TV: Ripper Street
Given the axe then suddenly saved from the chop is a show that contains more than its share of both – just as Ripper Street was getting into its stride the BBC saw fit to cancel it, only for Amazon to hurl it a lifeline. Matthew Macfadyen, Adam Rothenburg and Jerome Flynn are the trio of cops holding back the inexorable tide of murder and anarchy in 1890s Whitechapel; gruesome killings, political intrigue and the customary smatterings of romance and action make this a pulp period drama much greater than the sum of its hackneyed parts. Watch the first two episodes of season three on Amazon Prime from Friday. The series will be shown on the Beeb in the new year.
Amazon Prime
TV: The Revolution Will Be Televised
Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein’s targets might be sitting ducks (rightwing zealots and perplexed members of the public, mainly), but that doesn’t stop their politics-themed pranks often being outright hilarious. In this third series, the pair’s arsenal is as varied as ever, with spoof interviews, mock-documentaries and roadside stunts all deployed in the name of satire. Catch up with the series so far on the iPlayer now.
TV: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
John Oliver’s transformation from Mock The Week also-ran to the next Walter Cronkite continues unabated. Recent episodes of Last Week Tonight has seen the former Daily Show contributor rail against everything from political corruption to high sugar levels in food, with his segments attracting endless shares on social media. Catch recent episodes on Sky Go. The series concludes Tuesday, 11.30pm on Sky Atlantic.
Sky Go
TV: Grayson Perry - Who Are You?
Our identity is the “most beautiful and complex artwork we can make”, so says Turner prize-winner Perry – something that forms the basis of this art-meets-anthropology series. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of selfhood (fame, family and collective identity, respectively) and sees Perry meet three individuals or groups before creating a piece of art that captures the image these people project into the world. Catch up with the triptych of documentaries on 4OD.
TV: The Art Of The Gothic
As part of the Beeb’s gothic season, Andrew Graham-Dixon looks at the rise of the art movement, from architect Giles Gilbert Scott’s blending of the medieval and the modern to the chilling fiction of Mary Shelley. The series in full is available on iPlayer.
