THE HOT LIST
BEST OF TV AND STREAMING
GOING WILD
WILDERNESS WITH SIMON REEVE BBC Two, Sunday, January 21, 9pm
■ THE wanderer returns. It’s been a while since Simon Reeve took us on one of his insightful journeys full of journalistic curiosity but it’s been worth the wait as he visits some of the most remote places on Earth in search of great wildernesses. First of all he takes a trip across the Congo, through dense forest and swampland as he looks for the people and animals who call the rainforest their home. In subsequent programmes in this four-part series, Reeve travels to the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle, The Kalahari Desert and Patagonia.
SEASONAL DELIGHTS
WINTERWATCH BBC Two, 8pm, all week
■ CHRIS Packham, Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke and Iolo Williams are back all this week in their seasonal survey of British flora and fauna. Chris, Michaela and Iolo are at RSPB Arne in Dorset once more to see how the reserve is looking in January, with live cameras set up to capture badger, fox and, hopefully, white-tailed eagle action. Iolo also heads to Brownsea Island to look for winter waders while Gillian discovers the wildlife of the isles of Orkney. With extra content on the BBC website, iPlayer and social media, it all adds up to a feast of winter wildlife to chase away the January blues.
ROBOT WARS
THE CREATOR, DISNEY+, streaming now
■ BRITISH director Gareth Edwards veers away from the big franchises (Godzilla, Star Wars: Rogue One) for this original sci-fi about the perils of AI. Set in a future where a war between mankind and artificial intelligence means Los Angeles has been levelled by nuclear weapons, John David Washington’s Joshua is a former special operations soldier who is tasked with finding an elusive figure, The Creator, who is responsible for the advanced AI and has come up with a mysterious weapon which could end the war by destroying humanity. Still grieving after the disappearance of his wife, Joshua must deal with personal issues while the fate of mankind also rests on him. Impressive, high-end sci-fi.
DODGY CHARACTER
THE ARTFUL DODGER Disney+, streaming now
■ WHATEVER happened to the young pickpocket, one of Charles Dickens’ most memorable characters? This eight-part series looks at what Fagin’s young charge did after Oliver Twist and we find him in 1850s Australia as Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) a former navy surgeon who now entertains crowds with gruesome amputations – as well as having a sideline in dodgy dealings. The local army commander recognises a man unable to leave his dubious past behind him and as he’s closing in on him so is Dodger’s old boss, Fagin, played with leering glee by David Thewlis.
KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
THE KITCHEN Netflix, streaming from Friday, January 19
■ ANOTHER slice of dystopian sci-fi, this time set in a future London where the gulf between rich and poor is wider than ever and all social housing has been eliminated. All, that is, except for The Kitchen where funeral service worker Izi (Kano) is desperately trying to find a way out while 12-year-old Benji (Jedaiah Benjamin) is trying to find his missing family. The two form an uneasy alliance as they search for what they want. With actor Daniel Kaluuya co-directing with Kibwe Tavares, this is a stylish film with a production design that echoes Blade Runner.