MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY

Netflix, 1 series

e crimes of serial killers never make for comfortable viewing, but the audience for their stories never seems to diminish either, and so Net ix brings us this one-o series about one of the most notorious murderers of recent times. Dahmer killed at least 17 young men between 1978 and 1991 in Wisconsin and Ohio, and was only apprehended a er one potential victim managed to escape his apartment and alert police, who quickly discovered numerous body parts in his rooms. It can at times appear exploitative, but the producers have at least tried to portray sympathy for the victims, and veer towards revealing the systematic failures that led to Dahmer staying free for so long, rather than focusing on the grisly murders themselves.

This England

Sky Atlantic, 1 series

Boris Johnson will always be a polarising gure, but his leadership of the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic did his popularity no favours, and in this drama series penned by Michael Winterbottom alongside TV writer Kieron Quirke, we see exactly why. Depicting the rst wave of the pandemic across Britain, it is based on testimonies of people within the Johnson administration, various intergovernmental advisory groups, and hospitals and care homes, and pulls no punches in showing how confused and confusing the almost daily U-turns and mistakes that led to the deaths and illness of so many were. Kenneth Branagh dons the prosthetics to portray Johnson in all his befuddled glory, and the series is worth watching for this alone.

The Star Wars spin-o s continue to roll out faster than the Millennium Falcon through hyperspace, but this is one of the better ones, focusing on thief-turned-rebel spy Cassian Andor, who would later lead the mission to deliver the plans of the Death Star to the Rebel Alliance in Rogue One. Fans will enjoy the knowing nods to Star Wars lore, with a fast-paced story showing the early days of the rebels’ organisation and the reasons why Andor and his companions decide that there must be opposition to the all-conquering Imperial forces. A certain gravitas is added to proceedings with the knowledge that the main character is fated (spoiler alert) not to survive the Rogue One mission five years after events here, so don’t expect it to be as carefree as other spin-o s.

The Last Kingdom

Netflix, 5 series

If you like your chainmail dramas a little more rooted in history than fantasy, this could be for you. Based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories series of novels and set in 9th century England, it’s a sweeping drama telling the tale of competing kingdoms under occupation by seemingly endless armies of Vikings, with Wessex under King Alfred the last kingdom standing to resist the invading hordes. The plot lies mainly around one Uthred of Bebbanburg, an Anglo-Saxon kidnapped and raised by invading Danes, who finds his loyalties constantly tested as political machinations and loyalties pull him from Saxon to Viking camps. The action and violence mounts with every season, but it always retains that air of reality regarding what life must have been like before the kingdoms of England were united.

Bad Sisters

Apple TV, 1 series

Lying somewhere between Derry Girls and Big Little Lies, this Dublin-based black comedy-drama features a great cast of Irish actors including writer and producer Sharon Horgan, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Brian Gleeson and Eve Hewson, as well as the UK’s AnneMarie Du and Denmark’s Claes Bang. Based around five sisters who all have beef with the husband of one of their clan, things take a turn south when he is found dead under unusual circumstances, with each having a motive and an insurance company investigator determined to discover the truth behind his demise. It’s funnier than most Irish comedies but it also has good drama. And you can enjoy the Dublin setting sightseeing that comes with a locally filmed show.