TV: Lucifer
Turns out the devil is actually all right. Slick going on slimy, but handsome, charming and, on the basis of this new Amazon original, essentially benign. Former Miranda star Tom Ellis lands the plum role of Lucifer Morningstar in this pleasingly daft romp based on a character in Neil Gaiman’s comic-book The Sandman. Lucifer is an immortal demon, bored of life as the Lord Of Hell and trying his luck in the glossily corrupt City Of Angels. His infernal past won’t let him go but, for now, he’s enjoying his self-created role as part time crimefighter and full-time ladykiller.
Amazon Prime
Radio: Explore Rave Culture
Rave culture is getting just about venerable enough that, sooner or later, BBC4 will start making high-minded documentaries about it (Rave Britannia anyone?). In the meantime, it’s worth exploring this excellent mini-compendium of rave-centric radio content. Highlights include a brilliant travelogue through the life and times of Spiral Tribe, the early-90s collective once breathlessly touted as “the rave Sex Pistols”, and an examination of the genesis and evolution of famous hip-hop, hardcore and drum‘n’bass sample staple, the Amen Break.
Radio: Radio Atlas
The appetite for knotty audio docs continues apace with the likes of RadioLab and In The Dark Radio celebrating stories told through sound. Radio Atlas is the latest, aiming to draw together enriching docs and dramas “in languages you don’t necessarily speak”, coupled with English subtitle videos. Well, if it worked for Scandi-noir… Its first (and only) podcast comes from Belgian audio artist Katharina Smets and is a poetic story of an encounter with a writer. If you fancy yourself as the next Sarah Koenig, they’re also taking submissions.
Video: The Real Saul Goodman?
The exploits of Better Call Saul’s titular lawyer are the hook upon which Vice has hung this lively film about Brooklyn defence attorney Howard Greenberg. But the fast-talking, no bullshit, ultra-New York Greenberg would have been worth a documentary anyway. Whether he’s exploring moral queasiness surrounding the defence of sex traffickers and child killers, or complaining about restaurant food, Greenberg is never less than engrossing.
TV: Funny Valentines
This series of web shorts returns for a second outing,this time featuring Suranne Jones, Rhys Thomas and – providing some sage romantic advice – Harry Hill. A perfect distraction for the terminally dateless on Valentine’s Day, though they’re available from Sunday if you can’t wait until then.
