TV: Hemlock Grove
The flood of small-town, small-screen fantasy-horror unleashed in the wake of True Blood doesn’t look like abating any time soon. The third and final season of this Netflix original is up this week but, even if we are saying goodbye to Hemlock Grove, there’ll surely be another blood- and sex-soaked slice of weird Americana along soon. In its first weekend, this show managed a bigger global audience than House Of Cards and TV companies don’t walk away from numbers like those. But first, can Peter and Roman prevent the End Of Days as the town’s grim secrets continue to overwhelm it?
Netflix
TV: Matt Berry Does…Ghosts
Matt Berry’s vocal chords are fast approaching national treasure status in their own right. In this latest absurd rummage through the archives, he turns his attention to ghosts. Luckily, “their presence has been established by untold hours of filmed footage”. Cue five inexplicably hilarious minutes of squid, jellyfish and other assorted underwater creatures “haunting” various unfortunate victims, while Berry roars, mumbles and swears inventively over the top. Eventually, this formula will get old. But not just yet.
TV: Alan Davies As Yet Untitled
With the imperial QI war of succession over, and Sandi Toksvig taking over from Stephen Fry as schoolmaster-in-chief, dad TV’s favourite quiz-ee Alan Davies has slowly been expanding his own media principality. His Dave show, for which he sits in the host’s chair, takes the bold step of not actually being a quiz, with guests from Germaine Greer to Noel Fielding chatting round a table, unburdened by the uniquely British love of point-scoring. Ahead of the new season starting on 3 November, catch up on the podcasts.
TV: Chewing Gum
This sassy comedy about Tracey Gordon, a girl exploring sex and friendship on a council estate, has been one of the sleeper hits of the year. It’s the handiwork of Michaela Coel who has adapted the series from her play Chewing Gum Dreams. Expect whipsmart dialogue and hard-won revelation as Tracey deals with her wet weekend of a boyfriend and her raunchy best mate.
TV: The Apprentice: Extras
If you really can’t get enough of this year’s grim parade of chancers then you’ve a stronger stomach than us. But the iPlayer is host to plenty of extra Apprentice bits, from “honestly subtitled” episode highlights packages to recaps rendered in rap. Nothing as acute as Cassetteboy’s still-definitive mash-up but plenty for fans to enjoy.
