Dan’s the man to talk about men

DANNY DYER: HOW TO BE A MAN

Opinions divide over Ripley (Netflix). Some love the ‘film noir’ palette, others think it’s pretentious. Some love the casting, others feel nostalgic for Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 movie version of the Patricia Highsmith novel. I’ve enjoyed it – however, the cast are more ‘wastrel midlifers’ than ‘gilded youths’; not quite as sexy! But Andrew Scott, formerly Fleabag’s ‘Hot Priest’, is mesmerising as Hot Sociopath Tom Ripley.

CHANNEL 4

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Danny Dyer’s sufficiently in touch with his own masculinity to take all the, er, balls and run with them in this two-part documentary about socalled ‘toxic masculinity’. And while no sentence was devoid of the F-word, the unalloyed ‘Diamond Geezer’ (descendant of Henry VIII’S adviser Thomas Cromwell and friend of the late playwright Harold Pinter) is decent, grounded and softer round his middle-aged edges now he’s a grandad. Meanwhile, his earnest blokey-ness is punctured by daughter Dani (left, with her dad): ‘You love a cuddle, you love a chat… and crying at Miley Cyrus films, we won’t go into that!’

Attempting to understand the problems faced by men who don’t have a blueprint for successful 21st-century masculinity,

Dyer meets a confused (and misogynistic) young social media star. He also visits a refuge for men suffering from domestic abuse and a Jungian men’s retreat (replete with yoga and beards). However, his conversation with a father whose ex murdered their son is a very tough watch.

Throughout, interesting issues are raised (and stats proffered), but the ‘authored documentary’ style – and the title – are potentially misleading. Though his sincerity isn’t in doubt, Dyer the actor does seem to be working from a script.