The Celebrity Traitors is still blocking out prime time on Wednesday and Thursday evenings on BBC1 (read my recap and player ratings after week two), leaving the schedules a little lighter than usual for new content, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything else to watch.
This week we have spy drama and a legendary film director, punk rock and everything you need to know to become a millionaire in three months. It’s going to be quite the weekend.
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Here’s your curated watchlist …
The Iris Affair
Sky/ Now
Created by Neil Cross, the writer behind the BBC smash hit Luther, this high-stakes, high-concept spy drama stars Tom Hollander (The White Lotus, The Night Manager) and Niamh Algar (The Virtues, Malpractice). Although the concept is hard to explain and at times a little far-fetched, the resulting show is a glorious thrill ride, set in Italy, in which a genius codebreaker (Algar), an offbeat entrepreneur (Hollander) and a supercomputer collide. Doesn’t make much sense? I told you it’s hard to explain. This is a glossy, at times silly but incredibly watchable spy drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. My colleague Carol Midgley has written about the show in more depth.
Riot Women
BBC iPlayer
Sally Wainwright’s TV dramas are always a highlight (read about five of her best, from Happy Valley to To Walk Invisible) and she doesn’t disappoint with her latest effort. It is the story of five menopausal women who, struggling with their lives and managing complicated relationships with parents, children and partners, unite to play in a punk band. Poignant, funny and gripping, it becomes even more compelling when a secret from the past threatens to tear everything apart. A story of resilience, struggles, friendship and the power of music, this is Wainwright’s brilliant writing at her very best. You can read Carol Midgley’s review for more.
The Diplomat
Netflix
It might be series three of Debora Cahn’s soapy political thriller The Diplomat but that doesn’t mean the quality has dropped. Keri Russell once again steals the show as Kate Wyler, the razor-sharp but flawed US ambassador to the UK who is drawn into complex diplomacy while juggling a difficult personal life and political manoeuvrings back in Washington. If you haven’t seen the first two seasons, catch up now on Netflix before settling in for another helping of the saga, which James Jackson says is more West Wing than ever. You can read his full review for more.
Oobah Butler in How I Made £1 Million in 90 Days
CHANNEL 4
How I Made £1 Million in 90 Days
C4 streaming
Oobah Butler made a name for himself in 2017 when he managed to get a shed in his back garden to be the top-rated restaurant in London despite serving thinly disguised ready meals. The stunt earned him global press attention, which the writer and prankster used for a number of follow-up projects, including faking his way to Paris Fashion Week and The Great Amazon Heist, a documentary about his investigation into the company’s practices. In this latest film Butler explores the murky world of online wealth influencers in an attempt to learn from their practices and make £1 million in 90 days. His plan: to create hype and use that to create value in a company he can then sell. There are plenty of bumps in the road in this fascinating look at a world that will seem very alien to many. You can read Will Pavia’s interview with Butler.
Mr Scorsese
Apple TV+
One of the greatest Hollywood film-makers of the modern era, Martin Scorsese has been entertaining and challenging cinema audiences since the late 1960s. Famed for his immersive and innovative directorial styles, deeply personal stories and explorations of crime, family and faith, his filmography includes Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Wolf of Wall Street and Mean Streets (read my top ten Scorsese films). In this five-part documentary from Rebecca Miller we are treated to interviews with the director as well as friends and colleagues, including Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg, as it explores his life, his films and the influence he has had on film-making.
And how about a free-to-air film or two as a bonus…
Book Club (2018)
BBC iPlayer
After the sad news of Diane Keaton’s death last week, why not enjoy her performance in this romantic comedy opposite Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen? It’s the story of four women who start to question things after reading Fifty Shades of Grey at their book club.
Election (1999)
BBC iPlayer
Reese Witherspoon stars as an ambitious and infuriatingly persistent student running for president of the school council who ends up at war with her teacher (played by Matthew Broderick). An excellent comedy from Alexander Payne, the writer and director of Sideways and The Descendants.
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