TROUBLED STARS: THREE TALENTS LOST TOO YOUNG
WHAT HAPPENED,
MISS SIMONE?
Netflix
The title is a question by the poet Maya Angelou, who could not believe what had become of the once-in-a-lifetime talent that was Nina Simone. This incredible documentary features interviews with Nina’s daughter and unforgettable concert clips.
KURT AND COURTNEY Volta
This week would have marked Kurt Cobain’s 54th birthday. Part rockumentary, part whodunnit, the film looks at the tragic relationship between Cobain and Courtney Love and the factors that led the Nirvana frontman to end his own life in April 1994.
NATALIE WOOD: WHAT REMAINS BEHIND Sky Documentaries
The death of Natalie Wood remains once of the most enduring showbiz mysteries of all time. This film, made in cooperation with her daughter, Natasha, aims to dispel the myths around this tragic Hollywood siren.
BEAUTIFUL STORIES FROM ANONYMOUS PEOPLE
Apple, Earwolf, SoundCloud, Spotify
THE CREEP DIVE
Apple, Spotify
THE TOWN THAT DIDN’T STARE
Apple, Spotify
Lucy White
We all love a good yarn — and the quirkier the better when our worlds have become so small and humdrum. Crime podcasts are, of course, the go-to for mystery and suspense but intrigue can be found in the everyday too. Take a walk on the weird side with these three tales of the unexpected.
‘I’m a Narcoleptic and Collapsed During Sex’ is the title of an episode of American comedianturned-empath Chris Gethard’s long-running Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People podcast. But while some confessions are racier than others, most are recognisable or, at the very least, elicit a triumph-over-adversity compassion. Gethard’s premise has been simple since its launch five years ago, offering anonymous callers one hour each week to discuss a real-life tale of woe or wonder. Romantic revelations are rife, of course, but also interspersed with first-hand experiences of, for instance, religious cults, euthanasia, opioid addiction and parenting a deaf child. The format’s random nature means some episodes are more engaging than others but therein lies the pot-luck appeal.
Mother of Pod’s Sophie White (also a columnist with Life magazine) and Jen O’Dwyer, also have The Creep Dive with Cassie Delaney, in which the trio look beyond the clickbait, or humdrum, headlines, to uncover freakier strata. As its name suggests, topics are weird, wonderful and frequently eerie, investigating everything from urban myths and the women who crush on serial killers to medical mysteries and, er, the genesis of the garden gnome. Subject matter can be dark but the co-hosts’ simmering chemistry keeps the overall atmosphere upbeat, as they each offer their own oddball anecdotes.
Billed by filmmaker Nick Hilton as “Britain’s answer to Twin Peaks,” East Grinstead in West Sussex is The Town That Didn’t Stare; a quaint settlement that’s a magnet for Mormons, Scientologists,
pagans and other spiritualist waifs and strays. This well-produced six-parter blends history, myth and facts, and rather than mocking its eccentricities — such as L Ron Hubbard setting up the UK’s Scientology HQ there in the 1950s — Hilton seems interested in understanding East Grinstead’s non-secular embrace of faith and fanaticism. As seen through his native eyes, it’s the sort of place where Punchdrunk theatre company might perform a perturbing 24-hour play cycle, or residents of Royston Vasey — a local place for local people — might enjoy a long weekend, for its broad church credentials. Fascinating.