UK shows to check out in May/June

Dear ladies and gents,

here is a short selection of some of the upcoming and returning UK shows in May/June.

Returning shows


Scott & Bailey

– I really enjoy Scott and Bailey. It has two strong female leads (Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones respectively), the storylines are interesting and there is gore (but not too much gore and definitely not the type of gore that would put you off your food).


Case Histories

– another return show that I quite enjoy. Based on books written by Kate Atkinson, Case Histories is a about Edinburgh based private investigator Jackson Brody (portrayed by Jason Isaacs).

New shows


The Fall

– created by Allan Cubitt the latest series for BBC Two stars Gillian Anderson (yes that Gillian Anderson from the X Files) as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson from the Metropolitan Police Service, who is called in to investigate a string of murders in Belfast. Solid crime drama with totes creepy male lead.


Life of Crime

– ITV crime miniseries stars Hayley Atwell (of Captain America fame) as Denise Woods, a rookie police officer who becomes obsessed with a murder case of a teenage girl (whose killer has not been found, natch). The series follows Denise over the period of three decades as she rises through the ranks, but is still haunted by the fact the murderer is still at large.


Vicious

– Vicious is another sitcom for ITV. It stars sir Ian McKellen and sir Derek Jacobi as a couple who have been together for some 50 add years. They bicker and argue and walk their farty old dog. The thing is I did watch a couple of episodes of Vicious (come on, it has Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in it, how could I not?) and I get they are trying to create the old school sitcom format (think Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances). The thing is I’m not sure they are being successful with it. Also the show is being slammed for stereotyping of gay men, which… I didn’t perceive it as such – anyone who has been with anyone for 50 odd years, surely you would bicker regardless of your gender or sexual orientation.


The Wright Way

– The Wright Way is a new sitcom for BBC that was written by Ben Elton. It stars David Haig (who you might remember from the Thin Blue Line) as Gerald Wright, the health and safety inspector for the Baselricky Council. Now Gerald is a bit persnickety about his job and will see threats to health and safety where there are none. The show is being panned by the critics, like a lot, but I don’t know whether that is down to show being atrocious (for what is worth, I have seen worse) or because Ben Elton wrote it.


The Job Lot

– new sitcom for ITV written by Martin Dennis. It is about the employees of a busy West Midlands job center, namely the manager Trish (played by Sarah Hadland), who is a bit of a neurotic and struggling to cope with the demands of her job.

WTF of the Week – Of Hannibal and silly blondes

Image: NBC.com

Dear ladies and gents,

y’all know by now I can be a bit of a silly blonde sometimes. Yes, I can be dense. Frustratingly so at times. And nowhere it is more apparent then when I’m watching Hannibal.

On paper Hannibal is my type of show. Totes goriffic (gore+horrific – and yes, I made up that word just now), with compelling leads and interesting storyline (although the first few episodes were a bit slow for my taste). And yes there is plenty of gore. And tons of serial killers, which what the what surely it is not possible that serial killers are lurking around every corner? Be as it may – it’s an interesting show, I should be able to focus for some 40 odd minutes, right? Wrong.

The minute I switch it on, it’s like I have turned into an individual with a severe case of ADD.

To give you an example here is how my brain works once Hannibal is on – oh cat! must pet the cat! hmmm I got the munchies, what can I eat? Cake/almonds/fruits/crisps (it all depends on the day) A moment of calm and then… I’m thirsty, I need water (am on strict regime of 2 liters per day) Dog! Must pet the dog! Oh forgot to check whichever website! On and on it goes.

I know, I despair of myself sometimes (and before you ask this only happens when any given show is extremely boring and I just give up after one episode).

And then what happens is that I obvs (OBVS) lose the plot. Between Will Graham’s hallucinations and my whatever it is that I just described up there, it’s no wonder I can’t tell what’s happening. Does the FBI even suspect Hannibal (played brilliantly by Mads Mikkelsen I might add) is a serial killer? Does Will Graham suspect? Surely he must, isn’t that the whole purpose why he was hired, because he KNOWS these things? And surely someone with a name Hannibal who is sooo extremely particular about his food should be a suspect from the get go? I know.

But. I am not giving up. I will see it through all the courses. Because damn it, I need to know what happens.

In Bed With Joan

Image: In Bed With Joan

Dear ladies and gents,

I love me some Joan Rivers. I remember watching her daytime talk show ages ago and she would always, without fail have me in stitches. Sure for some she is an acquired taste, sometimes she can be a bit mean-ish, but she is also clever, has wonderful timing and you know… she is hilarious.

I saw her in different stuff over the years (Celebrity Apprentice anyone?), but it was her documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work that made me… erm whats the adequate word… admire her? If you haven’t had the chance to see it, I *think* it is available to stream on Netflix. And here you can read Roger Ebert’s review, which I think is totally spot on (OT but I’m sure I’m not the only one who is all like – lets see what Roger Ebert thought of movie X and then I realize I can’t check anymore. That man is sorely missed).

But I digress. Yes, Joan. Admiration. And total respect. That is one tough, hard working bird. It is refreshing to see someone so talented working so hard when nowadays many want the applause/money/respect for just showing up (see all of the Kardashians, contestants on any given talent show). It would be easy to take potshots because of her age (which I personally think is something to be proud of, not something to be embarrassed about), or because of her plastic surgery, but you can be sure Ms Rivers has thought of (and used) that joke before.

Anyhow Ms Rivers has a new online talk show called In Bed With Joan and I like it very much. Some of her guests included Margaret Choo (loved that interview), Ru Paul, Anthony Jeselnik and Nick Kroll. It is very intimate (it’s in her bed after all!), very funny and very uncensored (all good things me thinks).

But best of all – there is no geo-cock-blocking nonsense going on and you can watch it regardless of where your IP might be located. It is also available on iTunes and YouTube.

The World’s End trailer

Dear ladies and gents,

I have a bit of a Simon Pegg problem. As in I like him loads and think he is hilarious (have you seen Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz? If not, what are you waiting for?) and then I end up watching stuff like Mission Impossible: The Ghost Protocol because he is in it. It’s ok, feel free to judge.

Anyhow Simon Pegg teamed up with Nick Frost and Edgar Wright once again on the World’s End. What can I tell you? It looks awesome and it also stars Martin Freeman? Also I totes would love to this particular pub crawl. However (and unfortunately) the only semi-survival skill I possess is locating the nearest bathroom.

The World’s End premieres on July 19th in the UK and August 23rd in the US.

Source: Anglophenia