The Chronicle

A passport to a much safer future

Sky Atlantic, 9pm BBC1, 9pm

- Steve Whitley, Newcastle

I CANNOT understand the current kerfuffle about so-called “vaccine passports.”

When I used to travel abroad, I had to carry with me certificat­es showing I had had various vaccinatio­ns (e.g. smallpox and yellow fever).

At home, we carry driving licences to show we have passed a skills test to be allowed to drive alone on public roads.

Proof of age is required in pubs and off-licences if a younglooki­ng person wants to buy alcohol and you are not allowed to work in certain jobs unless you have documentar­y proof of the necessary qualificat­ions.

If you do not hold these documents, your choices are limited – and rightly so. Nobody is going to force you to be vaccinated but we must surely have the right to say: “If you want to be with people who are at risk of death if they succumb to Covid-19, you must lower that risk by being vaccinated and showing proof of vaccinatio­n.”

Bryan Cranston makes his return to television in his first leading role in a series since Breaking Bad.

This complex legal thriller sees him play respected New Orleans judge Michael Desiato, who is thrown into a moral dilemma when his son is involved in a hit and run incident.

What follows is a highly stressful run of events that ultimately leads to Desiato hoping to keep his son safe from the law – even though he should really do the honourable thing.

Actor David Harewood, pictured below, faces some uncomforta­ble truths in this shocking documentar­y. Having had a psychotic breakdown in his 20s, the 55-year-old already knows this was more likely to affect black patients. “Now with Coronaviru­s, the colour of my skin seems to be putting me at risk again,” he says.

Figures show that Indian people are twice as likely to die from Covid than white people, and black people three times as likely. David meets doctors and scientists as he examines the theory that vitamin D deficiency may play a role and acknowledg­es heightened risks for frontline workers.

And as he explores how deprivatio­n is bad for your health, a bleak picture emerges.

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 ??  ?? MORAL DILEMMA: Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato
MORAL DILEMMA: Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato

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