THE HOT LIST
BEST OF TV AND STREAMING
DID 80S CALL THE TUNE? 80S: MUSIC’S GREATEST DECADE BBC Two, Saturday, October 23, 9pm
THE conventional wisdom is that the 60s and 70s were the decades that really shaped pop music but in this provocative documentary journalist Dylan Jones argues that not only are the 80s overlooked for their musical importance but are the most influential in terms of how things sound now. From New Romantics to rap, from indie to dance, Jones provides an in-depth analysis of great 80s music and looks at their legacy. He’s aided and abetted by Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson and Cookie Crew as well as some fantastic archive material.
STRANGE GOINGS-ON INVASION AppleTV+ from Friday, October 22
THIS 10-part sci-fi series looks at the invasion of Earth by aliens from the viewpoint of five ordinary and very different people from around the world. A slow-burner, Invasion starts with strange happenings like children with nosebleeds and swarms of locusts as we meet an astronaut, a retiring sheriff and an anxious mother who we see struggle to come to terms with what is happening around them. Sam Neill stars in this smart series which lets us get to know its characters before unleashing the sci-fi thrills.
COMING TO THE BOYLE FRANKIE BOYLE’S NEW WORLD ORDER BBC Two, Monday, October 25, 10pm
WHO better to make sense of these troubled, turbulent times than the man with a wit sharper than a cut-throat razor? The comedian’s withering assessment of modern life returns for a fifth series as he tries to make sense of the what’s going on around the globe by dissecting the news using stand-up, review, discussion and audience feedback. As ever with Frankie, don’t expect him to pull any punches as he puts the world to rights.
COUNTRYSIDE COMFORTS BBC Two, Tuesday, October 26, 8pm
AUTUMNWATCH
LIKE a warm hug on a chilly October night, Autumnwatch returns with more tales from the British countryside in a week of programmes. Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan are back at Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk to see how things have changed there since the spring and also to enjoy the Snettisham Spectacular, a big autumn event in the birdwatching calendar. Gillian Burke is in Northern Ireland to report on how moles store up worms to eat over winter while Megan McCubbin will be in the Isle of Mull seeking out red deer, eagles and otters. And don’t forget those mindful moments that have proved so popular.
MAEL-DOMINATED SOCIETY THE SPARKS BROTHERS Amazon/AppleTV
WITH his latest feature film Last Night In Soho due out next week, director Edgar Wright has been a busy man managing to also craft this entertaining documentary about Russell and Ron Mael, the brothers at the heart of cult rock band, Sparks. It’s a musical journey of five decades as Wright goes back to the 1960s with the brothers growing up in Los Angeles and dreaming of achieving stardom through school talent shows. Using archive footage, interviews and animation Wright brings the weird and wonderful world of the Maels to life and assesses their enduring appeal.
Darryl Webber