TODAY ’ S TV Love? It’s all in your DNA
Skipper Morgan insists speed demon Archer is back from his arm injury and ready to motor in for England today
THE ONE
Netflix
BAD dates, emotional turmoil, arguments – imagine if science could match you with The One to save you the trouble?
That’s the brilliant premise behind this need-to-binge psychological thriller, based on the novel by John Marrs.
The eight-part drama is set in the near future, in a world when a DNA test can find your perfect partner.
As it opens, the chief executive of a booming DNA-based matchmaking service, Rebecca Webb, played by Hannah Ware, is giving a talk to incredulous fans.
She says: “A single strand of hair – all it takes to be matched with the one person you are genetically guaranteed to fall in love with. Your one true love. It works. I mean, it really works.”
She and partner Ethan, played by Wilf Scolding, then kiss, hold hands and gaze at each other, living, nauseating proof that it all works.
Except that of course, not everything can possibly be as wonderful as it seems.
With curious couples taking DNA tests, marriages are breaking down and a backlash is beginning.
Add to that sinister undertones throughout, especially when a body is pulled out of the Thames.
Zoe Tapper plays Kate, a Detective Inspector who investigates the case, while Stephen Campbell Moore is Damian, a manipulative investor.
The drama also stars Dimitri Leonidas as James, co-founder of the matchmaking company, and Amir El-Masry as James and Rebecca’s best mate Ben.
With everything from crime mystery to relationship drama and a twisting, slightly futuristic plot, this is one to fall in love with.
EOIN MORGAN sends Jofra Archer into the Twenty20 series against India with power to his elbow, warning: “He’s always a threat.”
Archer missed England’s last ordeal by spin in the 3-1 Test series defeat after experiencing pain in his right elbow.
But the problem is not related to the stress fracture which troubled the paceman last year and limitedovers captain Morgan is convinced he knows how to fire up his World Cup winner.
Archer will always command a special place in the nation’s hearts for his heroic super-over in the 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand.
But he was annoyed by former England skipper Michael Vaughan (above) questioning his commitment to Test cricket and Archer’s frosty reply was: “He doesn’t know what makes me tick. He doesn’t know what’s driving me.”
Morgan has no such worries and he welcomed news of 95mph Archer (right) being declared fit for today’s T20 international opener in Ahmedabad, saying: “Jofra is a huge asset.
“He is a guy who can bowl in three parts of the game and be threatening whenever he comes on because of his express pace.
“Do I find him easy to manage?
Yes - he has always been engaging, he loves enjoying what he does, playing X-box, playing cricket in front of big crowds, and he’s a huge family man.
“The more I’ve got to know Jofra, the better our relationship has become, and I’ve grown to enjoy his company away from the game.
“If you look at his IPL performances as a whole, they would suggest he will have a significant role to play at the World Cup.
“I also know Jofra’s ambition has always been to play Test cricket for as long as he can.” Archer, 25, has been a proven matchwinner for Rajasthan Royals, his franchise in the T20 Indian Premier League since 2018. He could be among the England players with a clash of dates in their diaries in June, when the home Test series with New Zealand overlaps with the closing stages of the tournament. Morgan believes the IPL contributes massively to the improvement of players’ T20 skills, saying: “I think it’s huge in terms of the development process they go through, rubbing shoulders with the best in the world and being exposed to the pressures of being an overseas player at the biggest franchise tournament.
“The value of being there, given the year of a World T20, is brilliant, particularly with it being held in India.”
Morgan (above) and his opposite number Virat Kohli traded compliments about each other’s team being favourites for the World T20 in October.
If England’s ranking as world No.1 over the short course and India’s home advantage are the key factors, teeing off five times in nine days could be rehearsals for the main event this autumn.