. Hope there’s a… Read More