The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
LOVES AND LAUGHS
TOP PICK It’s a Sin - Friday, Channel 4, 9pm
The great Russell T. Davies returns with this 1980s-set drama about a group of friends dealing with the AIDS epidemic. It begins optimistically, with these young men discovering a sense of community. But we know what’s just around the corner. It’s a Sin contains all of Davies’s hallmarks. It’s full of energy, wit, warmth and a keen eye for detail. His dialogue sings, his characters are textured. The way he handles human tragedy is compassionate but never sentimental. It’s frank, stark; pulls no punches. It’s also funny. He just can’t help being funny. Ever since Queer as Folk over two decades years ago, he’s been telling vital stories about gay people.
This is a fine addition to his life’s work.
Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema Monday, BBC Four, 9pm
Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout pop movies! Well, Kermode is anyway, as his enlightening series of essays continues. This genre combines his twin passions, so no wonder it’s one of his favourites. He begins with Bessie Smith in 1929 and ends with Beyoncé in 2020, taking in notable biopics, pop star vehicles, jukebox musicals and rockumentaries. Kermode fans are unlikely to be surprised by his choices (he once described the surprisingly gritty Slade in Flame as “the Citizen Kane of British pop movies”) but that doesn’t matter.
It’s a pleasure listening to him wax lyrical about cult classics such as Jimmy Cliff ’s trailblazing reggae drama, The Harder They Come, and The Monkees’ psychedelic masterpiece, Head.
Long Lost Family Monday, ITV, 9pm
If you’ve seen this show before, you’ll know how sensitive it is. The latest series begins with an Irish couple desperate to find out what happened to their firstborn child. Phyllis and Kevin fell in love as teenagers. When she became pregnant, they knew it would cause a scandal within their strict Catholic community. They tried to run away, but were eventually forced to give their baby up for adoption. Ever since they have wanted him to know that he was loved.
Meanwhile, we meet a Scottish man who was, for complicated reasons, given away by his mother at an early age.
He was taken in informally by a family, leaving no paper trail. Prepare to shed a tear or two.
Silenced: The Hidden Story of Disabled Britain - Tuesday BBC 2, 9pm
In 2009, Cbeebies presenter Cerrie Bernell attracted criticism from “concerned” parents who claimed that her right arm, which ends just below the elbow, was frightening their children. Most people were appalled by such a blatant display of prejudice, but as Bernell illustrates in this thoughtful documentary, these attitudes have been ingrained within society for aeons. Her history lesson exposes a litany of blinkered assumptions, many of them made by wellmeaning progressives who intensified the notion that people with disabilities can’t function within able-bodied society. An often shocking saga, but Bernell provides some hope. We can challenge fear and prejudice by talking, listening and learning.
First Dates - Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
Lovers of the world unite, French Fred is back. I was suspicious of this amorous warhorse when it first appeared in 2013. A contrived, voyeuristic blind-dating show? That’s bound to be quite nasty and embarrassing. But it’s not. Granted, the first episode of this latest series features a pair of young Tories who are objectively awful, but for the most part it’s a generous show that doesn’t beg us to sneer at people (sneering at Tories doesn’t count, they deserve it; fight the power, First Dates).
Bittersweet service resumes with a charismatic former roadie, a Lithuanian woman and two men who have already slept with each other. Not all at the same time, of course! Sigh. Anyway, enjoy.
The Truth About Improving Your Mental Health - Wednesday, BBC1, 9pm
According to research, around two thirds of all mental health cases in Britain go untreated. This valuable report highlights some signs we should look out for, in ourselves and those around us. Former footballer Alex Scott, who has struggled with depression, teams up with clinical psychologist Tanya Byron to find out how the latest science can help us deal with commonplace mental health issues. They ask if over-the-counter probiotic supplements can help improve our mood, and examine the ways in which electrical brain stimulation can treat insomnia.
They also explain how listening to a podcast while we exercise could help to deal with depression and anxiety.
Back - Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm
Series one of this Mitchell and Webb sitcom was broadcast in 2017. Like their previous sitcom, Peep Show, it was enjoyed by the relatively small number of people who bothered to tune in. I was one of those happy few, so I welcome its belated return. A farcical black comedy, it stars Mitchell as Stephen, a – what else? – stuffy neurotic whose life in rural Gloucestershire is sent into freefall when Andrew (Webb), a suspiciously benign stranger, turns up claiming to be his long-lost foster brother. The family welcome Andrew with open arms, but Stephen regards him as a scheming sociopath intent on stealing his soul. Written by Simon Blackwell (Peep Show; The Thick of It), it is catnip for M&W fans.