SIZE MATTERS
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA Disney+, streaming now
■ MARVEL Studios kicked off phase five of its cinematic universe with this kaleidoscopic, mind-bending film in the microscopic world of the Quantum Realm which, though small, has big consequences for the ‘real world’. Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and his superhero family are pulled into the mysterious Quantum Realm when an experiment by his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) goes wrong. There they find a threat to the multiverse in the shape of multidimensional bad guy Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) who for the moment is trapped in this parallel world – but can they keep him there? Over-the-top fun with some spectacular set-pieces.
REAL-LIFE CRIME STEELTOWN MURDERS BBC iPlayer, all episodes available now
■ THIS four-part drama is based on the reallife Llandarcy murders in Port Talbot, South Wales and looks at the protracted hunt to catch the killer. Set in 1973 when the murders occur and 2002 when technological advances mean that DNA analysis could help bring the murderer of three young women to justice, the series cleverly contrasts the differing approaches and attitudes of the two timelines. Gareth John Bale Philip Glenister and Steffan Rhodri star in this gritty police procedural which also looks at the effect of the murders on the local community.
THE LAST QUEEN QUEEN CLEOPATRA Netflix, streaming now
■ THIS documentary series was controversial before it was even aired thanks to the casting of a black woman, Adele James, as its main character in the dramatised sequences between the historical analysis. But those objections aside, this four-parter looks at the reign of the Queen from the Ptolemic lineage from Macedonia, Greece, who ruled Egypt from 51BC to 30BC, the last autonomous monarch before it became a province of the Roman empire. Produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, it’s an absorbing portrait of one of history’s most compelling figures which tries to separate fact from fiction.
DINOSAURS GALORE PREHISTORIC PLANET AppleTV+, from Monday, May 22
■ IF you’re a dinosaur fan, you’re spoilt for choice with the amount of documentaries and films about them these days. However, not all are of the highest quality or have the kind of gravitas that Jon Favreau’s Prehistoric Planet achieves thanks to impressive CGI, the authoritative tones of Sir David Attenbrough on narrating duties and the swelling drama of Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack. This new five-part series unfolds on consecutive nights as five new habitats are explored from active volcanoes in India to the marshes of Madagascar and the deep ocean off North America. Expect some jaw-dropping moments as we get to know these incredible prehistoric beasts.
TROUBLED TIMES ONCE UPON A TIME IN NORTHERN IRELAND BBC
Two, Monday, May 22, 9pm
■ THIS powerful five-part documentary series combines personal testimony with archive footage to look at how The Troubles affected individuals and communities in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s through to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Sharing stories from all sides of the conflict, it examines how the cycle of violence affected people’s everyday lives and how that bloody legacy continues to this day. The interviews include a son talking about his mother being kidnapped by the IRA, a Loyalist whose family history made him question his beliefs and a woman who planted firebombs.