TV of the week
DON’T LET THEIR NAME PUT YOU OFF ARE THE STAR OF THE SHOW FOR THE NEXT MONTH
1 LA LA LAND Tonight, BBC1, 11.05pm
Aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) works as a barista between auditions, which repeatedly end in rejection. On a traffic-jammed Los Angeles freeway, she crosses paths with talented pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), who reveres jazz in its purest form. They meet again at a party in the Hollywood hills, where they share hopes for the future beneath the twinkling stars of the Californian night sky. But can they follow their dreams and keep their artistic integrity without sacrificing their relationship? La La Land is a visually sumptuous, swooning valentine to the golden age of Hollywood musicals.
2 SPOTLIGHT Tomorrow, BBC2, 11.40pm
In late-90s Massachusetts the Boston Globe’s investigations team, Spotlight, looks into barelyreported child abuse committed by a local priest. As the journalists, played by Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton (pictured together) and Rachel McAdams, start digging, they learn the case may be merely the tip of the iceberg in this fact-based drama.
3 A MONSTER CALLS Tuesday, BBC2, 11.15pm
Fantasy drama. Schoolboy Conor O’Malley (Lewis MacDougall, left) is in denial about his mother’s terminal illness and seeks refuge in his drawings. As darkness falls, a nearby yew tree morphs into a gnarled creature (voiced by Liam Neeson) which promises to share three parables, demanding one thing in return: “Tell me your nightmare.”
4 BRASSED OFF Wednesday, Film4, 11.20pm
Pete Postlethwaite plays Danny, the ailing leader of a South Yorkshire colliery brass band who is determined to compete in a prestigious music competition. He fails to understand why most of his musicians – including son Phil (Stephen Tompkinson pictured with Postlethwaite) – are more concerned with news the pit is closing.
5 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING Thursday, Film4, 3.10pm
John Huston’s adventure, based on the Rudyard Kipling story, chronicles the dealings of two former British soldiers (Sean Connery, left, and Michael Caine) in 19th-century India, who travel to an unexplored land. One of them fools the locals into believing he is a god, but his delusions of grandeur put him at loggerheads with his comrade-in-arms.
6 THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST Friday, BBC3, 9pm
Teenager Cameron Post (Chloe Grace Moretz, left) is discovered in a passionate embrace with a female friend, which forces her deeply religious guardian, her aunt Ruth (Kerry Butler), to pursue a radical course of action. Ruth sends Cameron away to a gay conversion centre, overseen by therapist Dr Lydia March (Jennifer Ehle).
7 GREASE Saturday, Channel 4, 4.20pm
This glorious musical follows 1950s teens Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), pictured, who meet at high school following a summer romance. The songs are catchy, Travolta and Newton-John make a very cute couple and the whole film has so much good-natured energy, it’s impossible not to be swept along.
– MAGNOLIAS
WHY do paint manufacturers describe their boring beige colour as magnolia? It’s puzzling because magnolias are associated with beautiful pinks, ranging from intense dark purple ones through to the palest blush, occasionally with a hint of lilac.
There are also wonderful species such as the evergreen magnolia with pure ivory white flowers as well as the yellow magnolias... but they are never beige and never boring.
You’ll gather I’m a fan of magnolias and I love this time of year when the opulent flowers emerge from silvery furry buds. Their loveliness is enhanced by the lack of leaves so there’s nothing to distract or cover their magnificence.
Whether towering tall on a grand estate or sitting comfortably in a front suburban garden, the magnolia has a unique, special beauty.
They are a diverse family ranging from evergreen to deciduous, and small to large.
While many prefer neutral to acidic soil, there are quite a few that don’t mind alkaline, such as the very popular star magnolia, M. stellata.
This is a gorgeous shrub-sized magnolia with white long-petalled, star-shaped flowers and will fit in all but the smallest gardens.
The lilac magnolia, Magnolia ‘Leonard Messel’, is also suitable for average soils and is a personal favourite of mine. It has lilac-pink star-shaped flowers and even juvenile trees of this variety will put on a good display in their early years.
Magnolia flowers can be damaged by frost, particularly those that flower very early in the season. A sheltered spot is best, with plenty of sunshine.
When planting, enrich the soil with plenty of organic matter as this will help retain moisture.
In a very dry summer, keep an eye on magnolias as this is when they are forming buds for the following year and if these shrivel up, you’ll have a poor display the next spring. Water if necessary.
You’ll spot flowering magnolias if you go for a walk in your neighbourhood during the next month or so – the one you see absolutely everywhere is Magnolia soulangeana, which has very large tulip-shaped pink flowers that taper to white at the top.
If you’d like to explore their diversity in greater depth, visit one of the national collections of magnolias, which are held in Caerhays, Cornwall; Wentworth Castle in Yorkshire; Bodnant Gardens in Conwy and Windsor Great Park, Berkshire.