LOCKDOWN TV

BINGE WATCHES

More great series to catch before the emergence from lockdown means sitting at home watching TV all day is no longer an option

THE WHEEL OF TIME

Amazon Prime, 1 Series

Amazon have taken note of Sky Atlantic’s hugely successful Game of Thrones and opted to produce a lavish sci-fantasy epic of their own, based on the series of novels by Robert Jordan. Many of the backdrops and surroundings will look familiar to fans of that series and indeed Lord of the Rings, with similar themes of an impending all-out war and long quests to beef out the minor characters. Rosamund Pike leads the cast as a member of an all-female coven who protect the world, guiding a band of young men and women across dangerous lands, and both Michael McElhatton and Maria Doyle Kennedy make up the obligatory Irish contingent of supporting actors. The novels span 14 books, so expect this to either run and run, or crash and burn, but either way it will be interesting to see how it takes over the swords and sorcery mantle from its George R.R. Martin-penned predecessor.

INVASION Amazon Prime, Apple TV, 1 Series

Apple has really thrown a lot of money into appealing to sci-fi fans, with several big-name productions on the way. One of the first is this much-anticipated and big-budget ten-part series that weaves together the experiences of several people in different countries around the world as Earth is invaded by aliens. Most notably, Sam Neill plays an American sheriff, while other characters include a Syrian family in New York, a US marine in Afghanistan, and mission control at a Japanese space program facility, all of whom witness a series of inexplicable and seemingly unrelated events that gradually reveal the bigger picture, and bigger questions about humanity. Previews have revealed very little, so be prepared for anything.

HUMANS

All 4, Netflix, 3 Series

Hot on the heels of the superb Ex Machina film, in 2015 Channel 4 brought us this eerie drama about artificially intelligent robots called ‘synths’ that have become an everyday helpful feature of our modern world, and important members of our family makeup: until they no longer want to be. It deals intelligently with many major sci-fi themes such as human-robot interaction and the laws of robotics, but it also focuses on the social, cultural and psychological impact of a relationship with androids so like us that we struggle to understand what being human means, or who even is one. The story expands into socio-political areas in its last season, and though it was subsequently cancelled, it remains one of the most critically-acclaimed series ever on Channel 4.

PATHS TO FREEDOM

RTE Player, 1 Series

The year 2000 saw RTÉ bring out one of the best pieces of comedy the broadcaster has ever produced, and now it’s available to enjoy on the Player. Michael McElhatton (again) excels as tracksuitwearing Rats, recently released from prison alongside his entitled cell-mate Jeremy (Brendan Coyle), with a fly-on-the-wall camera following them as they try to reintegrate into society. Playing on well-established Northside/Southside divides, it is a cleverly scripted and superbly acted mockumentary that RTE has never come close to replicating. If you were too young to see it first time around, or just missed it, catch up now. If you saw it on its original airing, go back and reminisce because it’s as good as you remember it.

THE NORTH WATER

BBC iPlayer, 1 Series

BBC has this year pulled out all the stops in producing prestige drama to keep us entertained, and this five-parter about a doomed 1850s whaling expedition to the frozen waters of the Arctic is full of action and some breathtaking backdrops. Jack O’Connell plays a disgraced ex-army surgeon hoping to find inner peace at sea, Stephen Graham plays the scheming captain, Tom Courtenay the financier, but it is Colin Farrell who steals the show as a permanently grunting harpoonist who doesn’t limit his murderous tendencies to whales. Beautifully shot, it’s a gripping old-fashioned tale of wilderness survival and treachery.

VIGIL

BBC iPlayer, 1 Series

Another prestige drama from BBC this year, Vigil was produced by the people who brought you Line of Duty and Bodyguard, and its quality shows in this thriller set on a nuclear submarine moving silently through Scottish waters until a murder takes place and a civilian detective is transported on board to solve the crime, to the annoyance and opposition of almost everyone. Dubbed ‘Line of Das Boot-y’ by some critics, it has familiar leading UK talent such as Suranne Jones, Martin Compston, Endeavour’s Shaun Evans and Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie, and keeps us guessing for longer than it should, while ramping up the political tension with the threat of espionage and sabotage. Not for the claustrophobic, but definitely one for anybody who likes a good drama set underwater.

ENDEAVOUR

ITV Player, 8 Series

It’s testament to the quality of its writing that the prequel spin-off to the outstanding Inspector Morse has run as long as its predecessor. Playing on the fact that Morse’s first name was never mentioned (a running trope throughout this series too), Endeavour looks at the early days of the illtempered crime-solver from his first cases through the gruelling crimes and casualties he sees along the way, giving a better understanding of the Inspector as we see him in later years. Shaun Evans excels as the young Morse, and though it’s now in series 8, it is definitely worth going back to the start to watch his transformation from grumpy but wide-eyed young detective to grumpier, world-weary alcoholic, who nevertheless always gets to the bottom of complex crimes.

FEVER PITCH: THE RISE OF THE PREMIER LEAGUE

BBC iPlayer, 1 Series

Anybody who loved football in the 1990s will enjoy this documentary series looking at those years when the top tier of English football went from hooligantroubled matches to the start of the era when the money really started to roll in. It gives an enjoyably nostalgic look at key moments in the quest for silverware, but also looks at the critical decisions and actions taken to turn the game into a TV money-powered juggernaut, from the inception of the Premier League through the rise and fall of big clubs. Made by David Beckham’s Studio 99, it leans heavily towards Manchester United, and the talking heads segments could be more incisive, but it is still a very recommendable watch.