Amazon
Baron Noir
If the real-life political backstabbing and double-dealing of the past few weeks hasn’t been enough for you, this French drama should provide a timely top-up. After the mayor of Dunkirk is betrayed by his former mentor, now the country’s president, he wages a populist campaign against the government, engaging himself in all manner of nefarious activity in the process. Stylishly shot, there’s a savageness at the heart of this series that keeps things engrossing.
Available now
BBC Three
Unsolved
Whether it’s down to a grim fascination with the dark side of humanity or the excitement of turning into desktop detectives, everyone seems hooked on the thrills of the true-crime genre. Unsolved: The Boy Who Disappeared follows two investigative journalists as they consider rumours and leads connected to the case of Damien Nettle, who went missing in 1996 after a night out in his home town on the Isle of Wight. The series’ eight 10-minute episodes will be released in one go, encouraging a Making A Murderer-style binge.
Available from Monday
Podcasts
Sooo Many White Guys
The premise of this new podcast from Phoebe Robinson (best known for her ‘cast 2 Dope Queens) is a bold one: each week she interviews a host of people from diverse backgrounds, none of whom are white and male, before interviewing a “token” white man at the end of each episode. It’s not as heavy as that setup might suggest, though, thanks to Robinson’s droll humour and engaging guests such as Broad City’s Ilana Glazer.
Available weekly
Chips With Everything
The Guardian podcast formerly known as Tech Weekly returns with a better name and a renewed focus on digital culture. Inevitably, recent episodes have taken on the all-consuming Pokémon Go, but has also featured discussions on the political impact of memes and an exploration of the internet’s dark underbelly.
Available weekly
BBC Store
Alan Bleasdale At The BBC
Alan Bleasdale’s social-realist dramas were a defining presence in the divided 80s, proving both hugely popular and also much criticised by those of a Thatcherite persuasion. This BBC Store collection features some of his major works from the period, including – of course – the decade-defining Boys From The Blackstuff, as well as its Play For Today predecessor The Black Stuff, plus the Pete Posthelwaite-starring play The Muscle Market and the period drama The Monocled Mutineer, used by the rightwing press as evidence of an apparent leftist bent at the BBC.
Available now
All4
The Government Inspector
With the ink scarcely dry on the Chilcot Report’s 6,000 pages, now is a good point to revisit Peter Kosminsky’s factual drama about the death of Dr David Kelly, the UN weapons inspector instrumental in the Labour government’s case for intervention in Iraq. Mark Rylance, currently undertaking another giant role in The BFG, is excellent as the muted Kelly, while Kosminsky’s script is damning in its understatedness.
Available now
