Latest reviews

The Shadow of the Tower

The Shadow of the Tower (1972)

The Shadow of the Tower

BBC drama, made as a prequel to The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R exploring the early reign of Henry VII, charting his struggle to secure the Tudor dynasty amid court intrigue, political unrest, and the lingering threats that haunt a kingdom emerging from civil war

Spearhead

Spearhead (1978)

Spearhead

Uncompromising series that follows soldiers of the fictional Wessex Rangers across deployments in Northern Ireland, West Germany, and Hong Kong, portraying the pressures of military life, rigid class structures, and the personal and moral challenges faced both on and off duty

The Andromeda Breakthrough

The Andromeda Breakthrough (1962)

The Andromeda Breakthrough

A sequel to the previous year's hit sci-fi series A for Andromeda, 'Breakthrough' follows scientists investigating a mysterious extraterrestrial signal as global catastrophe looms, while corporate forces compete to control a powerful supercomputer that could determine humanity’s fate

The Old Men at the Zoo

The Old Men at the Zoo (1983)

The Old Men at the Zoo

A quiet crisis at a national zoo spirals into political chaos as war looms and authoritarianism rises across Europe. Simon Carter’s attempt to preserve order exposes corruption, propaganda and the dangerous compromises made when democracy begins to crumble

If the Crown Fits

If the Crown Fits (1961)

If the Crown Fits

A pampered monarch who bought his tiny Mediterranean kingdom struggles to appear regal while his beatnik daughter tears around on a motor‑scooter, leaving King Rupert juggling royal pretensions, tourist hustling and domestic chaos in equal measure

Yanks Go Home

Yanks Go Home (1976)

Yanks Go Home

Sitcom set around U.S. Army Air Force pilots stationed in a small northern town in Lancashire, England during the Second World War and their sometimes tense relationship with the local men over the attentions of the young women in the town

Strangers and Brothers

Strangers and Brothers (1984)

Strangers and Brothers

Spanning four turbulent decades, Strangers and Brothers follows ambitious lawyer Lewis Eliot as he moves from Cambridge academia to the corridors of Whitehall, navigating love, scandal, and political intrigue while confronting the moral compromises behind power in modern Britain

Nightingale's Boys

Nightingale's Boys (1975)

Nightingale's Boys

An ageing schoolmaster organises a reunion with his brilliant 1949 sixth form, only to confront the gap between cherished memories and complicated realities, as former pupils—and his own family—force him to reassess his life and legacy

The Further Adventures of the Musketeers

The Further Adventures of the Musketeers (1967)

The Further Adventures of the Musketeers

Based on the Alexandre Dumas novel 'Twenty Years After', The Further Adventures of the Musketeers catches up with Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan, as they reluctantly reform to protect the name and throne of the king

Oktober

Oktober (1998)

Oktober

Jim Harper survives a “fatal” lab accident and an experimental drug, only to discover he’s been changed—and his slow return to sanity drives him toward a meticulously crafted, terrifying revenge

The Magic Boomerang

The Magic Boomerang (1964)

The Magic Boomerang

Rugged outdoor adventure with a spark of fantasy as 13‑year‑old Tom Thumbleton uncovers an ancestral Aboriginal boomerang that freezes time mid‑flight, leaving him the only one able to move as the world stands still

The Men from Room 13

The Men from Room 13 (1959)

The Men from Room 13

Suspenseful BBC crime drama in which a secretive Scotland Yard unit plants undercover officers inside criminal gangs, inviting viewers to guess their identities as each case unfolds over gripping, cliff-hanging episodes

Stranger in the City

Stranger in the City (1962)

Stranger in the City

A warm and charming follow‑up to the much‑loved Sunday afternoon drama Stranger on the Shore, this sequel follows the family—and their spirited French au pair—as they swap their quiet Brighton seafront life for a fresh start amid the bustle of London

Spooks

Spooks (2002)

Spooks

In the shadows of modern Britain, where loyalty fractures and democracy trembles, Spooks redefined the spy drama — ruthless, urgent, and unflinching in its portrayal of those who risk everything to remain unseen

The Three Musketeers

The Three Musketeers (1966)

The Three Musketeers

Sword fights, secret plots, and sworn brotherhood—this BBC adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s classic swashbuckler brings d’Artagnan and the Musketeers to life on a shoestring budget, proving that courage and camaraderie outshine even the grandest sets

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina (1977)

Anna Karenina

With a haunting sense of doomed romantic longing, Nicola Pagett delivers a luminous, deeply felt portrayal of Tolstoy’s tragic heroine in the BBC's definitive 1977 adaptation of Anna Karenina, often considered to be among the greatest works of literature

199 Park Lane

199 Park Lane (1965)

199 Park Lane

A glamorous 1960s BBC soap set in an elite London apartment block, 199 Park Lane explored wealth, class and social ambition through scandal and intrigue — but despite style and strong ratings, it proved short-lived

The Big Pull

The Big Pull (1962)

The Big Pull

A mysterious nineteen‑second blackout during an astronaut’s re‑entry triggers deaths and disappearances across Britain, as scientists uncover a terrifying psychic invasion—battling through human minds and pushing Earth toward exponential catastrophe

Clarissa

Clarissa (1991)

Clarissa

Haunting, BAFTA‑nominated period drama charting a virtuous young woman’s struggle against her family’s coercion and a manipulative suitor, whose abduction and betrayal drive her inexorably toward tragedy

The Adventures of Don Quick

The Adventures of Don Quick (1970)

The Adventures of Don Quick

Before Star Trek became shorthand for cerebral sci-fi, The Adventures of Don Quick launched a quixotic astronaut into the cosmos—armed with satire, ambition, and delusion. Bold, bizarre, and short-lived, it’s television’s strangest lost space odyssey

Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks (1995)

Hollyoaks

A vibrant, fast‑paced British soap set in a lively Chester community, known for its youthful cast, gripping twists, and fearless approach to real‑world issues that keep viewers emotionally invested

Sutherland's Law

Sutherland's Law (1973)

Sutherland's Law

First introduced as a 50‑minute Playhouse drama, starring Derek Francis—but re‑cast for the series with Iain Cuthbertson—the series evolved into something increasingly rare on British television: an original legal series in the unique traditions of Scots law

The Hanging Gale

The Hanging Gale (1995)

The Hanging Gale

In famine‑stricken Ireland, four brothers stand at the edge of ruin as landlords tighten their grip and rebellion brews. The Hanging Gale plunges into a world where survival demands courage, sacrifice, and defiance

A Mask for Alexis

A Mask for Alexis (1959)

A Mask for Alexis

Lost BBC murder mystery built on deception and shifting loyalties. A business man bound for Paris is arrested at the airport before he can board his plane and charged with the murder of his boss. One woman can prove his innocence, but she is missing

Nightingales

Nightingales (1990)

Nightingales

Nightingales follows three night‑shift security guards whose mundane routine unravels into surreal, bizarre escapades, blending deadpan humour with offbeat fantasy as they confront loneliness, absurdity, and the strange characters haunting their nocturnal world

The Mind Beyond

The Mind Beyond (1974)

The Mind Beyond

A six-part BBC anthology probing extrasensory perception, spiritualism, and the porous border between psychological disturbance and the supernatural. The Mind Beyond juxtaposes scepticism and faith, psychology and mysticism, parapsychology and folk horror

The Detectives

The Detectives (1993)

The Detectives

In a supposedly high-tech battle against crime, Detective Constables Bob Louis and David Briggs charge in like guided missiles of instinct and guesswork—armed with confidence, chaos and conclusions that are invariably, spectacularly wrong

Kipps

Kipps (1960)

Kipps

A forgotten fortune, a draper’s apprentice, and a daring climb into Edwardian high society—ITV's 1960 Kipps transforms H.G. Wells' deeply personal novel into a richly detailed, socially sharp television drama of ambition and belonging

Chef!

Chef! (1993)

Chef!

A volatile culinary genius turns every service into a comic battleground, clashing with staff, critics, and customers as his obsessive pursuit of perfection repeatedly detonates into wonderfully over‑the‑top kitchen chaos

Waugh on Crime

Waugh on Crime (1970)

Waugh on Crime

Years before he was Hyacinth Bucket's hen-pecked husband, actor Clive Swift appeared as a thinking man’s detective; methodical, confident, and occasionally smug. Inspector Waugh was very much part of the groundwork on which later British crime television was built...