TV Column: JADE: THE REALITY STAR WHO CHANGED BRITAIN + THIS WAY UP

This article was originally published in The Courier on 3 August 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

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JADE: THE REALITY STAR WHO CHANGED BRITAIN

Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Channel 4 is responsible for fomenting the late Jade Goody’s pyrrhic fame, so this series charting her cautionary rise and fall carries a whiff of hypocrisy. Or is it a mea culpa? Either way, it’s a grimly compelling account of the birth of celebrity culture and vicious public shaming. Prepare to despair: it peers under the ant-infested stone of media chicanery with horrifying candour. Insight is provided by her mother and former Big Brother execs, one of whom claims that, when he told Goody she’d been selected for the show, he thought, “This is either going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to you, or it’s going to be a complete disaster.” Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

BORN FAMOUS

Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

An unofficial companion piece to the Goody epic, this new series focuses on various celebrities who came from humble beginnings. Their children have never known anything other than a life of luxury. Do they realise how lucky they are? There’s only one way to find out: send them back to where their parents were brought up (for a week). The first specimens are Gordon Ramsay and his teenage son Jack. Chef Ramsay is a working class Scot who was raised on numerous council estates. When Jack materialises in one of dad’s old haunts, he learns a valuable lesson. He’s a nice lad who doesn’t flaunt his privilege, so this study of social mobility and inequality transcends its gimmicky premise.

THE SECRET TEACHER

Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

This is one helluva week for uplifting social experiments on Channel 4. What’s going on? Cynical answer: they scored a hit with The Secret Millionaire, so here’s its sequel. More positive answer: it’s nice watching self-made entrepreneurs, some of whom were told that they’d never amount to a hill of beans, visit schools in the guise of support workers. Their mission is to encourage kids with untapped potential. For six weeks, undercover agents assist several harassed pupils and teachers. A certain amount of tidily tied-up TV happiness ensues, but this is ultimately a covert political statement. The government, not television, should be taking care of this problem. Still, we’ll all have a nice cry at the end.

THIS WAY UP

Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

Now this is good. Very good indeed. A sitcom written by and starring the comedian Aisling Bea, about a woman readjusting to life in the wake of a nervous breakdown. It’s the vehicle Bea has been waiting for – so much so, she constructed it herself. She’s a very funny, smart, likeable, insightful person. All the adjectives. Her show understands, as anyone who’s been through something similar understands, that humour can be mined from the direst of circumstances. The performances, the dialogue, are natural and warm. It’s a sitcom mired in pain, but it doesn’t dwell on lazy Gervais-esque awkwardness for laughs. This Way Up is better than that. Also, Sharon Horgan plays Bea’s sister. Are you sold? I hope so.

LAST WEEK’S TV

ANIMALS AT PLAY

Sunday July 28, BBC Two

If Stanley Kubrick taught us anything, it’s that all work and no play makes Jack an axe-wielding homicidal maniac. Fortunately, our animal friends aren’t so easily distracted. This fascinating series began by spending social playtime in the presence of dolphins, chimps, bears and canines. Their sophisticated games are among the most advanced in the natural world. It’s only a matter of time before they conquer Scrabble.

HOLD THE SUNSET

Friday August 2, BBC One

Series two of this – there’s no other way to describe it – gentle sitcom began with retirees Edith (Alison Steadman) and Phil (John Cleese) continuing their quest to get away from it all. I wish I could muster a more interesting opinion about Hold The Sunset than this: it’s nice seeing Cleese, Steadman, Jason Watkins, Joanna Scanlan and Rosie Cavaliero in the same programme, isn't it? But I can’t.

TV Column: KEEPING FAITH + LOUIS THEROUX: SURVIVING AMERICA'S MOST HATED FAMILY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 20th July 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

NEXT WEEK’S TV

KEEPING FAITH

Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

The first series of this BBC Wales hit was compared favourably to series one of Broadchurch. The latter famously lost the plot completely after that inaugural outing, so let’s hope the comparison doesn’t persist. The excellent Eve Miles (who coincidentally starred in Torchwood, which was helmed by Broadchurch and incumbent Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall) stars as a solicitor whose partner disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The story continues 18 months after his eventual return, with occasional flashbacks filling in the gaps. While Faith struggles to make sense of everything her family has been through, she takes on the case of a farmer accused of murdering her husband. A web of vaguely Nordic noir-influenced intrigue ensues. It’s a promising return.

I AM NICOLA

Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm

This new female-led anthology series kicks off with a standalone drama starring Vicky McClure as a woman searching for the perfect relationship. Unfortunately, she’s stuck in a dysfunctional rut with a partner who doesn’t remotely live up to her romantic ideal. Preview copies weren’t available, so I’m afraid I can’t tell you if this semi-improvised experiment pasts muster, but McClure is always worth watching and writer/director Dominic Savage is known for curating raw, compelling character studies developed in conjunction with his actors. Then again, his working methods have also resulted in some aimless, self-indulgent tedium from time to time. Your guess is as good as mine, folks, but this does sound potentially interesting.

ANIMAL BABIES: FIRST YEAR ON EARTH

Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The ‘aww’ factor is higher than the sun in this beautiful new series. Three wildlife camera operators and various conservationists set their benign sights on six infant animals as they develop the fundamental skills required to survive in this big bad world of ours. It begins with a family of African elephants gathering to protect a vulnerable new arrival. She gradually learns how to use her trunk while becoming au fait with the intricate ways in which pachyderms communicate. Meanwhile, some baby hyenas bond with their dedicated mothers, a faltering sea otter comes to terms with life in a dangerous human-made environment, a wrinkled little macaque gains a degree of independence, and a rare mountain gorilla navigates treacherous treetop life.

BROKE

Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

In the UK today, a third of those in gainful employment have less than £500 in life savings. They work hard, yet struggle to stay afloat. The cost of living rises every year, while wages remain in stasis. This humane and hugely vital series follows nine families from all walks of life as they explain what it’s like to just about scrape by. We meet a father and son who’ve been left homeless due to direly unforeseen circumstances. Dad is signed up to a precarious zero hours contract. The future looks bleak. In Wales, a steelworker supports his family on just £300 a month. In London, an ageing Uber driver with no pension barely survives. Britain is one of the world’s richest countries. Utterly scandalous.

LAST WEEK’S TV

TV’S BLACK RENAISSANCE: REGGIE YATES IN HOLLYWOOD

Saturday 13th July, BBC Two

Recently, a new generation of African-American artists has examined the black experience with a frankness never before seen on television. This revealing documentary sent a positive message: the uncompromising wit and insight of shows such as Donald Glover’s Atlanta (which I urge you to watch) aren’t anomalous. They’re part of a growing reaction against endemic racism in an oppressive society governed by rich, white bigots.

LOUIS THEROUX: SURVIVING AMERICA’S MOST HATED FAMILY

Sunday 14th July, BBC Two

Thirteen years after his first encounter with the notorious Westboro Baptist Church – a fundamentalist Christian ministry and anti-gay hate group – Theroux returned to find out how the 2014 death of twisted leader Fred Phelps has affected its members. He also investigated rumours that Phelps had been excommunicated in his final days after supposedly renouncing his vile beliefs. This led to another round of tense exchanges with indoctrinated church members, including one where the usually unflappable interlocutor almost lost his temper. 

They seemed broken, tired, their unspoken yet palpable fear being that if Phelps was a fallible human being, then maybe their hate-fuelled martyrdom has been meaningless. On this occasion, they came across as almost pitiable; victims of their extremist ideology. But it’s hard to feel sorry for an organisation that has caused people so much pain. It’s their own hell-bound fault. 

Meanwhile, a bittersweet sliver of uplift was provided by long-serving member Megan, who’d escaped the church and now spreads a message of tolerance. Megan has lost her family, who refuse to communicate with her, but I hope she finds some comfort in the real world.

TV Column: GAMEFACE + A NIGHT IN WITH BROS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 13th July 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

NEXT WEEK’S TV

STARGAZING: MOON LANDING SPECIAL

Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

The 50th anniversary celebrations of the Apollo 11 moon landing – face facts, conspiracy theorists, it happened – continue with this 90-minute excavation hosted by those friendly faces of popular TV science, Professor Brian Cox and Dara O’Briain. They travel to Cape Canaveral to mark that, to say the least, historic achievement while shedding light on the future of human space travel. However, it’s largely devoted to examining the fascinating step-by-step details of launching Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins into space. It’s packed with tremendous nuggets of trivia: did you know that astronauts, for luck, urinate on the back wheel of the bus that ferries them to the Launchpad? Crude, maybe, but humbling in a way. One giant wee etc.

NADIYA’S TIME TO EAT

Monday, BBC Two, 8pm

In which top TV cook Nadiya Hussain breathlessly proclaims “These days, we all seem to be rushed off our feet!” While I will never be in any danger of being mistaken for a stunningly perceptive social historian, nor indeed a normal person with an actual life, I daresay comfortably middle-class people aren’t more harried now than they’ve ever been. Keeping up with all these aspirational lifestyle guides can’t be easy, though. That is their exhausting curse. Anyway, this harmless new series finds the likeable Bake Off winner showing us how to rustle up “cheeky” stress-free meals for the working mum on the move. She begins with some of her favourite time-saving recipes, including pancakes, noodles and omelettes.

GAMEFACE

Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm

The excellent Roisin Conaty will be familiar to viewers who made it through Ricky Gervais’ deeply boring, inane and inept After Life. Thankfully, this self-penned starring vehicle shows off her talents to better advantage. It’s a sitcom in which she plays a jobbing actor going through therapy. Don’t let that synopsis put you off, it’s not self-indulgent at all. Conaty is funny, smart and likeable. In the first episode of this second series, she goes for a driving test and purposefully fails so she can see her slightly weird yet handsome instructor again. If you like good things, you'll probably like this unpretentiously insightful series.

A NIGHT IN WITH BROS

Friday, BBC Four, 10pm

When Matt and Luke Goss, formerly best known for their 18 months of pop idol fame in the late ‘80s, agreed to participate in a ‘comeback’ documentary last year, they couldn’t have anticipated the overwhelming response. That’s because Matt and Luke are a pair of endearing bozos whose Spinal Tap-esque pronouncements are hilarious in ways they will never truly understand. Good luck to them, I say, they mean no harm. They’ve had the last laugh? During this no doubt immaculately curated evening they’ll be capitalising on their unlikely second wind with a roster of newly filmed backstage clips and archive snippets from the artists who inspired them, plus, inevitably, a repeat of that extraordinary documentary. You’d have to possess a heart of sludge to begrudge them this ‘ironic’ resurgence.

LAST WEEK’S TV

IMAGINE… EDNA O’BRIEN: FEARFUL AND FEARLESS

Sunday 7^th, BBC One

One of the greatest and most influential writers of her generation, O’Brien caused cassock-clutching scandal in her native Ireland when, in the ‘60s, she dared to publish books declaring that women had sexual thoughts and impulses. Now aged 89, this brave, bold, brilliant woman led a mercifully unobtrusive Alan Yentob through a fascinating saga during which she survived shameful prejudice. A hero for the ages.

CLASSIC ALBUMS… THE CRICKETS: THE ‘CHIRPING’ CRICKETS

Friday 12^th, BBC Two

Here’s a concept for Richard Curtis to chew on: imagine a world in which Buddy Holly’s first album didn’t exist. There would be no Beatles, no Rolling Stones, no, heaven forbid, Ed Sheeran. This pleasant documentary traced the origins and growth of a band who basically defined the classic guitar/bass/drums template. Contributors included original Cricket Jerry Allison and awestruck acolyte Cliff Richard.

TV Column: DARK MONEY + 8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK

This article was originally published in The Courier on 6th July 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

NEXT WEEK’S TV

DARK MONEY

Monday and Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

This timely drama from award-winning playwright and screenwriter Levi David Addai (Damilola, Our Loved Boy) is inspired by the ongoing scandal involving sexual abuse within the entertainment industry. When Isaac, a British teenager, travels to Hollywood to star in a science fiction blockbuster, it should’ve been a dream come true. However, upon returning home he reveals that he was abused by the film’s producer. Isaac’s parents (the excellent Babou Ceesay and Jill Halfpenny) are told that British police have no legal jurisdiction over crimes which took place in America. Then the producer’s legal team get in touch with a jaw-dropping offer. It’s an angering indictment of an unjust system which protects the rich and powerful at all costs.

EXTREME TRIBE: THE LAST PYGMIES

Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

In the Congolese rain forests lives a Pygmy tribe largely cut off from the outside world. As any seasoned TV-watcher knows, remote African tribes are always being politely bothered by western documentary crews. They presumably enjoy the fleeting novelty of welcoming the likes of chirpy filmmaker Livia Simoka into their fold. Simoka produced and directed the similarly warm C4 series The Tribe, which also sought to dismantle foolish preconceptions by presenting jungle-dwelling communities as, you know, ordinary people just like you and I. Her five-month visit is an emotional log flume ride. Do bear in mind, however, that it includes scenes of dead animals being dismembered. It doesn’t flinch, nor should it.

8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK

Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The Apollo 11 space mission, the most famous and important in history, lasted for a total duration of eight days, three hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds. The world and beyond would never be the same. In this fascinating feature-length documentary, we’re granted declassified access to the extensive audio recordings taped inside the capsule during that epochal journey into the unknown. Dramatic reconstructions and archive footage also assist in creating an immersive account of what it must’ve actually been like for Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, those great NASA pioneers, as they carried out a feat of remarkable human endeavour. The sheer scale of their achievement is put into fresh perspective by this beautiful film. “Houston? The eagle has landed.”

LAST WEEK’S TV

HOW THE MIDDLE CLASSES RUINED BRITAIN

Saturday 29^th, BBC Two

Right-wing comedian Geoff Norcott – an anomaly if ever there was one – comes from a working class background. He strongly believes that left-leaning middle class people are Remain-voting hypocrites. The problem with his argument in this confused polemical piece was that it relied on stereotypes to prove its point, thus being entirely hypocritical in itself. Still, hats off to the Marxist BBC for allowing a dissenting voice.

JOHN McENROE: STILL ROCKING AT 60

Sunday 30^th, BBC One

Sue Barker travelled to the NYC home of the erstwhile Superbrat for this entertaining profile of a legendary athlete who is almost as renowned for his angry, youthful outbursts as he is for his prowess on the court. He’s mellowed, of course. The McEnroe that Barker met was on typically droll, affable form as he led her on a stroll through his colourful life and career.

ANNA: THE WOMAN WHO WENT TO FIGHT ISIS

Wednesday 3^rd, BBC Two

In 2017, 25-year-old activist Anna Campbell from Sussex arrived in Syria to join an all-female Kurdish militia in their fight against ISIS. She had no previous military experience. A year later she was killed. In this eloquent documentary, Anna’s father attempted to make sense of her decision by meeting her comrades. A sad, searching study of a grieving family struggling with severely conflicted emotions.

TV Column: THE UNWANTED: THE SECRET WINDRUSH FILES + DRAG SOS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 22 June 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

NEXT WEEK’S TV

THE UNWANTED: THE SECRET WINDRUSH FILES

Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

Historian David Olusoga traces “70 years of political panic, bad faith and racial prejudice in the corridors of power” in this damning documentary. As every schoolchild knows, the Windrush Generation is the term used for the black migrants who arrived in Britain between 1948 and 1972. Following the introduction of Theresa May’s “hostile environment policy” in 2014, the surviving members faced deportation when they were instructed to prove they lived here legally. A national scandal ensued. Assisted by personal testimonies and access to shocking internal documents, Olusoga reveals how successive British governments have attempted to stop immigration from the Caribbean, despite those migrants being citizens of the British Empire with every right to live and work in the UK.

A YEAR TO SAVE MY LIFE: GEORGE McGAVIN AND MELANOMA

Monday, BBC Four, 9pm

Last year, scientist and broadcaster George McGavin was diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer. Remarkably, when he received this frightening diagnosis, a new drug had just been licenced by the NHS, one that could potentially save the lives of people afflicted by malignant melanomas. In this moving documentary, the avuncular McGavin provides, with typical scientific inquisitiveness, a study of these pioneering medical developments: “I want to know everything about it and I want to know now.” The good news, as he observes, is that we’ve now reached a stage where people with terminal cancer can survive for decades. He undergoes a painless regime of targeted drug therapy which should give hope to people affected by this illness.

DRAG SOS

Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm

In this tender new series, five drag queens embark upon a mission to encourage people, whether straight, gay, male or female, to embrace their inner drag. Wit, warmth and wisdom – the vital three W’s - abound as they oversee a week of rehearsals for a lip-synching dance routine to be performed in front of friends, family and a home crowd. A camp explosion of all-inclusive fun, yes, but at heart this is a sincere, responsible experiment. They meet a gay man who puts his dad forward in the hope of solidifying their bond, a young woman with anxiety, and a stressed mum whose children have behavioural issues. The uplifting results will restore your faith in human nature.

WHO SHOULD GET TO STAY IN THE UK?

Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

This series concludes with more sensitive case studies of people struggling to navigate Britain’s increasingly complex and controversial immigration system. It focuses on couples who could potentially be torn apart by a Home Office ruling. Doaa from Egypt has a British husband. She faces deportation as a result of her innocently applying for the wrong type of visa online. Nigerian Onyi is forced to answer an exhausting series of trivial personal questions to prove she loves her husband. It’s like a sinister, Orwellian Mr and Mrs. We also meet an exasperated immigration lawyer who admits that he can’t keep up with the ever-changing laws. Anyone who thinks our immigration policies are too lax needs to pay attention.

LAST WEEK’S TV

PUNJAB UNITED: OUR LIVES

Monday 17^th, BBC One

Gravesend, Kent is home to one of the UK’s largest Sikh communities. The lower league football team Punjab United is one of its most recent success stories. This slight yet fairly charming documentary followed the team as they went about their grassroots business. It didn’t amount to much, but I’m glad that BBC One still has room in its schedules for minor diversions such as this.

HEY TRACEY!

Monday 17^th, ITV2

In the unlikely event of civilisation surviving into the next century, I hope remnants of this nano-celeb-based quiz will be shown in schools as a grave warning from history. We must never let Joe Swash happen again. The premise? A bunch of idiots receive pay cheques for doing nothing of any consequence. Imagine a rolled up copy of Heat being smacked on a human face forever.

ACKLEY BRIDGE

Tuesday 18^th, Channel 4

Series three of this award-winning multicultural school comedy-drama – the modern-day equivalent of Grange Hill, albeit aimed at an older audience – has lost none of its frank humour and sharp social commentary. Despite the plaudits it’s received, Ackley Bridge has never really caught on with the wider public. Hats off to Channel 4 for standing by what is, at most, a cult hit.

TV Column: CATCH-22 + STILL GAME + KILLING EVE

This article was originally published in The Courier on 15th June 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

NEXT WEEK’S TV

CATCH-22

Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Joseph Heller’s classic satire of military bureaucracy, injustice and the madness of war was adapted for the screen with mixed results in 1970. This six-episode miniseries is clearly intended as a more faithful and possibly definitive adaptation. Set during World War Two, it follows a sharp young US Army Air Force bombardier as he struggles to rebel against a system that’s stacked against him. When he tries to get out of flying his remaining missions – suicide missions, essentially - he discovers a horrifying logical loophole: Catch-22. Boasting a large ensemble cast including Hugh Laurie and George Clooney (who also co-produces and directs), it succeeds in capturing the acerbic, absurdist, darkly comic tone of Heller’s antiauthoritarian masterpiece. Impressive.

THE FAMILY BRAIN GAMES

Monday to Thursday, BBC Two, 8pm

Dara O’Briain plays host to “eight of Britain’s cleverest families” as they cross their wits in “the ultimate test of cross-generational brain power.” In a laboratory overseen by academic experts, they take part in various problem-solving games designed to test different facets of their intelligence. The basic idea is that, by performing as a team, these competitive high achievers will provide an interesting study of family dynamics. And to an extent, they do. What’s more, you can play along at home. While I wholeheartedly welcome unabashed celebrations of intelligence, there’s no getting around the fact that The Family Brain Games is the most middle class TV gameshow since the Robert Robertson-fronted iteration of Ask the Family.

THE RESTAURANT THAT MAKES MISTAKES

Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

This commendable series revolves around an experimental restaurant staffed by volunteers living with some form of early onset dementia. Like the recent BBC series Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure, it aims to raise awareness of this condition while illustrating that it doesn’t preclude people from achieving new goals. In episode two, they welcome an influx of food critics who politely yet firmly refuse to give the restaurant special treatment. That would be patronising and counterproductive. For the participants, the project seems to renew their self-confidence. Waiter Peter, a former business owner, sums up the frank yet poignant tone: “Dementia takes away many things… our memories and ability to do things. But what it doesn’t take away is feeling.”

STILL GAME

Friday, BBC One, 9pm

If you missed the final series when it premiered earlier this year on the BBC Scotland channel, now’s your chance to say farewell to Jack and Victor. Even the most devout Still Game fan would admit that it’s long since passed its prime, but this valedictory run marks a slight return to form. It’s certainly nowhere near as bad as the other post-return outings: it actually contains some decent jokes and glimmers of the warmth which made us love it in the first place. Make no mistake, Still Game in its heyday was a modern sitcom classic. Admittedly, this opening episode is average at best, but at least it isn’t embarrassing. The series improves as it goes on. RIP.

LAST WEEK’S TV

KILLING EVE

Saturday 8^th, BBC One

Series two of this multi-award-winning black comedy thriller picked up directly from the violent climax of series one. Sympathetic MI5 agent Eve (Sandra Oh) was suffering from PTSD after stabbing – fatally, she assumed – psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The oddly likeable villain was alive and fairly well, of course: she’s an unstoppable force of dark nature. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) has stepped down as head writer to focus on other projects, but new boss Emerald Fennell (hitherto best known for playing Nurse Patsy in Call the Midwife) slipped into her shoes with ease. Killing Eve is still a fast, funny parody of spy thriller tropes which also functions as an actual captivating spy thriller. It has its cake and eats it on the fly. Also, Comer is utterly outstanding

YEAR OF THE RABBIT

Monday 10^th, Channel 4

The ubiquitous Matt Berry stars in this dreary sitcom about a tough, maverick Victorian cop patrolling the mean streets of London’s East End. It’s a charmless affair in which unfunny swearing and strained silliness offer no substitute for wit. The one-note Berry, who can’t even affect a passable cockney accent, is acted off the screen by a supporting cast which includes Paul Kaye and Alun Armstrong.

TV Preview: WILD BILL + I CAN GO FOR THAT: THE SMOOTH WORLD OF YACHT ROCK

This column was originally published in The Courier on 8th June 2019.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

WILD BILL

Wednesday, STV, 9pm

Just when you thought the world couldn’t get any stranger, here’s Hollywood actor Rob Lowe in an ITV cop show. He plays a high-flying American police chief who, together with his teenage daughter, relocates to Boston in Lincolnshire. Why? Boston, so we’re told, has a worryingly high crime rate, so he’s been shipped in to bring down the numbers. If episode one is anything to go by, it makes Midsomer look like Toytown. The tone is all over the place, it bounces messily between laconic humour, bog-standard police procedural shenanigans and gruesome violence, seemingly uncertain of what the hell it’s trying to be. Still, the incongruous spectacle of Lowe navigating the means streets of Brexit Britain is something to behold. For about five minutes.

THATCHER: A VERY BRITISH REVOLUTION

Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The penultimate instalment of this rigorous examination of Margaret Thatcher’s epic reign of terror shows how her stubbornness, hubris and lack of empathy sowed the seeds of her undoing. It begins in the mid-‘80s, when rapidly escalating unemployment and wanton free market capitalism triggered rancorous public dissent. Did Thatcher care? She was certainly stung by the criticism, but couldn’t understand where it came from. Her lack of self-awareness was astonishing. Nevertheless, she won a third term in 1987. Packed with fascinating reams of rare archive footage, including her uncharacteristically emotional interview with Dr Miriam Stoppard, plus frank contributions from the likes of cadaverous lickspittle Norman Tebbit and avuncular mortal enemy Neil Kinnock, it’s another sturdy chapter in a highly impressive series.

DEATH ROW: COUNTDOWN TO EXECUTION

Thursday, STV, 9pm

Here’s a sobering fact: there are currently more American death row convicts being profiled by documentary crews than ever before. In this unsurprisingly grim series, Susanna Reid travels to Huntsville, Texas, the execution capital of America (it even boasts a death row-themed museum). She’s there to meet maximum security prison inmate Patrick Murphy, who was once part of a notorious crime gang responsible for the biggest prison breakout in Texas history. This is his final television interview. We also hear from his Buddhist priest advisor and the wife of the police officer he’s convicted of killing. However, Murphy didn’t actually pull the trigger. Even the pro-death penalty locals Reid meets agree that this broaches a murky grey area. It's a vaguely acceptable piece of tabloid television.

I CAN GO FOR THAT: THE SMOOTH WORLD OF YACHT ROCK

Friday, BBC Four, 9pm

Though never considered a genre at the time, the slick, soulful Californian pop recorded from the mid-‘70s to the mid-‘80s by artists such as Steely Dan, Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald has since been defined and re-evaluated as Yacht Rock. In this excellent new series, Katie Puckrik, a devout acolyte, is your witty, charming, erudite guide to a deep blue bay of tidy beards, aviator shades and satin bomber jackets. An array of journalists and academics help her to place this “millionaire’s make-out music” in acute historical and socio-political context. They begin by tracing its sensitive singer-songwriter and soft rock roots, when popular music mounted an introspective campaign against the tumult of the ‘60s.