TV ON DVD IN AUGUST

We take a look at some of the big TV series releasing on DVD in August. Britannia – season 11

Starring David Morrissey. Kelly Reilly. Like Game Of Thrones, this historical fantasy is heavy on sex and swords. It is set in the British Isles around AD43 and has Celtic tribes, replete with chanting Druids and warrior women, trying to repel a Roman invasion. Lots of fun, but no match for the much bigger budget GOT.

The Good Doctor – season 1

Starring Freddie Highmore. Nicely summed up by one critic as ‘House meets Rain Man’. Freddie Highmore plays a savant autistic surgeon, whose condition and unique abilities often see him come up with unconventional solutions to medical problems. Highmore handles the difficult role with aplomb through the season’s marathon 18 episodes.

Riviera – season 1 Starring Julia Stiles, Lena Olin.

Sick of the dreary winter days? This crime series set on the French Riviera might just be the thing to lift the winter blues. It follows Georgina Clios, a US art curator married to a billionaire philanthropist who dies in a yachting accident. She becomes involved in the Riveria’s dark underworld as she sets out to find the truth behind his death. Trashy, but fun.

Save Me

Starring Lennie James. A down-and-out man’s life is turned upside down when his estranged daughter disappears. The Walking Dead’s Lennie James wrote the series and takes on the lead role of Nelson Rowe.

The Story Of Us With Morgan Freeman Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

This ambitious National Geographic series looks at the forces and ideals that drive and unite mankind, such as love, people power, rebellion and freedom. Freeman is a natural at this sort of stuff – rich voice, calm authority and at ease with people from all walks of life and cultures. There’s no destination here, but the journey is worth the effort.

Underground – season 1

Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge. Top-notch drama based on the Underground Railway in mid-19th century Georgia which helped African-Americans escape to free states in the north and to Canada. It is centred around plantation life, focusing on the hopes and fears of the slaves, and the moral ambiguities of those who enslaved them. Excellent viewing.

Also releasing in August:

X Files – season 11 Call The Midwife – season 7 New Girl – season 6 Chris Tarrant’s Extreme Railways – season 4 NCIS – season 15 NCIS Los Angeles – season 9