My Top 30 Shows Of The Decade! (2010-2019)

Now that we’ve ticked over into a decade that actually has a name it’s time to process a time that many have named a “golden age” in television. By the way, if you’re one of those people who actually think the twenties start in 2021 then stop reading this blog because you are clearly insane and need help. And a calendar. When we’re born we’re not suddenly aged one are we?! There’s a bit of time between! They’re called months!

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Sorry, where was I? Ah yes. Here is my personal list of my favourite shows of the last ten years. There’s no Fleabag because no matter how good it is there’s the inescapable feeling that it is overrated. There’s no Game of Thrones either. I saw the first episode and once you’ve seen Emelia Clarke naked it’s not going to get any better than that is it?

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This has been an intense work about a great passion of mine.. TV that is – not Emelia Clarke’s bum. That’s a blog for another time. Feel free to debate, disagree and even rave about the show’s in my list. It’s all a matter of opinion. There will never be a definitive list because art speaks to us in many different ways. These are the show’s that made my heart beat faster, made me laugh and made me cry. God bless television…

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30: What Remains (BBC1) 2013

David Threlfall couldn’t be further from Frank Gallagher here. As Detective Len Harper he finds himself on the other side of the law in this claustrophobic whodunnit. When the decomposed body of a woman is found in an apartment all of the houses residents are suspects. Intriguingly and thoughtfully paced, What Remains is an underrated work.

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29: Catastrophe (Channel 4) 2015-19

From a dysfunctional couple to an even more dysfunctional family, creators Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney put their namesakes through the mill with a mixture of highly developed intelligent comedy and plenty of potty mouthed goodness. A warts and all look into modern relationships.

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28: People Just Do Nothing (BBC3) 2014-18

The mockumentary on a mock pirate radio station kurupt FM. Consider yourself mocked with strange garage beats and the ridiculous adventures of a gang with the common sense of school children. Funnier that Craig David’s back catalogue, People Just Do Nothing has a unique flow and poetry to its comedy.

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27: Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience (BBC Wales) 2010-18

It’s official, Rhod Gilbert can make anything funny. In one of the episodes he works in a hotel and changes beds yet manages to weild more laughs than Basil Fawlty achieved before serving breakfast. He flies a plane, becomes a vet and even poses as a male model. However, what truly makes the show is Rhod’s gruff, cynical and quick-fire narration. His unrelenting one-liners prove he should stick with being a comedian.

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26: Doctor Foster (BBC1) 2015-17

Suranne Jones gives a powerhouse performance as a woman betrayed by the equally screen stealing Bertie Carvel. It’s a small town show with grand ideas, some of them absolutely barmy, but Mike Bartlett’s script pushes the intrigue and suspense to extreme levels. It’s a theatre play portrayed as a glossy small screen spectacle. Doctor Foster is about the complexities of adult relationships but with a heightened, melodramatic fizz.

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25: Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle (BBC2) 2009-2016

You know Stewart Lee, you’ve seen him. On the telly. His Comedy Vehicles are thirty minute, meandering diatribes and they are essential. Between his takes on “The UKIPS” and Chris Moyles, Lee berates himself and the audience in ever decreasing stages of madness. Iconic television that deserved more love.

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24: Broadchurch (ITV) 2013-17

It’s easy to forget the cultural impact of Broadchurch back in the first season. The nation was hooked on the mystery of Danny Latimer’s death but it was in the harrowing effect on the local community where writer Chris Chibnall really struck gold. David Tennant and Olivia Colman as Hardy and Miller, two cops thrown together, were the definition of chemistry.

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Yes, series two was a bit of a letdown but the change of direction in the last run got the show back within touching distance of greatness again with a difficult subject handled with class. Series one won’t just be a classic of the last ten years, it will forever be a classic nonstop.

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23: Taskmaster (Dave) 2015-

Put a bunch of comedians in a room and you’re bound to be entertained. Get them to do ridiculous tasks and put them in a room to talk about doing the ridiculous tasks and you have an instant comedy franchise. Greg Davies and Alex Horne monitor proceedings in the hope things get out of hand and they often do. For instance, that time Liza Tarbuck got Alex to sit on a cake with his naked bottom.

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22: Bang (S4C) 2017-

A multilingual crime drama based in Port Talbot, Bang was an intense thriller which was essentially about one single gun and the chain of effects it has. Dark, twisty and so beautifully shot the town itself was a main character. Stories are rarely told from these corners of Britain and the good news is there’s a second series starts in early 2020.

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21: Stranger Things (Netflix) 2016-

It was acceptable in the 2010s. Hmm, not quite so catchy is it? The Duffer brothers piled on the nostalgia and dayglow horror to provide Netflix with one of their biggest ever hits. While evil tree branchy type things are the focus of the show’s evil, Stranger Things is all the classic buddy movies brought to the small screen.

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Let’s face it, things with child actors are usually fucking awful but the show’s biggest success is how wonderful the main cast are. The third series saw an evolution and change of direction so hopes are high for the future of Stranger Things.

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20: Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish (Dave) 2013-17

Imagine Black Mirror if it was much more obscure and performed by a comedian. That’s the pitch. Dave Gorman is in the form of his life as he studies the intricacies of modern day living with his own unique perspectives. Be it online shopping, hassling Alan Sugar with billboards or furrowing the real depths of the internet – the comment sections. Cynical but warm, opinionated but friendly. Modern Life is Goodish was most excellentish.

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19: Cucumber (Channel 4) 2015

Russell T. Davies wrote a study on modern day homosexuality through they eyes of Henry (the excellent Vincent Franklin) a middle-aged man who has his life turned upside down after a party that involves a death. He flees his previously stable relationship to house share with a flat full of young strangers led by 19 year old Dean.

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In typical Davies style Cucumber is laced with innuendo and high energy plotting. It’s some of the bravest drama commited to television. It’s funny and heartbreaking and leaves you on a constant seesaw between the two. There is one particular scene that is so shocking it’ll effect you for days. You’ll know it when you see it.

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While being crude without ever being tasteless, Cucumber was always about the bigger message. By challenging society’s perceptions of gayness and all sexuality it stands the test of time. The last, subtle line uttered by Henry is quite the ending for this one and done series.

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18: Spotless (Netflix) 2015

Jean Bastiere’s life was perfect on the surface with his lovely family and big house but appearances are deceiving. His job could almost be a metaphor for he runs a business that cleans up after crime scenes. His world is turned upside down when his brother Martin visits with a freezer and a dead body inside. Like you do. What follows is a chain of events that spiral out of control, so much so they end up working for a mob by clearing up their dirty work.

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Spotless is dramatic, cinematic and full of bleak humour in the darkest of circumstances. It’s the compelling story of a good man taken way out of his comfort zone but it’s Denis Menochet who plays Martin’s scruffy womanising bad boy with glee that steals the show.

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As compelling as it was gory, a second series was on the cards but sadly it seems network wranglings have put paid to those hopes. We’ll have to keep Spotless as an eternal sunshine of our minds.

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17: Misfits (E4) 2009-2015

Not all superheroes wear capes – some wear boilersuits. Cruder than Superman in a brothel, more disgusting than Batman’s coke habit but funnier than Ardal O’ Hanlon in My Hero. Seriously.

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Five juvenile offenders team up to do community service but a freak thunderstorm gives them powers they don’t understand and the magical ability to kill all their probation officers. Clumsy.

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If Misfits had been American then it’d have been glossy and the superpowers would have been useful. Instead these delinquents botch their way through misadventures while trying to shag eachother.

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Misfits flows with energy and off-kilter weirdness. From the bizarre (sample line: “Fuck the Tortoise, Alex”) to the blasphemous (THAT nativity scene).

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While it didn’t quite adjust to an entirely new cast with as much comfort as a certain show that is higher on this list, Misfits was and will always be a riot.

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16: My Mad Fat Diary (E4) 2013-15

An eye-catching take on teenage life based on the real-life experiences and book of Rae Earl. It’s Sharon Rooney’s task to express Rae’s issues with body image, mental health and self-abuse and she does so with great dignity and humour. If this had been a movie and not tucked away on E4 then all the awards would have been falling at Rooney’s feet

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Set in the nineties, My Mad Fat Diary tells the story of her interegration into a group of school friends, one of whom is Chloe, played by the then up and coming Jodie Comer. You may have heard of her?

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Colourful, brash and highly inventive yet all that still ignores the kick ass nineties soundtrack. By using The Charlatans’ ‘One To Another’ as the theme song it was never going to do wrong was it?

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15: Sherlock (BBC1) 2010-17

These Sherlock Holmes adventures set in present day London were full of writer’s Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ usual sense of wonder and wilful deception. Everything clicked from the first minute and in Benedict Cumberbatch a rising star shone brightly.

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The feature length episodes flew by with the help of brilliant dialogue and eye-catching cinematography, a lot of which has been copied to death since. Sherlock was fun and over the top but it’s extremity was what made it a trendsetter. Incredibly crafted plotlines took unexpected tangients and series 4, which many hated, was all the madness spilling over. Did it jump the shark by the end? Yes. Was it still highly watchable crime drama with twists galore? Absolutely.

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14: Uncle (BBC3) 2014-17

Nick Helm plays the dishevelled Andy who is forced to be young Errol’s (Elliot Speller-Gillott) uncle in nature more than just in name and a beautiful if strange friendship results. So far, so very twee you’re thinking? Except it’s done under the influence of alcohol and drug addiction while bursting into inappropriate songs. Dylan Moran even appears as a wizard. Potty mouthed but full of emotional resonance, Uncle was a family pack of laughter.

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13: Black Mirror (Channel 4 & Netflix) 2011-

Black Mirror’s first ever episode involved the Prime Minister fucking a pig and that’s one of the more normal plots that bears resembence to our times. Charlie Brooker’s anthology series on mankind’s relationship with technology might have dystopian overtones but sometimes the stories reflect the news in the months that follow transmission.

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Dark, twisted, satirical, frightening and sometimes, just sometimes funny. A constant parade of strong casts and intriguing plots mean Black Mirror continues to be worryingly relevant and episodes such as ‘San Junipero’ and ‘Hang The DJ’ prove it’s not all doom and gloom.

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12: Luther (BBC1) 2010-2019?

Idris Elba is commanding as detective John Luther. Sure, his personal life is complex but it gets a lot weirder when he runs into Alice Morgan (played with a devilish viguer by Ruth Wilson). Alice is a murderer our antagonist can’t lock up. Against all odds they form a crime fighting partnership which surprisingly doesn’t follow rules.

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In short, Luther is a mad show. A crime drama that’s permanently heightened and that’s where the fun lies. Writer Neil Cross revels in the world of this alternative London with a dark hearted crime drama that’s both thrilling and extremely gory. It’s a near perfect balance of murder mystery and action. You’re either not into Luther or you’re along for the whole ride. Just don’t get the night bus, eh?

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11: Happy Valley (BBC1) 2014-

Writer and creator Sally Wainwright had a prolific decade of not just hit television, but top quality television at that. Last Tango In Halifax, Scott & Bailey and Gentlemen Jack add to what was an already impressive CV but arguably the high-water mark is Happy Valley.

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Sarah Lancashire is sensational as police sergeant Catherine Caewood, a woman struggling with her daughter’s suicide and living with her alcoholic sister. Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton who is clearly enjoying going dark side. Tommy has recently been released from prison. The thing is, he raped Catherine’s daughter and was ultimately responsible for for her death, not that he got locked up for that. His new found freedom causes fractures in catherines personal and work life.

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Gritty is a word that could sum up Happy Valley as the backdrop for all this is a small working class town riddled with poverty and addiction. These are themes that run through the show.

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The dialogue is so masterfully constructed and real to life and an impressive cast brings life to this little world with big problems. Wainwright has such a natural ability to make characters real and not just half-arsed sketches.

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Despite such a huge chasm of time since the last series there is a third in the works but it’s likely we’ll have to wait at least a couple more years. The pace of life in the country is slower to be fair.

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10: Inside No.9 (BBC2) 2014-

From the, let’s say perverse, minds that gave us The League Of Gentlemen and Psychoville came a horror anthology as shocking as it was surprising. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton dreamt up the surreal, the creepy, the mad and everything else on the bonkers spectrum.

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By it’s very nature there will be episodes that disappoint, it’s range of tone and subjects won’t translate to everyone at all times, but if you don’t take to one episode it’s likely you’ll fall in love with the next. When it excels it’s one of the best things committed to telly. The variation and depth of material is to be respected.

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The silent episode ‘A Quiet Night In’ was the first hint that we had something special but the tone always shifts. Take ‘The 12 Days of Christine’ which is genuinely heartbreaking. Or Zanzibar which is a hotel based farce spoken entirely in spoof Shakespearian. In ‘Diddle Diddle Dumpling’ a man becomes obsessed with a stray shoe. There’s plenty more where that came from.

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2018’s live Halloween special could have been the moment Inside No.9 ate itself but they mastered every detail to perfection and so high was the concept they got viewers switching off in droves. That’s art that is.

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The new decade will usher in the fifth series and as usual we have no idea what to expect other the the number nine being involved. Who knows, maybe even that’s not a guarantee.

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9: Detectorists (BBC4) 2014-17

In a decade where cynicism grew exponentially, MacKenzie Crook offered an obscure form of light relief. Tucked away on BBC4 and offering a comforting hug to those who discovered it in the ditches of the TV schedules, Detectorists was never really about metal detecting – it was about friendship. Hapless though Lance and Andy were the important thing is they were nice. That’s it. It’s not very fashionable is it? We willed them to be better with women. We hoped they would find their pot of gold.

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Through stunning shots of the English countryside Detectorists brought a warm glow even if the weather conditions were drizzly. Lance and Andy nattering about nonsense was the heart of the show of course but no show is complete without a nemesis and in the ridiculous form of the ‘Antiquisearchers’ (or Simon & Garfunkel to be more precise) they definitely didn’t meet their match. So much comic gold was mined when the pairs squared up against each other.

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Let’s also not forget the oddball characters that made up the Danebury Metal Detecting Club and their awkward, mostly pointless meetings. It all added to a small world with a big heart. This should go down as an all-time classic comedy, one that gave our flawed antiheroes the ending they deserved.

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8: Community (NBC & Yahoo Screen) 2009-2015

Meet Jeff Winger, a lawyer who finds himself at Greendale Community College after having his degree revoked. Jeff stands as the morale conscience of the show despite not having many morals. He meets dipsy Troy, geeky Abed, grouchy Pierce, bubbly Shirley, cutesy Annie and not so brittle Britta. They’re the seven dwarfs of pop culture references and meta comedy.

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What starts out as pretty standard fare soon blossoms into a programme full of creativity and fierce intelligence. Community starts descending, or rather ascending into a world of crazy parodies and obscure ideas with the crazy dial up at eleven. There’s the spectacular episode where we visit many different timelines including Abed’s darkest. There’s the paintball episodes where Greendale keeps becoming a surreal shooting range. Then there’s the episode that is entirely animated. If these sound a bit too gimmicky then there’s the bottle episode where they’re in one room just looking for Annie’s pen.

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Creator and lead writer Dan Harmon (now in charge of Rick And Morty) was absent from the often ridiculed fourth series which the show itself later referred to as “the gas leak year”. We had six seasons in the end but will we ever get the movie?

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7: Mongrels (BBC3) 2010-11

RUSSELL HOWARD’S EYES! Yes this is a high placing and it’s fully deserved. Welcome to the back garden of a pub in the Isle of Dogs, this way madness lies. Maybe “welcome” isn’t the word because being called a cunt may not be considered de rigueur in polite society… and this isn’t polite society. Only posh fox Nelson could fall under that category for he’s a metro-sexual il Divo fan.

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The rest of the puppet reprobates that make up the cast are Vince the sweary fox, Kali the bad pun pigeon and Destiny the selfish dog but the less said about her the better (if only they’d followed up on the hint that she’d died at the end of series one) Lastly, and certainly not least there’s Marion the bin dwelling cat who is many furballs short of common sense.

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While clearly influenced by fast-paced American comedies, Mongrels revels in the shitness of Britain. It’s crude, lewd and even offensive if you’re of a certain disposition. No subjects are off limits and it proved more cutting than any satirical show out there. They managed to do this in stories about Marion getting stuck in a wheel and training Michael Jackson’s monkey to stop masturbating.

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It’s scattered with pop culture references, some of which have admittedly dated in the past ten years but many still stick. There’s also lots of brief appearances from celebrities willing to be ridiculed. Let’s face it, some are more known than others. Who’s Paul Ross?

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Then there are the songs, oh boy, those songs. Marion’s ode to his underage sweetheart Lollipop, Nelson’s tourist advertisement for Millwall (“No-one’s been stabbed here since Friday / Arson is on the decline”). The previously mentioned monkey singing of his desire to murder Justin Bieber. There are so many slices of inappropriate should have been hits.

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The attention to detail in both the puppetry and blink and you miss them visual jokes show a real creativity that’s gone into making of the show. The voice work is exceptional too with nods to Rufus Jones as Nelson and Dan Tetsell’s baffling transilvanian accent for Marion being the true stars of the show.

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Mongrels was cut short when in its prime as the best things often are, like Princess Diana and Fuse bars.

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6: Utopia (Channel 4) 2013-14

Meeting people you know online in real life isn’t as frowned upon as it once was but if Utopia is anything to go by, perhaps it should be. Foul mouthed Becky (Alexandra Roach), straight laced Ian (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and the paranoid Wilson Wilson (Adeel Akhtar) had been chatting together on a forum about ‘The Utopia Experiment’. This is a graphic novel which allegedly predicted the disasters of the previous century but it’s the unpublished follow up which everyone thinks will save the human race, that makes people lose their minds.

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This new strange alliance sets out to find the manuscript for good reasons but ‘The Network’ want it for bad and go on a killing spree. Neil Maskell is fascinating as the sullen Arby, the murderer who has his own catchphrase in “Where is Jessica Hyde?!” We, the viewer soon find her and she’s played with relish by Fiona O’ Shaughnessy.

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In keeping with the comic book theme, the palette in Utopia is visually striking with its bright, bold colours where yellow is the stand out. Look very closely and you’ll see how much it subtly filters into virtually every element of the show. It adds to the uniqueness of a thriller that would stand on its own anyway.

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The brilliant soundtrack supplied by Cristobal Tapia de Veer is another important factor. The electronic glitches and uneasy bleeps sit perfectly with the oddness of the world Dennis Kelly has created. Imagine The Chemical Brothers on antidepressants.

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Utopia is darkly comic and comically gruesome. While not the fastest moving of shows, the storytelling, humour and sense of farce are what give the urgency. Never a show to play it safe, so much so that the first episode of the second run was a genesis story featuring none of the main cast. From humble beginnings to eugenics and the dark forces behind it, this was a television masterclass and it’s influence on television dramas that followed is clear.

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Everyone on the screen is playing a blinder (that’s an in-joke for fans) but there are two stand out performances. Alexandra Roach embodies the opinionated and strong willed Becky with classic one liners and Adeel Akhtar’s nerdy, complex Wilson Wilson is so good they named him twice.

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If Utopia has one major flaw it’s that there was no resolution. The story hadn’t finished and that is an insult to the writer, cast and fans. Series two ended on a cliffhanger and then Channel 4 pulled the plug. The Network were evil commissioners all along. There was talk of a streaming site taking it on but nothing ever materialised. There is however an American remake in the offing but that must be greeted with cynicism. The original story wasn’t fully told, why start a new one? There wasn’t a show like this before and there hasn’t been one since. Utopia is small screen paradise – if paradise involves a lot of bad language and killing.

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5: Peaky Blinders (BBC1) 2013-

Back in 2013 the thought of Cillian Murphy playing a gangster would have seemed like we’d entered Abed’s dark timeline again. “Remember I’m an actor” he told writer Steven Knight when doubts were raised and what an actor he is. This slight, pretty man inhabited the demons of Tommy Shelby and made him walk tall into TV history.

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Peaky Blinders tells the story of a family between two wars. Brothers Tommy and Arthur are struggling to cope after returning as soldiers. Their PTSD manifests itself in different ways, Tommy is the brains of the operation and Arthur is the attack dog. The Shelby Company limited sets up an illegal bookies and they also start exporting booze and drugs. Needless to say they get caught up with all the wrong kinds of people. Or wronger kind of people.

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Peaky manages to be extremely violent and yet sumptuous to watch. It is crafted to near perfection to create a believable if grim world. Aesthetically no other show can compare as a period piece with this amazing interpretation of the times.

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Backed up by a stellar cast including Helen McCrory and Sophie Rundle and guests such as Sam Neil, Paddy Considine and some bloke called Tom Hardy, Peaky Blinders continues to deliver shocks and emotional gut punches. Should we care so much about a criminal gang? Of course not but the combination of Knight’s writing, the remarkable direction, loud as fuck soundtrack and perfect cast means we can loosen our morals a little.

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4: No Offence (Channel 4) 2015-18

Crime Dramas have been ten a penny the last ten years but creator Paul Abbott had his own take on the genre. Sure, there were elements of ‘Shameless’ in the DNA but this was like no show ever seen before. No Offence was chaotic, bizarre and hard hitting. It was fast moving and dialogue heavy, so much so it could almost be disorientating. Hilarious one liners and ludicrous situations mixed effortlessly with big issues such as the murders of girls with Downs Syndrome, child slavery and far right politics.

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With all that going on you need the performances to pay off so step forward Joanna Scanlan as Viv Deering. Viv is intense, playful, hard as nails and vulnerable. Most of all though she’s funny as hell. There’s so many wonderful quotes that there’s no point going into them all. If she’s not using breath spray on her privates she’s breaking the rules in her own style. Deering has to go down as one the TV greats.

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It’s not all about Viv though. No Offence is an ensemble piece and everyone has their moments. Elaine Cassidy as the intensely moral but wayward Dina gives the performance of her career. Alexandra Roach as the innocent but kick ass Joy is a revelation. Then there’s Paul Ritter having the time of his life as Miller, a man who revels in the moribundity of it all and takes everything that bit too far. He is outstanding and one of his greatest moments came when he shouted “I’VE GOT GOAT ON ME!” before licking it off his coat “No, it’s Curry” Oh, by the way, they blew up a goat with a bomb. Of course they did.

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Sadly this year Channel 4 announced that No Offence was not coming back and that is a dreadful loss. Television needs brave, visionary storytelling like this. One day it will be considered as a classic and when it is Viv will be raising a wry smile knowing she was right all along. As always.

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3: Car Share (BBC1) 2015-18

On paper Car Share had all the appeal of being stuck in traffic with Jack Whitehall as a your passenger. Frankly, the premise of two colleagues going to and from work is hardly something to get the pulse racing. In an age where comedies are fast paced, abruptly edited and over the top, Car Share proved there’s hilarity in the mundane and plenty of heart in the normal. While it defied genre norms it also set a benchmark by smashing iPlayer viewing records.
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If you’re looking for epic plot twists and convoluted storylines then you won’t find them on the not so mean streets of Bolton. If however you want to see someone accidentally drink some piss then this is for you. It’s the mix of slapstick and intelligently observed long-form conversation that gives Car Share a warm, comforting feel and that’s nothing to do with the urine.
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Charm is a word used way too often in TV circles but this has it in spades. Two opposites collide and the results are fun and often bizarre. John (Peter Kay) is a grumpy cynic worn down by years of middle management. Kayleigh (Sian Gibson) on the other hand is the bright, perky and sometimes irritating angel on his shoulder. John’s view out of the windscreen is a foggy grey mist whereas Kaleigh sees sunshine and rainbows through the same glass. The actor’s real-life friendship shows on the screen. Opposites attract as the wise prophet Paula Abdul once said.
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Speaking of pop music, let’s hear it for the show’s third main character – Forever FM. The local radio station it’s ok to listen to. It’s upbeat music and oddball adverts soundtrack the show’s feel good tone perfectly. While your ears digest the cheese your eyes are distracted by ridiculous road signs and billboards. Ugly city landscapes are turned into comedy art. The attention to detail isn’t just in the script. Just don’t mention that dirty back window.

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While Peter Kay is on top form, the undoubted star of the car is Sian Gibson. Her portrayal of quirky Kayleigh is totally endearing. No-one has delivered a line about an iceberg lettuce quite so beautifully.
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There are so many classic moments from John’s loudspeaker call to his boss to Kayleigh’s neighbour going dogging. The standout might just be Reece Shearsmith’s appearance as a smelly fishmonger with anger issues. His scenes are full of such joy and the three of them together is comedy gold. Who doesn’t need a whiffy rendition of ‘Here Comes The Hotstepper?’

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They almost messed things up by giving the second series just four episodes that culminated in an unhappy ending. Due to public demand they came back with two specials in order to prevent the politest riot ever. Curiously one was an unscripted special which basically amounted to a DVD extra. The finale made up for everything though with an ending that was happy but not overly saccharine.
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Car Share first aired in 2015 and if you feel weighed down by all the gloom of current affairs then why not treat yourself to a rewatch and transport yourself back to more innocent times. Yes, it’s been a really long decade indeed but thank God John and Kayleigh were there to make us smile.

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2: Line Of Duty (BBC1) 2012-

First put out in 2012 during what will potentially be our last ever summer of love, Line Of Duty was the antithesis of the countries mood. While everybody was preoccupied with the Olympics and being proud of our country AC-12 were rooting out bent coppers before it was fashionable.

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Comprised of Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) the anti-corrupton unit were hot on the tail of Tony Gates, a man they believed to be fiddling the figures. What seemed like a fantastic one series arc soon bleeds onto the new story of series two. Keeley Hawes took on the role of the hunted for one of the best moments of her career. From then on each new run catches you off guard and pulls your pants down. Everything, no matter how unconnected it seems, turns out to be part of a far bigger conspiracy.

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Jed Mercurio’s writing is so intricate and clever. Things don’t make the final draft for no reason. The sheer audacity to stick to the conspiracy whilst throwing in curveballs as bullets is the sign of a master at work. In Line of Duty he has created a vibrant, suspenseful thriller, the like of which has not been seen before. Far from being boring, thirty minute interrogation scenes are heart racing slabs of perfect melodrama. The beat to those interviews are almost hypnotic.

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Adrian Dunbar is in great form as Ted, a man so full of principles he might burst and let some secrets out. He’s authoritative, charming and has many a catchphrase to cause a chuckle in the most heated of moments. But every good man needs a nemesis and AC-12 has had its fair share so it’s worth mentioning that Lennie James, Keeley Hawes, Daniel Mays, Thandie Newton and Stephen Graham have all been worthy adversaries. All villains with shade and complexity. If they walked on stage at a panto they wouldn’t get booed. They’d be greeted by confusion. Mainly because five year olds won’t have watched Line of Duty. Craig Parkinson’s excellently sinister Dot would not only get booed but kicked out the theatre – by the children’s parents.

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2020 will see our favourite anti-corrupton unit (BOO TO AC-9!) return. Is Ted really dodgy? Will Arnott buy some more waistcoats? Just remember one thing – don’t trust anyone.

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1: Being Human (BBC3) 2009-2013

“So a werewolf, a ghost and a vampire decide to live like humans do. They get jobs, a house and a TV license. They make friends they will lie to, take lovers they will infect-in fact, the only part of humanity they successfully adopt is its ability to deceive and destroy”

A small scale domestic drama with a supernatural twist. It’s a simple houseshare premise but this time the inhabitants are a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf. The scope of creator Toby Whithouse’s vision meant BBC Three’s modest little show transcended it’s humble beginnings. The balance between mundane domesticity and ambitious science fiction is just part of what makes Being Human truly special. This isn’t grandiose Dracula style mythology nor is it tepid Twilight / Vampire Diaries nonsense.

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Initially set in Bristol with Mitchell (Aidan Turner) George (Russell Tovey) and Annie (Lenora Crichlow), series one could almost be classed as the innocent times. Innocent here translates as bloody killings, haunting your ex from the grave, being accused of fiddling with kids and a gruesome battle with an arch enemy. The masterstroke is that all these things happened between conversations about mouli graters and Marigolds. This balance continued perfectly throughout all five series. Switching between brooding intensity and full-on funny within seconds came naturally to a show that never played it safe. There were two mass murder sprees and a baby was blown up yet this doesn’t come close to describing the blood shed or services rendered as Mr. Snow might say. This deep mood is darkened further by composer Richard Well’s atmospheric original score.

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Being Human evolved further with a move to Barry Island and enforced cast changes that would’ve been a stake through the heart of most shows. In series four and five we were gifted with newcomer Damien Molony and his awkward bromance with Michael Socha’s Tom which, along with a move deeper into science fiction territory gave proceedings a new lease of life when it wasn’t thought to be needed. Kate Bracken’s Alex soon completed a new trio that weren’t given enough time together because the axe fell in 2013. While general consensus lies with the original trio being the best, what followed them is extremely underrated. The first three years may have been more consistent but when the last two years peaked the episodes were equal to and sometimes even better than the original incarnation. ‘Making History’ stands atop a very busy podium.

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One of the biggest factors in Being Human landing the top spot is the dialogue. Oozing with quotability and natural conversation, everything flows so bloody well. There isn’t a show around with dialogue this special. Take Hal’s tense reunion with Mr Snow in the cafe. Take George calling Mitchell “deadly furniture”. Take Herrick’s last speech in the cellar. Take Alex berating Hal for causing her death. Take the epic Captain Hatch speech in the finale. Take Ivan’s shruggles to stay clean (“I’m this close to wiping out an entire branch of Argos”) Take it all for goodness sake and annoy your friends by quoting it all the sodding time. Who cares if they have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.

–

It goes without saying how strong the aforementioned actors are but Being Human was chock full of talent everywhere you looked. Sinead Keenan’s Nina was an undervalued character but a vital part of the story. It may be because she dumped George and challenged Mitchell as to why praise wasn’t heaped on in spades but it’s easy to forget that she started out human. Nina is us, the viewer, except she actually inhabits this strange world for the first time but still with all her natural instincts and moral convinctions at her core. In the second and third installments particularly Sinead deserved equal billing.

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Then there was Herrick, the greatest baddy there’s ever been. On the surface he looked about as threatening as a lamppost but Jason Watkins took a great villain on paper and twisted him into something special. He acted his socks off with knowing smiles and wicked grins. So good was Watkins that on Herrick’s grand return he made us think the old rogue could have some redemption inside his cold, cold body. Silly us.

–

The acting credits are an impressive rollcall featuring respected names such as Donald Sumpter and Phil Davis to early roles for up and coming performers. Craig Roberts played a perverted teenager in his forties, Alexandra Roach fell apart as a decomposing zombie, Sacha Dhawan hunted vampires so badly they slayed him and Sara Pascoe was a widow ghost mum. There are too many to mention because it’s bewildering and that’s before you hear who some of the writers are. As you ask, Tony Basgallop, Lisa McGee, Sarah Phelps and Jamie Mathieson to name some.

–

Long story short, if you haven’t watched Being Human then make a start on it today. If you have watched it then do it again and again until Toby Whithouse is in 10 Downing Street and its script is taught on every school syllabus. SHOW NO MERCY.

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My top 25 TV Shows of 2017

25: Naked Attraction – Series 2 (Channel 4)

Yes, seriously. It’s made my list. Hear me out on this one. Despite it’s obvious channel Four style silliness this actually has more going for it than something like Sex Box. It’s refreshing to see “normal” bodies on TV, warts (sometime’s literally) and all. It’s also, in its own way, an interesting take on human attraction. Plus, at the moments you’re not taking it semi (ahem) seriously, it’s nice to see lots of male genitals that make me feel a hell of a lot better about my own bits.

 

24: Inside No. 9 – Private View (BBC2)

The sheer audacity of Inside No. 9 means they can kill off Peter Kay in the opening minute. Private View plays out like an Agatha Christie novel set in an art basement. But with a reality TV star and a man named Kenneth Williams who has no sense of irony, or ironically no sense of innuendo.

The strangers are called to an exhibition but are soon picked off one by one in ever increasingly imaginative ways. There’s boob jokes, anal sex jokes, toilet humour and yet it still manages to be clever. How do they do it? The twist turns slowly and the motives of the culprit are thoroughly unexpected. Another gem from team Shearsmith and Pemberton.

 

23: Gameface – Series 1 (E4)

The pilot which aired way back in 2014 suggested Gameface would be in the tradition of Man Down but time has given the show a facelift. The series proved to be more stylised with a cinematic feel and different use of editing. Marcella has a drug addict brother, a dick of an ex-boyfriend and a blossoming crush on her driving instructor. She’s prone to getting into situations she doesn’t want to be in. She gets in supermarket brawls, triggers a fellow actor into a panic attack and flicks a lover’s testicles. Though he seemed to like being in that situation. Roisin Conaty writes and stars and is clearly in her element. Hopefully a second series beckons.

 

22: Witless – Series 2 (BBC3)

A strange old show is Witless. Billed as a comedy thriller, the adventures of Leanne and Rhonda descend more into farce with more twists than you can point a gun at and that’s what got them into so much trouble in the first place. Series two finds them trying desperate measures to escape their lives in Witness Protection with the help of dodgy fancy dress gear and a bear named Charlie Little Pockets. Don’t ask. It never plays for easy laughs but Kerry Howard is the one who brings most comic relief to a show that is a strong mix of silly and dark.

 

21: Stranger Things – Series 2 (Netflix)

While hardly the fasted paced show going, it was good to explore more of ‘The Upside Down’ and the Hawkins lab in series two. It’s fair to say that the happenings in this little pocket of America didn’t evolve too much and it lacked the impact of the first run but for the most part it felt like a continuation of a winning formula, if you overlook the pointless “Eleven goes to the city” episode  Anything that consists of child actors should by definition be awful but my God, these guys are excellent. Quite where things go from here is going to be intriguing. The downside up?

 

20: Sherlock – Series 4 (BBC1)

Critically panned for sure and suggestions that it jumped the shark do have some validity. However, when Sherlock is on top form it is still spectacular, like the Eurus reveal for example, or the demented spin off of The Crystal Maze in the finale. Plot holes? There were a few and yes, Mary’s death was a bit rubbish but not quite as rubbish as Watson’s reaction but what carried series four over the line was the strong performances and masterful direction which gave adrenaline to the poorest run to date. There are rumours that Sherlock might come back in a few years time but it’s probably wise to put this under the deer stalker hat and back into the dusty cupboard for good.

 

19: BoJack Horseman – Series 4 (Netflix)

Sure, we can all relate to a depressed, formerly famous horse and even if you can’t, the Netflix animation continues to surprise and astound. The themes have always been a bit morose but there are glimmers of the human side to him. Or the.. horse side. You know what I mean. Tragedy and comedy are simply two cheeks on the same arse and the writing is so funny and assured there’s plenty of padding. Erm.

 

18: The End Of The F**king World – Series 1 (Channel 4 / Netflix)

In another baffling take on Channels’ starting to give up on the whole putting TV shows on the actual TV, The End Of The F***ing World was confined to streaming service All4. That’s a shame because many will miss out on this teenage misadventure. While the episodes were frustratingly short and there were way too many flashbacks for a series that didn’t clock up many minutes in total, the deeply troubled pairing of James and Alyssa was riotously entertaining. Awkward fumblings, suicide, stabbings, and car explosions are par for the course but despite their attitude an inner monologue expresses all their vulnerability. Jessica Barden stands out with her portrayal of a young woman going off the rails. In their bid to escape they end up more trapped than ever.

 

17: GLOW – Series 1 (Netflix)

Big hair? check. Spandex? Check. Kick ass women? Check. Cheesy eighties classics? Check. Need any more convincing? It has (references to) sex, it definitely has drugs and the trio is completed by a rock n’ roll attitude. A disparate group of women audition for a new show for female wrestlers and the journey to get to the pilot is a total riot. Director Sam Silva is an arrogant misogynist but he sure as hell meets his match in his cast. The second run has already been shot and is expected to air later this year.

 

16: Cold Feet – Series 7 (ITV)

As middle age creeps closer and closer for me, perhaps I should watch Cold Feet as a lesson in how not to grow old with dignity. Affairs, addiction, work stress, family stress and depression are some of the happy subjects that our motley crew are faced with. As ever, it’s done with winning performances from a cast who know each other so well. Writer Mike Bullen is a genius in the way he wraps it all together in funny and affecting tales that produce the feelgood factor every time.

 

15: Black Mirror – Hang The DJ (Netflix)

Coming across as a hybrid of 500 Days Of Summer, The Truman Show and the show’s own past in San Junipero, this romantic installment proves that beneath all the fear, panic and death, Charlie Brooker does have a soft side. Amy and Frank are cooped up in a world where a digital companion controls their love lives. Who they date, where and how long for. For Black Mirror this is a straight forward story that shows some rules are meant to be broken.

 

14: Line Of Duty – Series 4 (BBC1)

Thandie Newton is the captivating centre of our attention this time but a leap from BBC2 to the headline channel doesn’t mean that all the old strands have been forgotten about. As ever, the main protagonist is there to confuse viewers with dubious actions and multiple alibis. Ted Hastings is on top form as usual, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the fella, but all in all it proved to be the least satisfying series to date.

That’s not to say it wasn’t mostly brilliant but there was a sense that not much ground was covered in comparison to previous runs. There wasn’t even much in the way of the long interrogation scenes either. Maybe that was an editorial decision to stop the show edging towards parody? Either way, the worst series of Line Of Duty is still a thrill ride that puts most TV to shame. Bar the thirteen listed below, obviously. Don’t be picky.

 

13: Broadchurch – Series 3 (ITV)

Recovering from the ultimate case of ‘Second Series Syndrome’ (yes, SSS), Hardy and Miller are on top form again. Bar the Latimer’s tragic tale of coping with loss, Broadchurch moves on from the events of before. While skipping a few years ahead of our last visit grates at first, it’s a choice that actually allows the final run to breathe so much easier on its own terms.

The topic of rape and sexual abuse is dealt with by good research and much needed sensitively and for that it should be applauded. A whodunnit about a rape felt very odd and left viewers feeling a bit uneasy but that was probably the whole point and Julie Hesmondhalgh played the role of Trish with raw honesty.

In true Broadchurch fashion, there were big, almost laughable red herrings (or in this case, mackerels) such as dramatic close ups of condoms on a dashboard or an intense camera zoom on a load of footballer’s socks but I can forgive them that. Hardy and Miller will be much missed but it’s nice to know that Beth has got a new job as a doctor.

 

12: Black Mirror – Black Museum (Netflix)

Rolo Haynes,  a former neurological research recruiter now runs a debauched horror show of a museum. As he guides Nish around the “attraction” he tells of his past in extreme and sometimes gory detail. These three differing stories show a man with increasingly loose morals and the pay off is worth its wait in Gold. If it feels like things are getting a bit too bleak just remember that “Monkey loves you”..

 

11: Taskmaster – Series 5 (Dave)

Taskmaster continues to go from strength to strength as it grows ever more with confidence. If you want to see Sally Phillips make out with a water cooler and frankly, who doesn’t? Then this is the show for you. If you want to see Bob Mortimer turn a coconut into a businessman and frankly, who doesn’t? Then this is the show for you. If you want to see Aisling Bea dressed as a sexy robot called the ‘Cuddlebot 5000’ and frankly, who doesn’t? Then this is the show for you. If you don’t want to see any of these things then put your telly in a skip and go read a book or something.

 

10: Inside No. 9 – The Riddle Of The Sphinx (BBC2)

Inside No 9 is at its glorious best when putting surreal meat on the bones of simple ideas. This is all about crosswords and no matter how boring that may sound , Shearsmith and Pemberton elevate proceedings beyond anything other comedy writers can manage. It’s complex and deeply compelling.

The Riddle Of The Sphinx revolves around Nina who stumbles into the office of a professor that soon teaches her the best ways of deciphering clues in cryptic crosswords. Naturally, as a storm rages outside there are twists and dark turns aplenty. Everything about it feels perfect. The deliciously lit Gothic set-up, the wordplay and the performances of course. One of the best, if not the best of the anthology series to date.

 

9: Black Mirror – USS Callister (Netflix)

Reality becomes virtual as Robert Daly, a quiet overlooked co-manager of a technology company starts to play out his fantasies in another world where he is appreciated and respected. He uploads his work colleagues onto his computer based spaceship. In there he is the captain and an outright bully. What follows is unpredictable and at times hilarious story as his trapped crew plot their escape.

As a social commentary, white male privilege is clearly a target and trolling might be an issue covered too, i.e. how people act online in a way they wouldn’t in real life. USS Callister is Black Mirror at its zany, uncompromising best.

 

8: Dave Gorman’s Modern Life Is Goodish – Series 5 (Dave)

A man stands in front of a PowerPoint screen and picks up on all the mundane quirks of modern day life. That’s it really. Except Dave (the man, not the channel) has always had the language at his disposal to make the smallest things witty and fascinating. He is an expert storyteller and each episode has themes running trough them and brilliant callbacks. The attention to detail is extraordinary.

Though he has a fierce intellect, as is so often the case with Dave Gorman these are cases of a man old enough to know better. He messes with children’s toys in an elaborate effort to trick his friends, he buys a taxi to make money from nightclub bouncers but he’s not always the winner. Someone very close to him plays him at his own game. Sadly, there will be no more of this innovative little show.

 

7: Peaky Blinders – Series 4 (BBC2)

Read my reviews here:

https://yekimmikey.wordpress.com/category/peaky-blinders-series-4/

 

6: Bang – Series 1 (S4C)

Read my reviews here:

https://yekimmikey.wordpress.com/category/bang-s4c/

 

5: Detectorists – Series 3 (BBC4)

Mackenzie Crook’s instant classic booked itself into TV folklore with the last ever six episodes of a show that may have gone under the radar of the mainstream but quality will always win out. It was also great to see the roles of “Simon and Garfunkel” extended and it added to comedy that has the sweetest pathos. There were so many golden moments in what are essentially small details: Andy rescuing a hedgehog and stumbling on his dream home, Lances’s canal boat confusion and the Bat Action Helpline (B.A.T).

If there’s one minor criticism it’s that there wasn’t enough of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club this time round but given that this was Andy and Lance’s farewell, it is understandable they should get more of the screen time. Made with love for both a hobby and the English countryside, it has always left me with a warm glow when the credits roll but my goodness, that ending was beyond perfect. In a cynical, violent world, Detectorists was a tribute to the softer side of humanity. It will be greatly missed.

 

 

4: Doctor Foster – Series 2 (BBC1)

Read my reviews here:

https://yekimmikey.wordpress.com/category/doctor-foster/

 

3: Car Share – Series 2 (BBC1)

Despite the second run being as just as brilliant in essence as the first there’s the worry that the writers shot themselves in the foot a bit. Or fell over running to a postbox and back. On what should have been an heroic lap of honour, the reduction from six episodes to four, as well as a sad ending, left an unsavoury taste in the mouth. The powers that be have clearly had a change of heart and succumbed to viewers complaints. In a bizarre move we will be getting a proper final episode sometime this year as well as an unscripted one where Peter Kay and Sian Gibson will be talking made up nonsense to each other. It promises to be brilliant because the chemistry between them shines off the screen anyway. The change of plan further fuels questions as to why the second series didn’t comprise of six in the first place.

Enough of the moaning, what Car Share did offer us this time round didn’t disappoint. From harassment by a drunken smurf to a Monkey hitchhiker the laughs were as big as its heart. This wasn’t simply a case of going to work and back, their world was extended just a little as they journeyed to a party and skived off for a day to go on a mini adventure.  Though the set pieces were a little bigger, and I do mean a little, John and Kayleigh’s blossoming love was dealt with sweetly even though after the first series I thought they should just stay friends. The comedy is observational and down to earth but uproariously funny in the process. Let’s not forget the classic hits (and more classic adverts) of Forever FM either and lots of witty signage for the more attentive viewer. The pressure is on for the last installment but let’s enjoy the moment before it becomes NeverAgain FM.

 

 

2: Uncle – Series 3 (BBC2)

For its last ever run, Uncle surpassed the expectations set by its humble but still fantastic beginnings.  It was more emotional (I genuinely cried) than most dramas. It was funnier (I genuinely cried) than most comedies from the year put together. Not afraid to touch on sensitive subjects such as addiction and cancer with unashamed sentiment but also go for the farcical jugular – the stupidly thought out intervention on his sister and Andy and Errol’s fantastical quest in “ye olden times” (featuring Dylan Moran as an ogre) to name but two moments. Add to that, Nick Helm’s catchy ditties about inappropriate things and you’ve got comedy gold.

 

1: No Offence – Series 2 (Channel 4)

The dream team of Viv, Joy and Dinah were back in action and there was the small matter of gang warfare on the streets of Manchester to contend with. It’s an explosive start and a gory ending. As for everything inbetween?  Well, it’s bonkers and all the more glorious for it.

No Offence continues to grope touchy issues and yet has a devilish sense of humour. The dialogue is like nothing else out there. It’s poetically quick-witted and rude (“that was a big fat wanking bomb”). It fires by at such a pace that if you’re a southerner like me you might need to put subtitles on.  The words aren’t the only thing that charge full throttle like Lewis Hamilton on speed. The whole pace is unrelenting and the twists are vast. Don’t be tweeting while you watch this or the plot will literally be lost.

Viv Deering has competition that threatens her authority but that just adds to her steel. Joanna Scanlan’s presence is a joy for every single second that she’s on screen. Speaking of Joy, she grows in confidence and even has a love interest but naturally that takes a sinister turn. The characters, even the smaller roles, are so well realised and believable and that is yet another reason why No Offence claims the top spot.

The mad ending of series one doesn’t play too big a role as it’s only passingly referred to but is Paul Abbott playing the long game on that one? Will the truth ever come out and will it destroy our favourite cop trinity? Series three is due later this year and things are set to get political. Whatever happens, it’ll get my vote.

 

Bang (S4C) Episode 8 Review

If Roger Williams isn’t doing so already, he should definitely charge mega bucks to give lessons on how to write a series finale.  As with every closing episode the fear is there’s too much wrap up in such little time and nearly every time it proves to be the case. Bang, however pulls off a television miracle and satisfactorily ties all the loose ends together in one dramatic sucker punch of a closer.

Rhys, as it was always going to be him, is responsible for the escalation of terror that follows. On the receiving end of a bloody beating, Sam confesses his sister is in possession of the gun. This sets up a showdown as Gina has to hand the gun back to the dastardly duo in return for her brother. We soon discover that the shifty fellas that kept popping up are extra shifty and to top things off, working for Patricia bloody Rose. In a matter of seconds we learn that Mel and Marie are sisters, we discover who killed Stevie Rosie and that the main purpose of Stevie’s dodgy dealings (and ultimately his death) was human trafficking. It’s chaotic, adrenaline fueled mayhem and it’s brilliant. Oh, and Rhys is shot dead. Forgot to mention that.

While Marie has quietly been a major player in the background, Ray has always been a blatant villain throughout but the real scale of his treachery surprises. The truth is, he’s been hiding in plain sight. The grumpy, evil man that’s been the centrepiece wasn’t the red herring at all. He really is the big bad of the show. The reveal of a mystery that’s been burning since that very first scene eight whole episodes back is heartbreaking and shocking. The whole spectacle is handled with such finesse that even our jaws drop to the floor with grace.

We get a couple of much needed one on one scenes too. Firstly, Sam and Gina touchingly express their love for each other but later Sam doesn’t offer the same sentiment to a mother who valued life’s trivial things over her children. As they solemnly face off, her empty words of apology don’t cut the mustard. His heart more broken than his cut up face.

All plot points neatly tired up, all motives explained, all bad guys getting their comeuppance.. it’s all been resolved with a style rarely witnessed. Well, almost. Just when you think it’s all done and dusted, one thing has fittingly escaped everyone’s minds – the gun. Mel holds it along with Patricia’s money and with it, potentially the key to a second series. Unlikely maybe, but if there’s a ‘Bang 2: Mel On The Run’ there’s definitely an audience for it. 10/10

Bullet points:

• We learnt so much that the fact Rhys doesn’t have a ten inch penis was the least of the revelations
• What punishment awaits Sam from the justice system?
• Will Ela visit him in prison and attempt to steal other inmates money?
• Understatement alert: Gina’s promotion might have been delayed a bit.

Bang (S4C) Episode 7 Review

Folkestone is home to the world’s highest brick arched viaduct but it is not home to a new distribution centre for the company Sam works for. His lie that he’s suddenly transferring location is easily uncovered by a quick google search, as was that fascinating fact about Folkstone. While Gina is tracking him down with her clever cop mind, not one to let the grass grow. stepdad Ray is clearing out the house already. In reality Sam is just heading down the welsh coast on his trusty bike.

Gina finds him in a church holding a gun to his head and not because the sermon is boring but because he feels it’s the only way to free himself. Finally we see Gina’s response to Sam owning the gun. Perhaps it’s the shock of her brother about to commit suicide that means her familial instincts kick in rather than the anger expected. Not much is said between the two but we can assume she has made the connection between Sam and all the recent crimes but strangely, on screen at least, she never asks where he got the gun from. It feels a waste that there isn’t much communication between the two at this late stage of the series, especially is there is so much to talk about. Gina was already reluctant to draw Carl towards Ela’s connection with her brother and now she’s in possession of the firearm looks set to protect him at all costs. That cost could be her job and a criminal record. To be honest, she seems more preoccupied with her father’s past so that’s likely to have strong relevance to next weeks finale.

The truth is spilling out elsewhere. In a kitchen showdown we discover Ray not only knows about Sam raiding his yard but the stealing from work too. On the flip of the coin, Sam knows about Ray’s misdemeanours with ladies (who must have terrible taste in men) too. Another connection is made as we get an answer to who Patricia has been gossiping to on the phone all this time and in a twist nobody saw coming it turns out to be grumpy stepdad Ray. Madness. Don’t sit there, smugly reading this and claim you saw that coming. You are lying!

Lots is going on elsewhere too. Carl is being plagued by a mysterious caller who we soon learn is Mel and she clearly wants to use knowledge of his affair with Gina to her advantage. Wide boy Rhys is also back on the estate and with his girlfriend by his side, raids Sam’s home in a quest for the gun but they’re rudely interrupted by the hasty and welcome return of Ela. Things are left with a tense stand off (or sit off) as Sam hides upstairs.

It’s a pretty weak cliffhanger compared to what Bang has treated us to previously but judging by the quality of the show so far, we are in very good hands indeed as things heat up for the last episode. What will Gina sacrifice for her brother? Will everyone get out alive? More to the point, will we ever find out who bloody killed Stevie Rose? One thing is for certain, even though the gun is out of Sam’s hands, things are going to be explosive. 8/10

Bullet points:

• Anyone spot the guest appearance of Alabama 3’s Rob Spragg (AKA Larry Love) as coughing villian Douglas Rose? Not content with supplying the music he also gets a bit of screen time too.
• Is it wrong to hope that Sam shoots grumpy Ray in the head?
• Rhys is obviously a wrong ‘un because when it comes to pizza toppings his first thought was pineapple.

Bang (S4C) Episode 6 Review

Just when you think Sam couldn’t dig himself deeper into a pit named trouble things escalate further than ever before. Surely it’s only a matter of time before big sis finds out the truth. Ela may have unwittingly saved him from brandishing his gun at the club but on the run home he’s pointing it into the back of Luke’s head. Not only that, but due to everyone waving mobile phones about, Ela is spotted in photos and that brings Gina back to Sam’s door. Honestly, it was so much easier committing armed robbery before smart phones were invented. Apparently.

The loved up pair escape to a hotel with their “earnings”, frollick in the bed and the pool and soon find another victim in the form of a creepy guy in the restaurant but true to form things start going tits up quicker than you can say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Creepy guy catches them on the take and sexually assaults Ela which means only one thing, Sam goes all Reservoir Dogs again. The gun is out and it’s the closest he’s come to killing yet. His relationship with the weapon is so serious he might as well propose to it and put it in a wedding dress. An alarmed Ela gives an ultimatum but he chooses it over her and she strolls away. Probably out of his life for good.

An interesting side story is Luke’s trauma after being held at gun point. He suffers flashbacks and struggles to tell anyone through shame. His bottled anger whipping up a frenzy at a teen catcalling Gina. He does eventually say but the boss isn’t happy and he’s sent home pending a disciplinary. It’s a topic rarely covered in crime dramas and great to see it be touched upon. Indeed, another fallout from the effects of the job are shown as Layla is signed off with stress. There are no alcoholic cops coming back for one last case cliches here, just a more raw, honest take on police work.

Thankfully Bang is not full of crazy plot twists just for the sake of plot twists. It goes in unexpected directions without resorting to silly shock tactics, it intrigues without having the need to shout at you. This was the most exciting and absorbing episode to date and with only two more to go, everything stands on a precipice. Sam needs a miracle to escape the fall. 9/10

Bullet points:

• Yes, Ela was a bit crazy but she seemed to have a good heart. Sam is nuts to ditch her. Not just because she looked good in a swimming costume.
• Will Ela be the one that dobs him in to the police? Unlikely given the crimes she carried out with him
• We still don’t know what connection Sam and Gina’s dad had to Douglas Rose?
• What is Patricia playing at? Who was she on the phone to?
• Mel is back. Uh oh

Bang (S4C) Episode Five Review

The past is staring to catch up with Gina, mostly because she chooses to seek it out. She requests the twenty year old files of the investigation into her father’s death only to find out about his vast array of criminal records. All the Cautions, suspended sentences, trespassing, fraud and handling of stolen goods charges paint a picture of the man that’s totally different to the one that’s been hung up in her mind all this time. Her present too is is proving complicated. Sam knows about her fling with Carl and it looks a matter of time that proof in the theory about mixing business with pleasure comes true.

As for Sam, despite his early visit to the police station, things are weirdly looking up. Turns out they just wanted to know more about Cai so he walks free into the arms (or rather a jacket) of a lady and now the gun isn’t the only object of his desire. Ela, however, is a bad influence and if there’s one thing this “sad, beautiful boy” doesn’t need right now it’s someone taking him down even darker paths. Not only that, but he gets one up over Ray after spying weaknesses under that surly exterior. Sam is allowed to stay in the home as a method to keep him onside but suspicions between the two aren’t a one way street. Clearly convinced his stepson played a role the robbery, Ray scouts around the house looking for evidence.

Where Bang excels most, other than it’s beautiful, subtle direction is in the performances. Especially by the two leads, Catrin Stewart and Jacob Ifan. Nothing is overblown or too stagey. They keep the story grounded and real. Sam is going off the rails with an almost calm sense of invincibility but the portrayal is no grand Hollywood statement. He steals money from under a workmate’s nose and in a drugs induced state robs cash from till of a club and yet his plight still elicits sympathy rather than judgement. We end with him cornered, gun in hand and on a close up of his face, caught in two minds about pulling the trigger. What follows is set to be a showdown of recriminations and extreme family politics. 8/10

Bullet points:

• Are there any links between the death of Sam and Gina’s dad and the Stevie Rose murder?
• Why would Patricia order a private detective to follow Gina? Seems extreme to say the least. Is it because of her family links?
• Even now he’s getting his end away, Sam can still barely break into a smile, bless him.
• Will Sam’s involvement with the gun end his sister’s career?
• Will he be charged with the murder of Stevie Rose as well as the actual crimes he has committed?

Bang (S4C) Episode Four review

The gun has become as precious to Sam as that ring did to Gollum. While he may not talk to it, his relationship with the firearm has grown unhealthy. Not content with an armed robbery last week, Sam and Cai plan a break in but this time the target is the business run by grumpy stepdad Ray. As if the guy wasn’t miserable enough already. Due to the interruption of a security guard the weapon is called into action for the first time but it was the fingers of Cai that pulled the trigger.

It further sets up the merging of the investigations with Sams’ predicament as brother and sister are set to collide head on. The gun is essentially acting as GPS for the police. They the know the bullet was from the same gun that shot Stevie Rose, as they also know from his random shooting into the air previously. The irony is that in his desperation to buy his house he is keeping things too close to home. First he steals and then commits armed robbery of his work place and now he is stealing from his stepdad and accidentally putting someone in hospital. The guard is alive and it could be curtains for Sam’s dream. His new home could soon be behind bars.

The actual details of the Stevie Rose murder doesn’t grow much more in the way of flesh and is the weakest thread in the series as a whole. There’s some unusual behaviour from Mrs Rose that involves waiting outside Gina’s house and an attempt at bribery. The widower grows more suspicious with each scene. Justin also hints that drugs are involved somewhere but progress will be slow considering the police are chasing a gun which is not in the hands of the killer.

It’s a superbly atmospheric forty five minutes that flies by, culminating in Cai, for reasons best known to himself, going to visit the security guard in intensive care. Again, it proves a good tracking device for the police and they chase him down and indeed out as he’s hit by a car and the grim reaper comes calling. As do the boys in blue, to Sam’s workplace. There’s no hiding in dark corners behind palettes now. 8/10

Bullet points:

• When the truth comes out, will Gina sacrifice her duty to the badge and cover for her brother?
• Can you imagine how sour Ray’s face will be one he finds out who broke into his company? Is it possible to frown any more?
• Will Sam somehow be implicated in the murder of Stevie?
• Will the money being posted through Gina’s door be classed as an acceptance of a bribe?
• Will the Port Talbot tourist board use Bang as a promotional tool for gun lovers?

Bang (S4C) Episode 3 Review

The gun isn’t the star of the show this week. Sam’s world is falling around his shoulders as we follow the fallout following the death of his Nan. It’s a few weeks on from from our last visit to Port Talbot and the funeral has taken place. Home is not Sam’s safe place anymore and the hidden weapon isn’t the only reason. His mum is selling the house, grumpy stepdad Ray (registered trademark) is being extraordinarily grumpy and he has a worse day than normal at work.

Unsurprisingly, given that four grand has vanished, his company discover there’s lots of stock gone awol. In a tense stand off, the workers are confronted but nobody owns up and even as lockers are being searched Tom is stealing from under management noses. Now that takes balls. And sells them on for profit. Workmate Cai is caught in the crossfire (a pun, see?) as a doll is found in his locker. Not a sex one, they don’t fit. Apparently. Cai gets the boot but knows Sam is the man responsible. Responsible probably isn’t the word thinking about it. Bribery is the ex-colleagues method of retaliation. 

The police investigation elements are the less appealing thread in episode three and this time it’s played completely separately from Tom though, of course, we now full well the Hedlu will close in. Gina’s mind isn’t on the job, well not the job she’s paid for, as she’s getting her wicked way with the boss at lunchtime. Is she unintentionally sleeping her way to promotion? It would be nice to see Catrin Stewart utilised more so here’s hoping the second half of the series pushes her to the fore and not just because she’s having an affair with a potentially married man. The sibling relationship feels under explored too. 

We learn more of Stevie Rose’s family, his father Douglas in particular and it clouds the water further. There may be a link with two dodgy tattooed guys who make a habit of loitering suspiciously around buildings. It also turns out Russell survived last weeks brutal attack and apart from making eyes at Luke, gives the police no information. He might turn out to be Tom’s unlikely saviour. In the short term at least. The gore was raised a level with the bloody murder of a man named Jason Eastwood. Jason used to work for Stevie and was sacked following a confrontation. We don’t yet know the perpetrators of either the attack or murder but dodgy tattoo guys are high on the list. 

The pace is certainly the slowest of the three offerings so far and is missing the chaotic partnership of Rhys and Mel. Bang shines most when covering the bleak canvas in beauty, both visually and with words. The pay off is worth the build up as Sam and Cai team up to rob a work van in the dark of night. In a botched attempt they only escape by Sam brandishing the gun at the driver. His list of illegal activities grow as he gets darker and more desperate. How long before Gina’s is no longer the nagging sister but the arresting officer? In Cai’s words “tick tock”..  7/10

Bullet points:

• The flashback to grumpy stepdad Ray (TM) being physically aggressive to a younger Sam explains a lot about their dynamic.
• Sam, your Nan’s slippers might hold sentimental value but they really need binning. 
• Cai stole a doll pissing itself and lost his job. Hands up, who’s lost a job for a stupider reason than that?

Bang (S4C) – Episode 2 Review

The vicious circle that was forming last week is starting to join and the dots that are now connecting can only lead down one very dark cul de sac indeed. Amid a beautiful setting of crashing waves and steep hills the pace calms down for the intricacies to show themselves but episode two simply feels like the calm before a storm.

The police are swarming the neighbourhood following Sam’s moment of madness and if you’re going to have the police knocking at your door when there’s a gun in your bedroom then it’s probably best that your sister is the officer. Gina is convinced the gun belongs to Rhys and it’s not until his girlfriend Mel is caught dealing drugs that they have an excuse to find out. Rhys himself had seemed to be mellowing following the death of his brother but normal service resums when he headbutts officer Luke during the raid. Safe.

We meet Russell, a tweed sporting country gangster, or rather loan shark who we find out had Sam by the balls four years ago. Metaphorically and literally. Back then grumpy Ray bailed him out and it may explain his current protective (but very rude) attitude towards his stepson. Russell is clearly a man who has pissed off many people in his time and a gruesome attack (by two men whose faces are conspicuous by their absence) soon has him by the balls.

Money is Sam’s prime motivation because he wants stubborn Nan to go private having dismissed herself from hospital following the heart attack. This quest for mula, which forces him to steal and sell on phones from work, is all in vein as her body proves not to be as strong as her willpower and with a spillage of tea is gone. Sad for two reasons, one being that it was a waste of what looked like a good cuppa.

The mood remains constantly bleak but notably very watchable due to a compelling plot unlike, say Rellik, which holds none of those qualities. Where Rellik focuses on one gimmick at the expense of everything else, Bang is a focused crime drama with plenty of legs. 8/10

Bullet points:

• Eating cheesy puffs is now officially a good alibi for murder
• Is Ray’s heart in the right place? What does he hold over Sam?
• Who attacked Russell and what was the motive?
• “Everyone’s card is marked, innit?” How long before Sam’s is dealt?
• With Rhys and Mel both temporarily banged up, will they tell on their neighbour?
• Most youngsters worry about the family finding porn under their bed. Not Sam.

 

Bang (S4C) – Episode 1 Review

Guns don’t kill people, actors do.

1995 was a great year wasn’t it? The height of Britpop, Ross and Rachel hadn’t been “on a break” yet.. those were the days. It wasn’t so good for the young boy we are introduced to in the first scene, a flashback which takes no prisoners. Showing off Bang’s intent from the get-go he witnesses his Dad getting shot in the tranquil setting of a welsh beach. Sounds painful. Zoom forward to 2017 and the boy is now a man.. because that’s how ageing works.

Sam (Jacob Ifan) is living with his Nan on a council estate where his Neighbours lack a little understanding and don’t have Harold Bishop blowing his trumpet either. Rhys is a loudmouth bully with a severe lack of respect for personal space and property. It could be argued his girlfriend Mel is the same. This girl next door eyes up Sam with sinister glares and has sex with her boyfriend knowing Sam is listening nearby. You don’t get that on Ramsay Street do you?

Gina (Catrin Stewart) is Sam’s much more outgoing sister who is more comfortable in her own skin as well as the police uniform. It’s not long before she is allowed in on the case where she found a dead body in the sea, the body of a man named Stevie Rose. Gina is also having a fling with her boss Carl but let’s hope that gets little airtime. We’ve a lot to learn about the relationship between the two siblings. Why he’s the down and she’s the up of the pairing’s beat and where is their mum?

In an unusual move for an S4C series the script flits between Welsh and English. It may take a few minutes to adjust but it very quickly feels incredibly natural even to untrained ears. Writer Roger Williams is simply bringing the reality of life in the area to screen but keep your subtitle button handy.

The story of Steff is the glue which ends up linking everything together. He commits the world’s worst armed robbery, removes his tag and is constantly fleeing from the police and it’s this running that proves his downfall when cracking his head on a rock he floats away downstream. Before his death we learn that’s he’s friends with Rhys and that the two of them are connected to the death, or certainly the disposing of Stevie Rose’s body. Sam heard every word. And every thrust but.. anyway, the point is he’s implicated.

The industry of Port Talbot manages to look both unexpectedly beautiful and threatening in equal measure. The brilliant direction from Philip John is darkly lit and lovingly shot, capturing the grey of the town and the green of the country. Bang’s ambience is a sense of overwhelming menace even when landscape wants to lull you into a false sense of calm. Even Steff’s sudden gruesome death took place in lush terrain fit for an episode of Countryfile.

Things then get worse for Sam. Not only is his elderly Nan hospitalised after a fall but Mel is staring at him again. This time at a beach. She seems friendlier when alone and hands him a gift to take home which turns out to be a gun. Talk about mixed signals. And so it ends as it begins – with gunshots. Sam has been the victim for twenty two years of what the weapon can do but now he has all the fire power in his hands. His tortured past and troubled present fuelling the adrenaline, he goes out and blasts the gun loudly into the night with a worrying smile on his face. How dark side will he go? How will Gina be dragged into this mess and what consequences will it have on her job? Who gets out alive? Whoever does will end up with PTSD either way. The series has started with a bang and it could be about to get killer.. 8/10