LIFT YOU R LOCKDOWN SPIRITS

We might be stuck at home again but there’s plenty to keep us busy. From must- see TV and films, unmissable podcasts and page- turning books, to uplifting ideas for gardening, cookery, DIY and keep- fit, over the next three pages our experts show how to m

WE MAY be confined to our sofas once more but we can still live vicariously through our TVs.

And what worlds are opening up before us, including lavish costume dramas aplenty. Bridgerton, on Netflix, has already set tongues wagging for its racy romp through the Regency era, while The Queen’s Gambit, also on Netflix, has been captivating audiences with its retelling of Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel about a young female chess prodigy’s rise to the top.

Over on Channel 4, The Great is proving to be the first big television obsession of 2021. Loosely based on the court of Russian empress Catherine The Great, played by Elle Fanning, pictured, the satirical drama has wit, nudity and madcap stories. Nicholas Hoult plays Fanning’s aristocratic husband. Fans of The Favourite will love it.

For another kind of period drama, delve into the murky goings- on of French serial murderer Charles Sobhraj and his accomplice Marie- Andrée Leclerc, played by Jenna Coleman, who killed backpackers on the hippie trail in the mid- 1970s, as told in the stylish BBC adaptation, The Serpent.

The first two episodes have aired but the whole series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. While productions may have been halted or delayed by the pandemic, catch- up TV offers the perfect opportunity to rewatch old favourites or discover those shows you have always planned to watch.

Alongside critically- acclaimed dramas Peaky Blinders, His Dark Materials and sci- fi thriller DEVS, iPlayer has a number of soothing nature documentaries narrated by

David Attenborough to restore frayed nerves. Over on ITV, Keeley Hawes stars in Finding Alice as a griefstricken wife unearthing hidden secrets on discovering her husband was deep in debt. Written by Simon Nye, of The Durrells fame, the drama also stars Joanna Lumley and Nigel Havers as her infuriating parents.

Next week sees the start of The Pembrokeshire Murders, about the cold- case pursuit of serial killer John Cooper who was caught years after his crimes. Russel T Davies’ latest project, It’s A Sin, will take viewers on a hedonistic ride through 1980s gay London with four friends in search of fun and acceptance while attempting to navigate the burgeoning AIDS crisis.

And while there are now a bewildering array of choices when it comes to streaming channels – Apple+ and Disney+ are the latest names to join Now TV and Amazon Prime – a safe bet for feel- good entertainment is Britbox. The BBC- ITV digital subscription service has expanded to include Channel 4 and 5 offerings.

Its catalogue includes comedies Only Fools and Horses, Dad’s Army, Porridge, The Office, and Gavin and Stacey.

For period drama, try Belgravia and Sanditon while the library of crime drama and thrillers includes Des, Vera, Cracker, Poirot and Life on Mars.