MISSED THESE? THEY’RE WELL WORTH A LOOK
The Wrong Mans iPLAYER
James Corden starred in and wrote this silly thriller with Mathew Baynton from Horrible Histories. It sent up action movies from Hitchcock classics to Bond-style blockbusters, complete with exploding cars and rooftop chases. No one’s attempted anything so dramatic. Two series
Inside No 9 iPLAYER
The sheer inventiveness of writers and stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, formerly of the League Of Gentlemen (you’ll find that on Netflix and BritBox), is bewildering. Another season of these macabre stories, all set in places with the No 9, has just ended and still they haven’t failed to provide a lethal twist. Five series
Fleabag iPLAYER
A few years ago she was an aspiring writer, best known for a bit part in Broadchurch. But it was this TV version of her one-woman theatre show that established Phoebe Waller-Bridge as a major talent. She plays a grieving woman, known only as Fleabag, with a self-destructive love life and a poisonous family. Two series
What We Do In The Shadows iPLAYER Detectorists iPLAYER
Perfect for self-isolation. It’s a hymn to the loveliness of the English countryside: if you can’t get outdoors, you might as well remember what it looks like. And then, this slowly unfolding story of two awkward friends, Andy and Lance, who share a passion for metal-detecting (Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones) needs plenty of time to be appreciated. Three series
The Thick Of It iPLAYER
Armando Iannucci dreamed up this satire on New Labour’s spin machine, never imagining Brexit would make it seem relatively sane. Ministers go to pieces on live TV, enemies swap sides, civil servants drop their pretence of impartiality and Westminster seems determined to squabble itself to death. Four series
Murder In Successville iPLAYER
Fans of film noir will adore this. Tom Davis plays a down-at-heel police detective, condemned to train up one rookie after another in a town populated entirely by celebrities. Gordon Ramsay is the police chief. Murder suspects range from Lady Gaga to Mary Berry. It’s a deranged idea, and the best episodes are the ones where the rookie (always a minor celeb) breaks down in giggles . . . or tears. Three series