A Song for Jenny Makes the 7/7 Anniversary a Dignified, Yet Emotional One

I spent most of the day at home with our small people yesterday, as happens from time to time. The morning was a hit-and-miss affair, boasting a trip to the garage which included my now-normal “hang on a minute, I think I’ve gone the wrong way” routine, and the eldest doing a temporary vanishing act in the middle of a bloody enormous park.

The afternoon went only slightly better, with a trip to the lake ending in me dragging the youngest kicking and screaming out of the water when he wouldn’t believe that at 19 months old, he really can’t swim in water deeper than he is tall.

Children do fucked-up things to you, as a parent. They can hurt you in ways you never believed possible, yet at the same time make you love them so much you think every vital organ in your body will burst.

In spite of my aforementioned struggles, I would happily walk through fire for my brood and would do anything, literally anything to keep them from harm.

So you can imagine the state A Song for Jenny left me in… This achingly sad, delicately drawn story was based on Julie Nicholson’s book, and detailed how her daughter Jenny was among the victims of the 7/7 bombings in London.

It began shortly before the dreadful day when terrorists attacked the capital, offering us a glimpse of a loving, close family headed by mum Julie. She then drove the narrative as she first clung to the notion her daughter had somehow survived, before hearing and eventually accepting the gut-wrenching truth – Jenny was among the dead of the Edgware Road tube station bombing.

Arguably one of the most distressing moments was when Julie was shown photographs of her daughter’s body in the carriage after the attack. We were spared them, seeing only Julie’s reaction, but as a mum, I’m not sure I’d have the courage to face that sort of horror.

It needed a strong, powerful actress to pull off this emotional and complex role and my god, did Emily Watson do it justice. She’s long been one of my very favourite performers, bringing a quiet intensity and integrity to everything she does. Here, she was quite simply magnificent.

It would have been easy for A Song for Jenny to dissolve into schmaltz and thankfully it didn’t – though it did come across as a little one-sided. I’m sure Jenny’s father was every bit as heartbroken as Julie, but he was little more than a bit-part player in this story.

That minor niggle aside, as many of us turn our thoughts to another sad anniversary (has it really been 10 years?) A Song for Jenny is a fitting tribute, and one that will stay with you for quite some time after.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and hug my children once more and just that little bit tighter…

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

A Song for Jenny

WHEN IS IT ON?

Sunday 5 July, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC1

WHO IS IN IT?

Emily Watson and Steven Mackintosh are arguably the biggest names, but this is no celebrity piece.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Anyone who has ever lost a child.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

People who think the answer to the world’s ills is violence.

Robert, Benedict or Jonny? Which Sherlock Is the Best?

The past few days have seen me glued to Netflix (quelle surprise) and season one of Elementary. I originally watched it when it first aired ages ago, enjoying it in a sniffy, slightly dismissive kinda way.

I was of course, like everybody else at the time, waiting for series three of the BBC series Sherlock, sucking on anything even remotely Holmesian that came my way to keep me going – like a heroin addict gobbling down methadone.

For the longest time I regarded Elementary as inferior to Sherlock in every way. The setting was wrong, the crimes weren’t clever enough, Aidan Quinn didn’t have the right name and don’t get me started on Lucy Liu (who dresses that poor woman?)…

But I may well be wrong.

Three of the finest actors of our time have inhabited the shell of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Downey Jr (come on now… you didn’t seriously think I was going to add Martin Clunes..?). Each brings a different something to the role. Each has their flaws. But which of them makes the best Sherlock Holmes?

Let’s find out, shall we?

Robert Downey Jr

I love this man. I love the fact he’s sent himself to hell and back in full view of the world’s media and has lived to rise again and kick Hollywood’s ass. He can be light and witty or dark and downright scary but as Sherlock? He’s a disappointment.

Guy Ritchie’s steampunk version of the Victorian sleuth oozes class and gave Jude Law his best role for years as Watson – but Downey’s boho detective doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Oh sure, he’s got the moves and can play the twitchy genius to the hilt, but as a performance it doesn’t feel right. He’s too nervy, too desperate.

On top of that, RDJ’s breathless delivery and not-quite-on-the-money accent really bloody grates after a while.

Downey Jr IS Iron Man, and that’s great. He’s perfect for the part: smart, sexy and funny as hell. Sherlock Holmes, however, he is not. I refer any honourable members seeking further proof to the sequel, Game of Shadows. There’s 129 minutes of your life you’ll never get back.

No, this battle comes down to two contenders: the actors who played opposite each other in the 2011 stage play Frankenstein, alternating their roles. These men probably know each other inside out – and yet their performances of this singular character couldn’t be more different.

Jonny Lee Miller

There was a time when London-born lad looked set to conquer the world. His stunning turn in the pretty bloody amazing Trainspotting made everybody sit up and take notice. Marrying Angelina Jolie didn’t do his profile any harm either.

Since then, Miller’s career has cut an eclectic path through TV movies, big-budget offerings and telly work (not to mention treading those boards).

Elementary was a bit of a gamble – it was broadcast hot on the heels of the BBC’s smash-hit version and as a result attracted more than its fair share of criticism.

However, as I have pleasantly discovered, there is so much more to Miller’s Sherlock than at first meets the eye.

Over the course of the first series, his Holmes slowly opens up to sober companion Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) and reveals the demons driving him. There’s no breathless craziness a la Downey Jr. Just moments of utter desperation, depravity and sometimes despair.

Whether that despair comes from Holmes’ frustration at being the cleverest person in the room or an inability to make his particular set of gifts work to solve a case, that depends on whatever episode you’re watching.

But watch you do. In fact, it’s almost impossible to take your eyes off Miller. The slightest flicker, merest tremor of his face and a new emotion, a new layer is revealed, before it’s whipped off again and the Holmes mask of indifference slips smoothly back into place.

Watching Miller’s Sherlock is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Benedict Cumberbatch

His old mucker Ben is a completely different kettle of crawdads. He’s kinda funny lookin’. All angular cheekbones and hypnotic, almond eyes. There are Byronic curls and a now-iconic greatcoat. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is not just a modern version of a classic character.

He is a pin-up, a poster boy. Someone teenage girls can pin to their walls and smear with lipgloss every night…

I doubt very much that was the intention of Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss when they dreamed up this incarnation. Jeremy Brett was dishy in a consumptive sort of way, but Holmes has always had gravitas, and lots of it.

Cumberbatch’s version isn’t grave so much as borderline autistic, such is his crippling inability to deal with ‘ordinary’ people.

Luckily his Watson (the extraordinarily ordinary Martin Freeman) helps negotiate those tricky social waters, allowing Sherlock to immerse himself completely in ‘the game’.

Yet take away all the on-screen gimmickry and the polished editing, and what remains is Cumberbatch’s presence. His Holmes may look slight but he can more than hold his own in a fight, whether it’s fisticuffs or fencing.  He uses his towering intellect to both make sense of the world and at the same time keep it at bay, fearing its confusion and ennui.

To bring all that to the screen with such poise, such precision demonstrates Cumberbatch’s astonishing talent as an actor.

But whose Sherlock is the best?

Some could argue that the snappy script of Sherlock gives Cumberbatch the edge, with all that wonderful rolling dialogue, while Miller’s contained, decidedly Englishman in New York, is compelling too.

For me, right now, I’d have to go with Miller. His Holmes is more nuanced, more vulnerable, less flashy. And he has fucking GREAT tattoos. The chances are though, that by the time Sherlock series four comes around, I’ll change my mind and say Cumby is the one to watch.

What I can say for certain is that for years to come, audiences who love great drama, performed by two truly brilliant actors, will have plenty to keep them entertained in Elementary and Sherlock.

Despite Being Made to Wait, It’s Finally Time to Say Goodbye to My Friends Strange and Norrell…

There are many things I wish for, every day. That my children and my husband are healthy and happy. That someone, somewhere, reads this and says “Wow! Give that girl a regular column!”, that my waist was just a foot smaller…

But inching its way to the top of this collection of wants and desires is this: I wish the BBC would stop making me wait for the next instalment of a great series.

Netflix, which allows me to gorge myself stupid on TV, has made me greedy – hence the waistline request. I don’t have the time or patience to hang around, even for something as exquisite as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, which reaches is suitably grand finale this week.

So, I have a request for the BBC. Stop titting about with Top Gear and start giving us access to shows like this in their ENTIRETY.

For the past few weeks, I have perched, immobile and rapt, as Susanna Clark’s glorious tale unfolded around me. I gasped when Arabella was snatched by Marc Warren’s bouffant but deliciously wicked Faerie from under Jonathan’s nose.

My eyes were wide with horror as Strange, a gentle man if ever there was one, became an increasingly powerful wizard, demonstrating his ability to snuff out life during the war with France.

I wept as the sublime Eddie Marsan’s Mr Norrell saw his carefully constructed world – and his beloved books – crumble around him, as the reputation of English magic was forever tarnished.

All the while Childermass, Steven, Lady Pole and Vinculus had their parts to play in a fantasy drama that, like all the best books, once you’ve finished it, you just want to go back to the beginning and start again.

So I come to the final episode, and it feels like I’m losing a friend. There may even be tears when all’s said and done.

Everything is hanging in the balance, from Norrell’s standing as a magician to Strange’s delicate mental state. The two men must join forces and combine their skills to win back Lady Pole and Bella from the Castle of Lost Hope.

The last, tantalising episode leaves me with so many questions… will the Raven King put a spanner in the works? Will the Faerie defeat both England’s finest magicians, and will his sinister dance finally come to an end?

There have been few programmes as beautiful to watch and as elegantly played out as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. You bet your ass I’m buying the book as soon as the credits on the finale roll, because I suspect there’s more to enjoy on the page. And, unlike the BBC series, I can sit in a chair and read and read and read until I’ve had enough – or I’m forced to stop.

A little bit like watching Netflix… Go on Aunty Beeb. Make the leap and feed the greedy girls!

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

WHEN IS IT ON?

Sunday 28 May, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC1

WHO IS IN IT?

Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Samuel West, Enzo Cilenti, Charlotte Riley, Marc Warren, Paul Kaye.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Me. Over and over again.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Anyone who doesn’t believe in magic…

Scottish Drama Stonemouth Proves Me Wrong About Iain Banks

Aside from our children, each other and cake, I reckon it’s fair to say the thing James and I love most is books. Our little house has more than its fair share scattered about the place, and I’m pleased to say our children seem to be picking up our passion too.

It was with undisguised glee just the other day that I gathered together on one shelf all our Terry Pratchett paperbacks, so our eldest daughter – who doesn’t so much read as devour books – can find them easily.

But that’s not to say James and I share the same taste. Yes, we both love Sir Terry, but I’m a fan of Austen and Barker, while he’s a Rankin and Adams aficionado. I’m known to hoover up the odd Dan Brown, while he wouldn’t touch them with a bargepole.

He has, however, waved many an Iain Banks under my nose, insisting on their greatness. I dutifully read a couple and have to say, I wasn’t convinced. I tried The Wasp Factory and was left cold, while The Business bored me.

James, needless to say, was unimpressed but Banks and I may yet form a bond – thanks to the telly.

I settled in to watch the first instalment of Stonemouth, a two-part BBC drama based on the Banks novel, with as open a mind as I could manage, given I was genuinely saddened by the author’s death in 2013 (and yet George W Bush still lives), but was not a fan of his work.

To my delight, Stonemouth had me hooked within minutes.

It told the story of Stewart Gilmour – played by a flawless Christian Cooke – a young man returning to his eponymous hometown two years after he left under something of a cloud (to say the least).

Granted permission by the local crime lord (a magnificent Peter Mullan) to stay for a few days to attend the funeral of his best friend, who committed suicide, Stewart uses the chance to right a few wrongs – and find out exactly what happened to his pal.

I’m bouncing up and down as I write this, because Stonemouth was EVERYTHING I expect from a drama: gorgeously filmed, written like there’s electricity running through the script, backed by a belting soundtrack and boasting the likes of Brian Gleeson, Chris Fulton and the beautiful Charlotte Spencer in the cast.

God I LOVED it. Not only am I now counting the minutes until the concluding episode, but if you’ll forgive me, I’m also off to curl up on the sofa and get to grips with the original book.

I can’t think of a better tribute to Banks and his work – can you?

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Stonemouth

WHEN IS IT ON?

Monday June 8, 9pm BBC1 Scotland,

Thursday, June 11, 9pm BBC Two, everywhere else.

WHAT CHANNEL?

See above

WHO IS IN IT?

Christian Cooke, Sharon Small, Brian Gleeson and the phenomenally amazing Peter Mullan.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

People who have never picked up an Iain Banks novel.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

You’d have to be mad to miss this.

Third Time Lucky as Kay Mellor’s New Drama for the BBC The Syndicate Hits the Jackpot

I spent my formative years in the north of England, and while holidays were a rarity, from time to time I did make it to the wild open spaces of the east coast – notably Scarborough.

I’m sure this seaside town holds a place in many hearts and the castle ruins are magnificent, but the town always made me think of a consumptive lung, wheezing away and inching ever closer to its final breath. But there may yet be life for Scarborough, as it’s the setting for Kay Mellor’s latest series The Syndicate.

The opening instalment introduced us to Dawn, who is coping with an unexpected pregnancy and her stroppy teenage strumpet daughter Amy, Julie and her daughter Sarah, chauffeur and dogsbody Sean, and gardener Godfrey.

They and their assorted domestic problems comprise what’s left of Hazlewood Manor’s staff, a once grand stately pile whose owners (Anthony Andrews and Alice Krige, no less) are more than £6m in the red. Matters aren’t helped by his recovering from a stroke.

The prospect of making a bit of ready cash loomed in the form of America guests who descended on Hazlewood Manor looking for a taste of the Downton Abbey life. Unfortunately for Julie, it meant 16 hours of sweat and toil as she prepared a lavish dinner on “a tenner a head”.

Managed by the coolly capable Sarah, Dawn, Amy (who could just about keep her tongue out of the young master’s throat long enough to meet and greet the guests) and Sean pulled out all the stops to make sure Hazlewood was as inviting as possible for their wealthy visitors.

Amid all the frantic activity, gardener Godfrey babbled on about this week’s lottery money. He’d convinced himself that mathematically, this week was their best chance to win big. Sadly, when a frazzled Dawn went to buy the tickets, she forgot his list and picked any old numbers…

The Syndicate took its time to get going, and rightly so. Mellor (who also directs) has created some truly absorbing characters. Andrews’ sickly but stubborn Lord Hazlewood proves he’s lost none of his deft touch, while watching Melanie Hill and Elizabeth Berrington go to town is just a joy.

Kudos to Lenny Henry too for his Godfrey – his time on stage has clearly done him the power of good – but the one to watch has to be Daisy Head. Amy is a sexy, scared, proud, angry and ambitious ball of stuff on very long legs, and it’s going to be fascinating to see her story unfold.

She’s also part of what makes The Syndicate utterly compelling to watch: the very ordinariness of the characters at its heart. Their lives are messy, their conversations overlap (which means you have to really pay attention) and their emotions are all over the shop.

“Stuff like this doesn’t happen to the likes of us,” said one when the lottery dream looks to be within their grasp. Never a truer word was spoken and if that’s not the making of superb drama, then I don’t know what is.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

The Syndicate

WHEN IS IT ON?

Tuesday, June 2, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC1

WHO IS IN IT?

Anthony Andrews, Alice Krige, Elizabeth Berrington, Melanie Hill, Lenny Henry and Kieran O’Brien (anyone else still think of him as Gruey, or is it just me?)…

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Anyone who loves really well-written, beautifully observed drama.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Looking for something glossy and frivolous? Keep channel-hopping…

Aunty Beeb’s Armada Blows Strange & Norell Out of the Water… But Only Just

I am so VERY old, I can remember a time when the main TV channels’ decisions to schedule two delicious-sounding programmes opposite each other left us poor, technology-deprived viewers with Hobson’s choice. We wailed and bitched as watching one meant missing the other, knowing whatever we plumped for, the other programme would be the only thing everyone else talked about for bloody AGES.

Happily for us 21st-century telly addicts (say it loud and proud!), the digital age means we can pause, record, save and store programmes to our hearts’ content (and maybe someday the terrestrial channels will go the way of Netflix and let us watch entire series all in one go…).

So, the fact Aunty Beeb plonked Armada: 12 Days to Save England right opposite Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell caused me to bat not an eyelash. Knowing I could catch up with Strange & Norrell on iPlayer (pleasure delaying at its finest)  I made a date with handsome history man Dan Snow instead.

At first, I thought I’d made a blunder of epic proportions. The historical re-enactments looked impressive, but who the hell were these twonky experts talking in presenter-speak at each other while shoving model ships around a map, repeating essentially what we’d just been told by chisel-jawed host Snow?

Why did Snow think he needed to present from a boat so we knew what the English Channel looked like at the time of the Armada, what was with the slightly shonky CGI, and who were the talking heads who grinned and gurned while their name captions plugged their books?

Not good. not good at all…

I was on the brink of picking up the remote and flicking over to catch what remained of Strange & Norrell when Armada: 12 Days to Save England suddenly took a turn for the outstanding, thanks to the work of Professor Geoffrey Parker.

His discovery of a cache of papers, written by two of the Spanish Armada’s commanders, Medina Sidonia and Recalde, offered a previously unknown and unique insight into what the would-be invaders were thinking and feeling. While it wasn’t good for them, it was utterly fascinating for us.

As Medina Sidonia followed Spanish King Philip’s orders to the letter, Recalde complained about lost opportunities to crush the inferior English fleet. In fact, had someone, anyone listed to Recalde, the outcome of the invasion would have been very different indeed…

All this gave Armada: 12 Days to Save England the oomph it was lacking, and if all the juicy new historical detail wasn’t reason enough to watch, then Anita Dobson in a magnificently low-key turn as Elizabeth I in the dramatic sequences definitely was.

Unflattering makeup and fake gnashers so grim they made me want to reach for the electric toothbrush, provided the standard image of an under-pressure Gloriana, but in her short appearances, Dobson also managed to show the legendary Tudor monarch’s authority and her vulnerability. I hope she gets more screen time in the next two episodes.

Rather like the real thing, Armada: 12 Days to Save England started out slowly, but once it got going it was totally compulsive viewing. Whether it will be good enough to reduce Strange & Norrell to the iPlayer for two or even three weeks running remains to be seen…

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Armada: 12 Days to Save England

WHEN IS IT ON?

Sunday 24 May, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC2

WHO IS IN IT?

Dan Snow, Anita Dobson.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

History buffs who love nothing more than discovering new facts about the past.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

EastEnders fans.

BBC Fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Is a Feast for the Sunday Night Senses

There are some series that you just know, within minutes of tuning in to the opening instalment, you are going to HAVE to see every second of, right down to the last name on the credits, come hell or high water.

My list of shows that would never, ever in a squillion years make it into this league is long and undistinguished. It includes all ITV game shows, Big Brother, every western ever made, all soaps and a shit-load of football. Just because.

In contrast the glorious, stunning BBC adaptation of Susannah Clark’s brilliant labour of love, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell shoots straight to the number one spot – with a bullet.

This period offering is so good my mind is racing, tripping over itself to get the superlatives out in a decent order.

I confess now, I’ve never read the novel in which it’s based, so I have no idea if it’s a faithful adaptation or not. I can only assure literary fans that the TV version is sumptuous, pitch-perfect and flawless.

It’s no surprise, really. The cast includes the peerless Eddie Marsan, an actor who has been working since God was a boy and has yet to put a foot wrong.

He’s joined by the metronomically good Samuel West, an impressively sinister Enzo Cilenti, the effervescent Bertie Carvel, Paul Kaye on what can only be described as Faginesque form and Marc Warren, for whom I reserve my highest compliment: this is the first time I’ve watched him on the TV and not wanted to punch the screen within five seconds.

The story, which blends fact and fantasy, begins in York in the early 1800s as a bunch of pompous, so-called magicians have the bejesus scared out of them by Mr Norrell (Marsan), a genuine practitioner of the art.

His ‘miracle’ prompts him to move to London, accompanied by his manservant, the slightly menacing and somewhat ambiguous Childermass (Cilenti), where Norrell tries to offer his services to the British government, which is embroiled in a costly war with Napoleon and the French.

At the same time, Jonathan Strange (Carvel), buries his sourpuss of a father, marries his dream girl and does his best to find a worthwhile occupation. That turns out to be the study of magic, after wild-eyed street magician Vinculus (Kaye) urges him to follow this particular calling.

From then on, Norrell’s and Strange’s fates seem to be linked – but are they destined to be allies or enemies? Which of them will be the one to bring ‘respectable’ magic back to England after 300 long years?

Exquisite costumes, stunning locations, crackling dialogue that comes with a hefty dose of wit, delivered by expert actors… it’s all here. All you have to do is turn on, tune in and be transported.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

WHEN IS IT ON?

Sunday 17 May, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC1

WHO IS IN IT?

Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Samuel West, Enzo Cilenti, Charlotte Riley, Marc Warren, Paul Kaye.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Lovers of the book, for sure, and anyone who adores something that’s a little bit different.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

People with no imagination.

We Say ‘Yes’ to Being a Part of Sky Atlantic’s Seductive Drama The Affair

Remember a few months ago, the entertainment world and its wife went completely bonkers for the 50 Shades of Grey movie?

Almost everyone who went to see it agreed the story was a bit ‘meh’, but the titillating, saucy scenes just about made up for the bloody exorbitant price of cinema popcorn.

All that fuss over two people shagging in all sorts of different ways seems so distant now, yet the notion of sex – and the emotional manipulation that sometimes surrounds it – on the big or small screen never fails to get tongues a-wagging.

For those who haven’t seen or heard any of the hoo-haa about the drama that had American audiences gasping, fanning themselves and slyly wondering when the next episode was on, The Affair is, as the title baldly suggests, about two people getting it ‘orn when they really shouldn’t.

He is Noah, a novelist and father-of-four whose marriage to wife Helen is solid enough, but who resents the fact his father-in-law (an even more successful writer) funds their comfortable lifestyle.

She is Alison, a waitress who is trying – and failing – to deal with the death of her child. As a result, her marriage to childhood sweetheart Cole is on the verge of collapse.

They meet when Noah and his brood come for a holiday in a small town in the Hamptons, and in incident in the diner where Alison works sees the pair’s worlds collide…

Several things make The Affair stand out from the crowd, and the first is the fact the drama is filmed from Noah and Alison’s points of view – giving us two very different sides of the same story.

Second, the cast is simply top drawer: Dominic West and Ruth Wilson pull off convincing American accents to play the leads, with Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson as their respective spouses. Do be warned though, seeing all-American girl Abby from ER and Pacey from Dawson’s Creek (yikes – showing my age) bumping and grinding and humping and pumping is a bit disconcerting…

Third, there’s a whole lot more to get our teeth into than just a (very) steamy fling between two consenting adults. Why are Noah and Alison being questioned by the police? Is Alison the saucy minx we’re led to believe by Noah, and in turn, is he the sex-hungry Lothario she paints him?

Sky Atlantic is rapidly establishing itself as the home of great drama, and The Affair – which won two Golden Globes at this year’s ceremony, including a Best Actress gong for Wilson, and has already been commissioned for a second season – looks set to be a fine addition to the stable.

I, for one, will be tuning in with relish.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

The Affair

WHEN IS IT ON?

Wednesday 13 May, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

Sky Atlantic

WHO IS IN IT?

Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Joshua Jackson, Maura Tierney.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

If you like grown up telly that pulls no punches and messes with your head a bit, then this is for you.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Anyone who doesn’t do bare bums, boobs or bonking.

No Tinkers, Sailors or Soldiers, But Spies Galore in BBC’s Riveting The Game

Oh. My. Goodness. I never, in my wildest dreams would have thought I would be SOOOO excited to see the 1970s splashed across my TV screen – the decade of drab browns, sludgy greens dodgy shoes and even dodgier haircuts (I know – I sported many of them)…

But this was before The Game.

I never really considered my formative years to be ‘period’, but – haha – they are, of course, knocking on the door of being 40 years ago… How it flies!

1972 is when The Game is set and yes, the fudges and slurries are all present and correct. If you put a gun to my head, I’d still swear there was some wallpaper in one scene that was also in my nanna’s house.

Interior decorating joining lines aside, the BBC’s latest addition to its drama canon, a twisting espionage story, is straight out of the top drawer. But then I’d expect nothing less from Being Human writer Toby Whithouse.

It follows a crack team of MI5 agents, which includes Anderson (Jonathan Aris) from Sherlock who seems to have kept his straggly beard but has moved from forensics and conspiracy theories to being Alan, a ‘nosey parker’; someone who plants listening devices in badly lit rooms where meetings of a dubious nature take place.

Then there’s Joe (Tom Hughes), a handsome slip of a thing with a tortured past (we get a glimpse of it in the opening sequence) and a wayward accent – but hey, that could be my ears again.

We meet Sarah (Victoria Hamilton), a cool drink of water with crisp diction, a nifty haircut and who also happens to be Alan’s wife, as well as Bobby (Paul Ritter), a complex mix of seething ambition, terrific tailoring and total mummy’s boy.

Meanwhile, giving us ordinary mortals a view on events normally played out in the shadows is copper James Fenchurch (Shaun Dooley), and overseeing them all is Daddy, whose glories are firmly behind him, and who – if the cruel whispers are to be believed – is past it…

They are all called in to act when Arkady, a defector, tells Joe about a deadly Russian plot that is set to rock the British establishment to its core (seriously – is there any other kind?).

However, their efforts to get to the bottom of ‘Operation Glass’ lead to tragedy, the opening of old wounds and potentially more damage being inflicted than they could have ever imagined.

I fervently hope and pray that the rest of The Game is every bit as good as its opening episode. I find myself intrigued by Hamilton, blown away by Ritter and thoroughly delighted that Brian Cox has, at long last, been given a role worthy of his immense talents.

The Game brilliantly treads a fine line: it oozes tension while at the same time paying out enough of the story and character background to keep me both glued and guessing.

In short: it is an instant classic. Miss it at your peril.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

The Game

WHEN IS IT ON?

Thursday 30 April, 9pm

WHAT CHANNEL?

BBC2

WHO IS IN IT?

Brian Cox, Victoria Hamilton, a scene-stealing Paul Ritter, Tom Hughes, Jonathan Aris and Shaun Dooley.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

Everyone who likes intelligent, meaty telly – especially Le Carre fans.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Anyone who can’t bear to see a heavily printed carpet.

ITV’s Crime Drama Code of a Killer Falls Flat

Regular visitors to this site will, by now, have gathered that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to complex topics like chemical engineering, brain surgery and the actual sharing of cake with others. That last one I might have made up…

But that doesn’t mean I don’t like science. To coin a Facebook page, I fucking LOVE science. Never was there more of a skip in my step than the day Professor Brian Cox retweeted me and Horizon is one of my all-time favourite shows.

Okay, so I’ll never understand the subtleties of String Theory, but even I can wrap my teeny, tiny brain around some bits of science, hence my adoration for Prof Cox – and why Code of a Killer is SUCH a disappointment.

This dark, two-part crime thriller (hey, what else is ITV gonna show on a Bank Holiday Monday?) is loosely based on real events. It follows two parallel stories: the manhunt after two Leicestershire teenagers are raped and murdered in the mid-1980s, and the scientific quest for a way to map a human genetic fingerprint.

The criminal element sees David Threlfall as Detective Chief Superintendent David Baker, who on two separate occasions has to break devastating news to two different families, both living in the same area. Baker knows in his gut the killer’s local – but the investigation draws a blank.

Coming to his rescue is Dr Alec Jeffreys, who uses a technique he’s just created to identify the culprit using DNA fingerprinting – the first time it was EVER employed in a criminal investigation.

Naturally, because the science behind DNA fingerprinting is pretty complex stuff, it’s watered down here so us mere mortals will be able to understand the enormity of the breakthroughs made by Jeffreys and his team.

I could let that minor niggle slide, if it wasn’t for the casting…

John Simm is a fine actor, but he doesn’t completely convince as Jeffreys, while Threlfall, underplaying to the point of catatonia, has little more to do than look waxy-faced in a dodgy hairpiece.

It would probably be too weird (or expensive) to have Philip Glenister star alongside Simm in anything other than Life on Mars, so it falls to his brother Robert to appear in a supporting role.

He stops me from waiting to hear the line “I’m avvin’ ‘oops” and at least this Glenister can adopt a convincing posh accent – something Simm can’t quite pull off. Meanwhile, Lorcan Cranitch once again goes to waste in an ‘angry middle-aged copper’ role.

Code of a Killer would have worked so much better had it perhaps been presented as a docudrama, bolstered by contributions from the real people involved in these landmark events and who were better able to explain why they were so important.

They deserve more than this pale imitation, that’s for sure. As for episode two? I think I’ll pass, thanks.

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN OF IT

WHAT’S IT CALLED?

Code of a Killer

WHEN IS IT ON?

9pm, Monday April 6

WHAT CHANNEL?

ITV

WHO IS IN IT?

David Threlfall, John Simm, Robert Glenister.

WHO SHOULD WATCH IT?

People who like their dramas with a side order of ‘meh’.

WHO SHOULDN’T WATCH IT?

Professor Brian Cox.