SKY/NOW, DISNEY+, BRITBOX & ACORN TV
I Hate Suzie
Watching Billie Piper in this intense and very adult black comedy, it’s amazing to recall that when she began her career as what used to be called a ‘teenybopper’ pop star, it was assumed she’d be a here-today-gone-tomorrow phenomenon.
In fact, she has repeatedly shown her talents as a brilliant actress, and she does so again here. Piper plays Suzie, a former child star whose career is upended when sexually explicit photos of her with a man who is definitely not her husband pop up online.
Watching Billie Piper (above) in this intense and very adult black comedy, it’s amazing to recall that when she began her career it was assumed she’d be here-today-gone-tomorrow
With her carefully manufactured image shattered, Suzie’s life begins to spiral out of control and it looks as though she’s heading for a nervous breakdown. Piper has been nominated for a best actress Bafta for her performance, and Leila Farzad, who plays her friend and manager Naomi, is up for best supporting actress. Sky/NOW, available now
An Affair To Remember
Weepie from 1957, regarded as one of the most romantic movies of all time. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star as a playboy and a woman who fall in love while travelling from Europe to New York on an ocean liner despite being in relationships already (think Brief Encounter afloat).
Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (above) star as a playboy and a woman who fall in love while travelling from Europe to New York on an ocean liner despite being in relationships already
At the end of the trip they agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months’ time, but the planned tryst goes wrong. Yes, 1993’s Sleepless In Seattle was heavily indebted to this film and even contains scenes from it. Disney+, from Friday
English National Opera Collection
If you’re looking for a cultural fix, then you’re in the right place. The streaming service is adding ENO’s productions of Carmen, La Traviata, The Barber Of Seville, The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance and Benvenuto Cellini to its Centre Stage collection. BritBox, from Thursday
Hidden
Four-part conspiracy thriller from 2011 starring a gruff Philip Glenister as Harry Venn, a dodgy solicitor, and Thekla Reuten as a mysterious lawyer who wants him to find someone.
Four-part conspiracy thriller from 2011 starring a gruff Philip Glenister as Harry Venn, a dodgy solicitor, and Thekla Reuten (above, with Glenister) as a mysterious lawyer
It’s a bit Chandler-esque, with Venn a Marlowe-type character. What’s the link between the case he is being drawn into, the death of his brother and wider political unrest around forming a coalition government?
All will be explained. Acorn TV, from Monday
Secrets Of The Krays
Are there any secrets left about the Krays? It seems that everyone who ever knew them has either written a book or taken part in a documentary. This three-parter does a good job of telling the story of East End gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie, who ‘ruled’ London in the 1960s and mixed with celebrities and politicians.
This three-parter does a good job of telling the story of East End gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie (above), who ‘ruled’ London in the 1960s and mixed with celebrities and politicians
Unlike some other works, it doesn’t glamorise them. ‘Are we talking here about clever people?’ asks Chris Lambrianou, a member of the Krays’ firm. ‘No we’re not.’ ‘What they were good at,’ says another associate, ‘was violence.’ BritBox, from Thursday
9-1-1
Procedural drama about ‘first responders’ and the life-or-death crises they are called out to deal with on a daily basis – a baby has been flushed down a toilet; a snake is crushing its owner; there’s a tsunami!
This fast-paced – bordering on frenetic – and emotionally charged show sometimes tips over into melodrama but is a big hit with viewers. Angela Bassett plays an LAPD cop; Peter Krause, her partner, is a firefighter and, from Series 2, Jennifer Love Hewitt is a dispatcher, an operator who takes emergency calls. Disney+, available now
NETFLIX
The Woman In The Window
Originally due out in October 2019 but delayed by re-editing, Covid-19 and its acquisition by Netflix, at last we discover what Joe Wright’s film of A. J. Finn’s psychological thriller is all about.
Sounding a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and with Amy Adams in the central role, it’s the story of Anna Fox (Adams), who suffers from agoraphobia and depression and, unable to leave her New York apartment, starts to spy on her new neighbours.
Sounding a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and with Amy Adams in the central role, it’s the story of Anna Fox (Adams, above) who starts to spy on her new neighbours
One evening she witnesses a terrifying attack, but nobody seems to believe her. Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore and Anthony Mackie lend their support. From Friday
The Mitchells vs The Machines
Delightful and bang on the money, this computer-animated sci-fi comedy featuring the vocal talents of Olivia Colman, Conan O’Brien, Maya Rudolph and Abbi Jacobson, among others.
It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family (above) who, while on a road trip, find themselves caught up in a robot uprising
It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family who, while on a road trip, find themselves caught up in a robot uprising. There’s something here for all ages. Available now
And Tomorrow The Entire World
Concerned about the rise of Right-wing extremism in her town, law student Luisa (Mala Emde) joins an earnest anti-fascist group but finds the well-meaning Leftists increasingly divided over how to deal with the enemy.
Should they be peaceful protesters, or do they need to fight fire with fire? ‘Non-violent resistance to Nazis? That’s total bulls***,’ says the anti-Nazis’ charismatic leader, Alfa (Noah Saavedra), to whom Luisa is increasingly drawn.
The director of this German film, Julia von Heinz, was partly inspired by her own experiences as a member of an anti-Nazi group in the 1990s. Available now
Ferry
Eagerly awaited feature- length prequel to the Belgian/Dutch crime drama series Undercover that sees Frank Lammers reprise his role as drug lord Ferry Bouman.
Eagerly awaited feature- length prequel to the Belgian/Dutch crime drama series Undercover that sees Frank Lammers (above) reprise his role as drug lord Ferry Bouman
However, the story takes place in 2006, before Ferry built his empire, and sees him reunited with his estranged family in his native Brabant while hunting down those responsible for attacking his mentor’s son. From Friday
Halston
Producer Ryan Murphy (Pose, Ratched) has another glossy drama in this five-part series about the rise (after designing the pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore at her husband’s inauguration) and fall of the fashion designer Halston.
Halston was a hard-partying denizen of New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s with such glitterati as Liza Minnelli (played by Krysta Rodriguez, above) and Andy Warhol
He was a hard-partying denizen of New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s with such glitterati as Liza Minnelli (played by Krysta Rodriguez) and Andy Warhol, and died of an Aids-related condition in 1990.
Ewan McGregor, controversially for some, plays the central gay role. From Friday
STARZPLAY, AMAZON & BBC iPLAYER
Men In Kilts
You’ll probably know Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan as Outlander’s Dougal/Buck MacKenzie and Jamie Fraser. The pair are best pals off-screen, even writing a book together, Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, And A Scottish Adventure Like No Other, which became a surprise New York Times bestseller last year.
You’ll probably know Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan (above) as Outlander’s Dougal/Buck MacKenzie and Jamie Fraser. The pair are best pals off-screen, even writing a book together
Now the staunchly patriotic duo are taking to the road for an eight-part series, celebrating the sights and sounds of their native Scotland. Among the highlights are whisky-tasting, folk dancing and an attempt to wrangle a flock of wild sheep. Starzplay, from Sunday
The Underground Railroad
The ‘Underground Railroad’ was the name given to a network of people who helped enslaved African-Americans flee the South. (This adaptation stars Thuso Mbedu, above)
Ten-part adaptation, directed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins, of the Colson Whitehead novel. The ‘Underground Railroad’ was the name given to a network of people who helped enslaved African-Americans flee the South, but here it’s imagined as a real railway helping escapee Cora (Thuso Mbedu). Amazon, from Friday
A Round With Alliss With Terry Wogan
Sadly, Peter Alliss and Terry Wogan are no longer with us, but this cosy, amusing chat between the two friends reminds us what a comforting presence on our screens they were. The only thing wrong is that it isn’t long enough. BBC iPlayer, until Wednesday