Watch
LIMITLESS
(Netflix)
In the UK, there are few things more routine than going for a run. But that’s not the case in India, where only 12% of marathon participants are women and running is still frowned upon and, in many instances, unsafe. Limitless was created to portray the real-life stories of eight Indian women for whom running has been a lifeline. There’s nothing like seeing people who risk everything to run to make you want to lace up your trainers for a few laps of the park. In fact, turn to page 59 for our four-week running plan.
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
(Amazon)
Unexpected, bizarre and utterly joyful, Little Miss Sunshine – telling the story of sevenyear-old Olive who’s desperate to compete in a child beauty pageant – is worth extracting from the archives. Together with her suicidal uncle and her grandfather, who’s been booted out of his care home for drug use, Olive and her parents take a road trip to get to the pageant. The moment when her dad tells her she shouldn’t eat ice cream if she wants to win a beauty pageant is such an honest portrayal of the moment a girl realises that maybe she shouldn’t be quite so body confident. (You’ll cheer when Olive tucks in, regardless.)
SHRILL
(BBC iplayer)
This taboo-smashing comedy has won legions of fans for its portrayal of journalist and author Lindy West. Annie (based on West) is played by Aidy Bryant, navigating dating, friendship and diet culture. You’ll love Annie’s resilience in dealing with bad boyfriends and bosses (when she pitches a story about body inclusivity, her boss replies: ‘The last thing we need is everyone feeling comfortable in their own skin. That would be the 70s’). But Annie gets the last laugh.
SEX EDUCATION
(Netflix)
Back for a third series imminently, it’s every teenager’s worst nightmare: a mum who not only works as a sex therapist, but insists on having wince-inducing conversations about sexual health with you. If you don’t already know, that’s the premise for Sex Education, the filthy, funny Netflix show about the magic and cringe-worthy mishaps of adolescent relationships. It delivered, and then some. Since it started, the show has tackled topics like sexual harassment, homophobia and addiction with sensitivity and emotional depth, while delivering a new fantasy BFF in the form of Maeve Wiley.