Berkshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PICK OF THE WEEK: This is Going to Hurt, BBC1, 8 Feb</h2>



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<p>The entirely charming Ben Wishaw (fanciable as John Keats in&nbsp;<em>Bright Star</em>, lovable as the voice of&nbsp;<em>Paddington</em>, iconic as the Q to Daniel Craig’s Bond) steps into bloodied scrubs for this adaptation of Adam Kay’s much-acclaimed, wry memoir of being a junior doctor. Dry, detailed, unflinching — entirely funny — it’s a heady insight into the flawed, exhausting ordeal of working for the NHS. Published in 2017 and drawn from Kay’s diaries from 2004-2010, the series takes on an even greater weight in today’s pandemic world. But don’t expect depressing grit: the early dubbing of obstetrics as “Brats ‘n’ Twats” nicely sets the tone.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Chloe, BBC1, 6 Feb</h2>



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<p>Created, written and directed by&nbsp;<em>Sex Education</em>‘s Alice Seabright and starring&nbsp;<em>The Crown</em>‘s Princess Anne (aka Erin Doherty), this whip-smart sort-of-murder-mystery grips from the off. We follow Becky (Doherty), a twenty-something living with her dementia-suffering mother, who cons her way into the circle of a girl (the eponymous Chloe), who has just committed suicide, and who Becky had been entirely obsessed with. Not an easily pigeonholed premise, it has shades of&nbsp;<em>Killing Eve</em>&nbsp;as well as Netflix’s&nbsp;<em>Inventing Anna</em>, listed below.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">No Return, ITV, 7 Feb</h2>



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<p>It surely can’t be long before Sheridan Smith has undergone every feasible hardship in the name of gritty British drama. She is of course very good at it: full-dimensional and unrelenting. In this latest iteration, Smith seeks justice for her teenage son, accused of a late-night offence by the Turkish government, in possibly the worst family holiday ever. Things get complicated when it seems her son has a lot to hide.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Boobs, C4, 7 Feb</h2>



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<p>You’ve got to appreciate a nice, pithy title. Boobs! Not to be dismissed, this Channel 4 documentary warmly brings women of all shapes and sizes together to reclaim a body part that’s typically judged, sexualised, critiqued. If that all sounds dangerously worthy, you’ll be pleased to know that&nbsp;<em>Boobs</em>manages to stay witty and uplifting without feeling hammy.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Starstruck, BBC1, 8 Feb</h2>



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<p>This charming, subverted rom-com about a chaotic millennial and a famous actor — like a genderbend&nbsp;<em>Notting Hill</em>, but better — returns for a second series. If you missed the first iteration of this, which so brightened spring 2021, it’s well-worth a revisit on iPlayer. Series 2 takes up where we left off: on a bus, with Jessie having quietly missed her stop, choosing to stay sitting next to Tom and not catch a flight home. Can these two crazy kids get over their messy insecurities to make it work?&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brit Awards, ITV, 8 Feb</h2>



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<p>Mo Gilligan hosts an evening of pop celebration, with performances from Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Liam Gallagher, and more. This year will be the first to scrap male / female divided awards, in what seems likely to prove a trend.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mega Mansion Hunters, C4, 9 Feb</h2>



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<p>For fans of&nbsp;<em>Selling Sunset&nbsp;</em>and the outer-space-egos of&nbsp;<em>The Apprentice</em>, this new Channel 4 series follows a luxury estate agent and his commission-hustling team. Coming in three parts, it’s full of big numbers, big pressure, and big personalities.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Magpie Murders, Britbox, 10 Feb</h2>



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<p>Britbox is making a convincing claim for significance with this brilliant new series. Adapted from Anthony Horowitz’s 2016 novel that offers a murder mystery within a murder mystery, it’s a devilishly fun six-parter whodunnit about a murdered crime writer, and the missing final chapter of his book. Familiar faces include Lesley Manville (<em>The Crown</em>,&nbsp;<em>Harlots</em>), Daniel Mays (<em>Line of Duty</em>) and Pippa Haywood (<em>Bodyguard, Bridgerton</em>).&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Fear Index, Sky Atlantic and NOW TV, 10 Feb</h2>



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<p>Adapted from a thriller by Robert Harris (who also wrote the recently-adapted&nbsp;<em>Munich</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>An Officer and a Spy</em>), this series comes in four parts and follows a computer scientist who has invented an AI that will help him make a killing in stocks. Things get complicated when he begins to suspect that someone is framing him, and people begin to question his sanity. Instantly intriguing, well-plotted stuff.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Inventing Anna, Netflix, 11 Feb</h2>



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<p>From the makers of&nbsp;<em>Scandal</em>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<em>Bridgerton</em>, this one’s set to be your next unstoppable binge. It’s based on the real life (and utterly bonkers) story of&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Sorokin" target="_blank">Anna Sorokin</a>, who was arrested in 2017 for posing as a German heiress in New York high society. Shonda Rhimes, creator of&nbsp;<em>Grey’s Anatomy</em>, weaves an enticing series out of the story (entirely true “except for all of the parts that are totally made up”), with&nbsp;<em>Ozark</em>‘s Julia Garner playing the mysterious, arrogant, manipulative Anna.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America, BBC2, 13 Feb</h2>



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<p>Everyone’s favourite documentary filmmaker is back with a piercing look at the impact of the internet on extremely controversial corners of American society. If you enjoyed Radio 4’s excellent recent series&nbsp;<em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001324r" target="_blank">The Coming Storm</a></em>&nbsp;on the QAnon conspiracy theory, this looks similarly at the recent surge in extreme opinions in the States: misogyny, anti-Semitism, racism, and homophobia, fanned by social media flames.&nbsp;</p>



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