The Herald - The Herald Magazine
BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND
Lorena (Amazon Prime Video, from Thu)
In 1993 John and Lorena Bobbitt hit the headlines after she cut off his penis and threw it into a field. It was eventually found a reattached, while she was arrested and stated, in her defence, that she’d been driven to carry out the assault by years of physical and emotional abuse. This four-part documentary returns to the case, telling the story through the lens of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Dirty John (Netflix, from Thursday)
Within six weeks of its release, the Dirty John podcast had been downloaded more than 10 million times. It told the incredible story of John Meehan and his relationship with successful interior designer Debra Newell. Meehan posed as an anaesthetist while worming his way into Newell’s life; two months later he convinced her to marry him. However, her daughters Veronica and Terra began to grow suspicious of Meehan and his motives. Now the podcast has been turned into a four-part drama, with Eric Bana and Connie Britton in the lead roles, with support from Juno Temple and Julia Garner as Newell’s daughters. The series went down well when it aired in the US last year and a second series is in production.
Dr Chris and Dr Xand Investigate (BBC iPlayer, from Sunday)
Doctors Chris and Xand Van Tulleken are rarely off our screens these days. Their
most recent series, The Twinstitute, was aired on BBC2 and tested a range of ideas on sets of identical twins like themselves. Now they’re back with a three-part series in which they discover the science behind various issues. Their first focus is on mental health; the brothers look at common triggers and discuss how to get help for yourself or others. Young people, including Jordan Stephens from Rizzle Kicks, share their experiences. It’s followed by a look at the dangers of consuming too much alcohol, with a colourful demonstration from an inebriated Dr Xand, before the run ends with life itself. They receive help from their Operation Ouch co-star Dr Ronx.
The Nine to Five with Stacey Dooley (BBC iPlayer, from Sunday)
Stacey Dooley was introduced to a much wider audience late last year when she took part in – and eventually won – Strictly Come Dancing. But she’s on more familiar ground with this documentary series in which she takes a group of 16- to 18-year-olds into different industries for the ultimate work experience. Each programme follows their progress as they not only venture into full-time jobs for the first time, but also try to use their wages to cover food and accommodation. There are five placements in total, starting at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London where they’re mentored by head chef Davide and front-of-house manager Roberto who give them hands-on experience with customers.