What TV shows have you been watching ?

Quote from Backdrifter

We also watched the 1st episode of The Salisbury Poisonings which was very compelling, a dramatisation of the outrageous Russian attack on a former spy and the ripple effect it caused.

Having watched it all, it is one of the outstanding shows of recent times. I expect Russian TV will produce an "Approved by Putin" version showing how it was all a conspiracy to drags Russia's name through the mud, like they did after the Sky series on Chernobyl (Which has rightly been nominated for multiple Bafta's).

Quote from foxfeeder

Having watched it all, it is one of the outstanding shows of recent times.

Yes we've seen all eps now and it was superb. It did a great job of taking this ruthless act of chemical terrorism out of the political sphere and shining a light on the human dimension. It was hugely moving at the end, especially the snippet of home video footage - I'm welling up again just thinking about it and writing this.

Quote from Backdrifter

Yes we've seen all eps now and it was superb. It did a great job of taking this ruthless act of chemical terrorism out of the political sphere and shining a light on the human dimension. It was hugely moving at the end, especially the snippet of home video footage - I'm welling up again just thinking about it and writing this.

Indeed, I doubt any of us outside Salisbury had any real idea of life there at the time, all we had was media feed, and we know how that distorts things. I feel this show brought us the reality. At least the UK stood up and called Russia out. There have been similar assassinations in the US, apparently, but they are overlooked to avoid causing tension between the superpowers.

Russia must know we don't bury it, look at the Litvinenko case. We called it like it was then, too.

A Scandinavian post apocalyptic deal called The Rain. It's about a virus that kills everyone! But it was made before covid. It's not bad. Not as good as another Scandinavian show I'm waiting on the third season of - Dark.

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So far we're up to s1 ep2 of Bodies and intending to continue for now.

We've completed series 1. I'm not sure I want to continue into the next series. While it was well-made, well-acted and compelling in its own grim way, I found it too relentlessly negative. I accept that events such as those depicted, and the culture of supressing/punishing whistleblowers, sadly do happen but it still could've used a bit more light and shade. Reading the precis of the first few eps of series 2 it doesn't seem to me here's any change in direction. But genesis1964 perhaps you can correct me on that. I noted your view that it starts to get increasingly unrealistic.

We noticed on the BBC iplayer series 1 to 4 of a Canadian crime drama Cardinal. Does anyone know it? We watched the first episode and decided not to bother with any more. It was really dull and despite someone assuring me it gets much better, I kind of resent having to stick with something that didn't engage me in its opening episode. Plus I could barely understand what the unsmiling hoarse-voiced lead character was saying. And every single character in it was boring and/or unlikeable.

Another one I won't be pursuing beyond episode 1 is What We Do In The Shadows, a vampire sitcom. I watched it mainly as I like Matt Berry but his presence couldn't salvage it from being unfunny.

Quote from Backdrifter

We noticed on the BBC iplayer series 1 to 4 of a Canadian crime drama Cardinal. Does anyone know it? We watched the first episode and decided not to bother with any more. It was really dull and despite someone assuring me it gets much better, I kind of resent having to stick with something that didn't engage me in its opening episode. Plus I could barely understand what the unsmiling hoarse-voiced lead character was saying. And every single character in it was boring and/or unlikeable.

Another one I won't be pursuing beyond episode 1 is What We Do In The Shadows, a vampire sitcom. I watched it mainly as I like Matt Berry but his presence couldn't salvage it from being unfunny.

Hubby loves Matt Berry & everything he has ever been in. I saw one episode of this & will leave the rest to him. I don't get this sort of stuff at all.

I did watch Wolf Hall again, having finished The Mirror & The Light, the final volume of the trilogy. It was much better than I remembered, although Damian Lewis wasn't really Henry VIII to me.

I'd be interested in seeing Berry's band if gigs ever become a thing again.

Quote from FeelItComing

Damian Lewis wasn't really Henry VIII to me.

In a way it's hard to say what Henry VIII would be to any of us.

Almost finished with season 3 of Justified. Excellent stuff

Quote from Backdrifter

We've completed series 1. I'm not sure I want to continue into the next series. While it was well-made, well-acted and compelling in its own grim way, I found it too relentlessly negative. I accept that events such as those depicted, and the culture of supressing/punishing whistleblowers, sadly do happen but it still could've used a bit more light and shade. Reading the precis of the first few eps of series 2 it doesn't seem to me here's any change in direction. But genesis1964 perhaps you can correct me on that. I noted your view that it starts to get increasingly unrealistic.

Yes I got in a bit of a rut with it and kept watching the 2nd series hoping it would get better but for me it didn't. Maybe it was the idea that eventually someone in authority would do something about it but no...... I understand that a lot goes on in management of all types of business to keep things quiet but felt it got too unrealistic in the end.

Quote from Backdrifter

We noticed on the BBC iplayer series 1 to 4 of a Canadian crime drama Cardinal. Does anyone know it? We watched the first episode and decided not to bother with any more. It was really dull and despite someone assuring me it gets much better, I kind of resent having to stick with something that didn't engage me in its opening episode. Plus I could barely understand what the unsmiling hoarse-voiced lead character was saying. And every single character in it was boring and/or unlikeable.

Another one I won't be pursuing beyond episode 1 is What We Do In The Shadows, a vampire sitcom. I watched it mainly as I like Matt Berry but his presence couldn't salvage it from being unfunny.

I was looking for a new series to watch and have also plumped for Cardinal. I have watched the first 2 episodes so far. The main character is a man of few words and I would not say a very likeable person. I will keep watching it for the time being to see how it goes.

Quote from Backdrifter

I'd be interested in seeing Berry's band if gigs ever become a thing again.

In a way it's hard to say what Henry VIII would be to any of us.

I'm a Tudor junkie & know a great deal about the period. Of all the actors I have seen portray Henry - Keith Michell, Richard Burton, Robert Shaw - Damian Lewis was the least convincing but I think a lot of it had to do with the way Mantel wrote the character. He was more introspective & brooding than the 'Bluff King Hal' stereotype and I did welcome that.

Quote from FeelItComing

I'm a Tudor junkie & know a great deal about the period. Of all the actors I have seen portray Henry - Keith Michell, Richard Burton, Robert Shaw - Damian Lewis was the least convincing but I think a lot of it had to do with the way Mantel wrote the character. He was more introspective & brooding than the 'Bluff King Hal' stereotype and I did welcome that.

I liked Lewis for similar reasons, it was a different sort of portrayal from what I'd seen before (plus I'm a bit of a fan of his so that helped). You mentioned another key thing: the show was based on a novel. I'm all for historical figures being used in different ways in novels that don't necessarily chime precisely with what we know from studies of the relevant period - it's a work of fiction and as long as the narrative works well as such that's the main thing.

The TV series was a bit of a treat for me in also featuring Mark Rylance, a favourite actor who I've also seen many times on stage (and who gave one of the 3 best stage performances I've ever seen).

Just done The Rain. Very good

Quote from thefarmer

Just done The Rain. Very good

Yes, I enjoyed it. Season 3 coming in August I believe. I actually prefer Dark which has a similar atmosphere. Season 3 just 'dropped', looking forward to tucking into it later

Quote from thewatcher

Season 3 just 'dropped'

😬

Gaaaaah!

Quote from Backdrifter

😬

Gaaaaah!

Mwahahahahaha

Just stated Dark. Looks good..

The plane that saved Britain, a documentary about the revolutionary twin engine Mosquito, which nearly never made it into production. The docu was better than it could have been due to having been made by a true enthusiast of the plane, Arthur Williams, who, following a car crash that confined him to a wheelchair, took life by the scruff of the neck and got a pilots licence.

My father was in charge of an anti-aircraft unit, and lectured on aircraft recognition (You need to know which planes are which to avoid shooting your allies down!) to UK & US units. His favourite plane was the Mosquito, and 9 days after he died in July 1996, the last operational Mossie crashed at an air show. This programme culminated in the first flight of a fully restored Mossie in the US, and Arthur got to sit in the navigators seat. I feel my dad was up there with them!