Box set Binge

Catch up with 2019’s best TV Stranger Things

Netflix The retro sci-fi/horror hit has become one of the biggest shows on the box, and the third series dropped on Netflix earlier this year. Set in the 1980s, Stranger Things follows the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Indiana, as they investigate mysterious, supernatural goings-on, and grapple with the consequences. The latest series sees the young stars of the show “entering a whole new Upside Down: adolescence”. Maya Hawke – daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke – joined a talented cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.

The Crown

Netflix

Clare Foy stepped down for the third series as an older actor was needed to play an ageing Queen. Not to worry though as she was replaced by Academy Award winning star Olivia Colman. As the 1960s and ‘70s unfold, the royal family contended with conflict and betrayal while striving to uphold tradition in the face of an evolving world. Helena Bonham Carter also joined the cast, taking over from Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret.

Guilt

iplayer

A four-part gem from BBC Scotland. A contemporary thriller with a strong vein of black humour, Guilt tells the story of two distant brothers, record shop owner Jake (Jamie Sives) and successful lawyer Max (Mark Bonnar), who accidentally kill an old man with their car on their way home from a wedding. With no witnesses and both of them over the limit, they decide to cover up their role in the death.

Succession

Sky Atlantic

Part slick drama, part cringeworthy humour, Succession tells the story of a family at war with itself. The second series of Succession arrived in 2019 and it is a divine comedy of absolute power and dysfunction – brought to vivid life by a ferocious ensemble. It includes Scottish actor Brian Cox as the head of the Roy family – and a conglomerate he is reluctant to relinquish.