tue 08/10/2024

tv

The Trouble With Maggie Cole, ITV review - Dawn French stars in new comedy drama

Veronica Lee

ITV's drama department is in overdrive at the moment, with a seemingly endless release of series with high production values and stellar casts, and the latest is The Trouble With Maggie Cole. It's a six-parter based on an idea by Dawn French (who also stars) and is written by Mark Brotherhood.

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Beauty Laid Bare, BBC One review - a facial peel for the cosmetics business

Adam Sweeting

In this aptly-titled series (BBC One), four British 20-somethings visit the USA to investigate the inner workings of the beauty industry. Perhaps not surprisingly, they discover that it’s a hotbed of greed and exploitation.

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The Trip to Greece, Sky 1 review - jokes, jibes and indigestion in the footsteps of Odysseus

Adam Sweeting

Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan have been taking their bickering TV trips for a decade, beginning in the north of England in 2010 before working their way around Italy, Spain and now Greece (on Sky 1). They say this will be the last time, but believe that at your peril.

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Liar, Series 2, ITV review - more crime-by-numbers from the Williams brothers

Adam Sweeting

The first series of Liar, one of many thrillers from the fertile keyboards of Jack and Harry Williams, was on ITV back in 2017, so you may have forgotten the somewhat labyrinthine details.

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The Windsors, Series 3, Channel 4 review - perfect timing for return of the bogus royals

Adam Sweeting

The rage and bitterness surrounding the Brexit brouhaha have made it immune to comedy and satire, but perhaps change is in the wind.

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Back in Time for the Corner Shop, BBC Two review - open all hours with the Ardern family

Adam Sweeting

Since Back in Time for Dinner in 2015, this BBC Two social history strand in which families travel into a recreated past to experience ways in which society, leisure and lifestyles have changed has proved a robust perennial.

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Flesh and Blood, ITV review - Vivien's new love affair throws a cat among the family pigeons

Adam Sweeting

“Everybody lies," says property developer Tony to his PA and secret lover Natalie. “Even your mum probably.” And of course he’s not wrong.

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Locke & Key, Netflix review - comic book adaptation struggles to find its focus

Adam Sweeting

The comic book of Locke and Key, written by Joe Hill (son of horror writer Stephen King) and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, was first published in 2008, and its mix of multi-generational family drama and supernatural creepiness made it a cult hit.

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Hunters, Amazon Prime review - bringing God's justice to Nazis in America

Adam Sweeting

Apparently network executives initially reacted with alarm to the premise of Hunters, Amazon’s new big-ticket series chiefly (though by no means entirely) notable for hosting Al Pacino’s first full-scale television role.

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How To Stay out of Jail, Channel 4 review – a bold rehabilitation programme from Durham police

Adam Sweeting

With prison overcrowding reaching chronic proportions, police in County Durham have developed the Checkpoint programme to try to keep offenders out of jail with rehabilitation in the community. It’s like Felons Anonymous – candidates have to sign a contract confessing their crimes and stipulating that they won’t reoffend.

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