Recommended Television Programmes

[jayne lee wilson]

There was this across the way on 4.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001c1kd

....and maybe try the Marie Antoinette Drama on 2...?. Ep 1 last night, slow burner, but better than you might expect....(& I can't usually bear costume drama...)

[JasonPalmer]

Ooo will try find it in iplayer, was interested in Marie Antionette but got distracted watching goodfellas on iplayer, one of those films I had seen parts of but never the whole thing before.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ooo will try find it in iplayer, was interested in Marie Antionette but got distracted watching goodfellas on iplayer, one of those films I had seen parts of but never the whole thing before.

I could never bring myself to watch cake.

[pastoralguy]

Mrs PG and I became obsessed with seasons 1 & 2 of ‘White Lotus’ which focused on the lives of the very rich and how miserable they can make themselves.

[JasonPalmer]

There was this across the way on 4.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001c1kd

....and maybe try the Marie Antoinette Drama on 2...?. Ep 1 last night, slow burner, but better than you might expect....(& I can't usually bear costume drama...)

Tried Marie Antoinette last night but did not find it particularly gripping, will try episode two sometime and see if it better. I remember their used to be a program called Versailles set about the same period. The place probably features in many a tv and film production.

[Ein Heldenleben]

'Detectorists' was as great as I was hoping it would be. Mackenzie Crook is a wonder, in my opinion.

The best programme I saw over Christmas by some distance - a really exceptional piece of writing , acting and direction. Close to a masterpiece.

[eighthobstruction]

Spy Among Friends........Ejoyed the fantastic acting by the 3 main leads....fiction, but very well taken on by ITVX, I hope they will continue to make prog's like this....complicated, dark (darkly lit too). It was complete - I didn't once feel it was implausible. I had no problems with audio and subtitles....and a minimum of adverts too...https://www.itv.com/watch/a-spy-amon...31/2a7931a0001....one feels there is a lot of authenticity and truth in it's ideas and thrust...tremendous in so many ways...

[Mal]

Just watching "Us" on BBC iPlayer, which has a similar feel to the excellent Detectorists - young bloke and old bloke trying to make sense of their lives! It's based on the novel by David Nicholls that won the Specsavers "UK Author of the Year" award and was long-listed for the 2014 Man Booker. I bought it as a Kindle bargain some months ago, but never got round to reading it, the programme makes me want to read it soon to (hopefully) get more insight into the characters. (I'm reading Shuggie Bain at the moment, the first few chapters are superb... hope it maintains the momentum...)

[Mal]

I couldn’t stand it either, and you’re right about why, I think

Yes "too solemn" and "weirded out" describe it perfecty. I couldn't really work out what was going on, or get motivated enough to concentrate harder, and also gave up.

[JasonPalmer]

2nd episode of Marie Antoinette has hooked me, will watch more of it via iplayer. Caught the last two Vienna bloods so will see if more released on iplayer sometime. Most of the stuff on to is films I have already seen. I do enjoy the old top of the pops on BBC four sometime.

[johncorrigan]

'Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing' did a Christmas Special to Norway; I like these guys a lot and it is such a beautiful bit of TV watching these two old pals hanging about in beautiful locations, talking about the health issues of growing older while fishing and watching what they eat, and being cheeky to each other. I've watched it twice and I'm not remotely interested in fishing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001gnr2/mortimer-whitehouse-gone-fishing-christmas-specials-3-gone-fishing-christmas-2022

[JasonPalmer]

Spooks via BBC iplayer is good, have been watching since episode 1, now on series 6 episode 7 ... Iran building nukes... it all going on,,,

[oddoneout]

This follows on from the garden books thread, but thought it might be more use here.
Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens is on BBC2 this evening https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013dnd although I see it's the 2nd of 3, so there was one last week I assume.

[JasonPalmer]

This follows on from the garden books thread, but thought it might be more use here.
Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens is on BBC2 this evening https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013dnd although I see it's the 2nd of 3, so there was one last week I assume.

Thanks for the heads up, looks ideal for me.

[Nick Armstrong]

A treat coming up on Talking Pictures TV (freeview ch. 82): on Wednesday 25 January at 9pm they’re starting a run of the marvellous French versions of Maigret starting Bruno Cremer made largely in the 1990s.

I’ve seen a number of reruns on French TV (they seem like the equivalents of Inspector Morse over here, made around the same period & oft repeated in the afternoons etc) but I’m looking forward to recording and watching more of them.

TPTV have recently been running the black & white BBC series from the early ‘60s starring Rupert Davies which I was too young to see when originally transmitted - very atmospheric, and despite some shocking support acting I enjoyed most of them for his performance plus the genuine Parisian etc locations and Citroëns…

The Cremer series is a bit more classy but still atmospheric and he is even more convincing in the lead role, imho.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maigret_(1991_TV_series)

(Note for fans of Spiral/Engrenages: a young ‘Juge Roban’ can be seen as one of a number of suspects in an episode set in a small provincial town)