High marks for this emotionally pulverising documentary about a gang of teenagers starting their GCSEs mid-pandemicJust about any documentary set in a school, among the scramble of children bulging this way and that and the tensile network of teachers …
‘Netflix is a lifesaver!’ The over-65s embracing the streaming boom
Netflix has reported a surge in older viewers tuning in to its shows, from Grace and Frankie to Never Have I Ever. We meet the recent convertsI’m 66, live alone and have no children, and for many years I watched hardly any TV. Now I adore streaming. It…
What exactly do Ian Botham and John Cleese offer ‘global Britain’?
The ex-cricketer and lapsed comedian have found new work in politics and TV respectively, but they are trading off old successes and even older opinionsIt’s easy to find out when Ian Botham last played cricket, because there is Wisden, but it’s hard to…
McCartney 3, 2, 1 review – the Fab Four as you’ve never heard them before
This bounteous feast for Beatles fans sees Paul McCartney dive into the back catalogue with producer Rick Rubin – who then does something truly amazingLong before their mop-topped world domination, Paul McCartney and George Harrison went hitchhiking. P…
Love Island: the tired TV behemoth that’s lost its magic
As another series of the reality hit comes to an end – complete with a boring win by Liam and Millie – are its contestants merely going through the motions in search of Insta-fortune?In recent years, Love Island has become as ingrained in the British c…
Clickbait review – silly Netflix thriller series isn’t worth clicking on
The eight-part drama entices with a whodunnit of the anonymous internet but diverts to a feather-thin saga of red herrings that is more irksome than interestingClickbait, an eight-part Netflix thriller series, is at least well-named. The Australian-Ame…
TV tonight: David Morrissey returns in Jez Butterworth’s Britannia
Morrissey and Mackenzie Crook continue to fight it out three years after the Roman invasion. Plus: Paralympics Opening Ceremony Live. Here’s what to watch this eveningA third series for Jez Butterworth’s daft but engaging semi-historical drama. Three y…
Sex, Succession and sci-fi nightmares: the must-see TV of autumn 2021
More teenage hookups in Sex Education, a killer Olivia Colman and the long-awaited return of the Roy family … here is all the unmissable TV coming soonAnnie Murphy moves straight from Schitt’s Creek to another swearily titled series, this time a bold m…
When Ruby Wax Met … review – excruciating outpourings from OJ Simpson, Donald Trump and more
From a menacing Trump to OJ Simpson trying to stab her with a banana, Wax looks back at her interview hits and misses – and it makes for jaw-dropping, fascinating TVWhen Ruby Wax Met … (BBC Two) gives us a double whammy of Wax, then and now, and proves…
Jill Murphy obituary
Author and illustrator of relatable yet magical children’s books, including The Worst Witch and Whatever Next!The children’s author and illustrator Jill Murphy, who has died of cancer aged 72, was loved across generations for picture books that capture…