TV: True Detective
You marvelled at Matthew McConaughey’s scenery-chewing, were thrilled at the six-minute tracking shot, and had your brain scrambled by all of that “time is a flat circle” business. Now it’s time for season two of the crime drama, which, er, features none of those things. Instead, we’re in LA with Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams on either – and, in one case, both – sides of the law as a murder investigation gets underway. There’s been some criticism of the rather hokey set-up and characterisation in its early episodes, but you write True Detective off at your peril.
Sky On Demand, NOW TV
TV: Original Drama Shorts
A commendable undertaking, this: shorts written and directed by young up-and-comers receiving their first televisual credit, the first three of which, initially aired last year, are still available to view on iPlayer. The second trio lands on the service on Friday, tackling more yoof-relevant subjects: parents living vicariously through their child’s success (Playing Ball), abandoning a family in pursuit of rock stardom (Oakwood), and the altogether weightier issue of teen suicide (Is This Thing On?). A worthy, essential showcase of new talent.
Audio: You’re Worth It
This podcast comes from Claire Tolan, an advocate of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), which is a tingling sensation that you can get from, say, listening to someone having their hair brushed, accompanied by a soothing voice. It’s fetishistic but not necessarily erotic, and Tolan’s Berlin Community Radio show explores these unrealised feelings in episodes like Data Storage Special (fingernails tapping on a keyboard) and Fern Families (leaves being fondled). Shivers-down-your spine stuff.
TV: My Mad Fat Diary
It’s a strange state of affairs where one of the few dramas to tackle issues of mental health without resorting to open-mouthed gawping is on teen channel E4. But My Mad Fat Diary, which airs its final ever episode on Monday, had some unerringly accurate source material to fall back on in the real-life diaries of Rae Earl, and a hugely believable performance from Sharon Rooney at its centre. It will be missed, though you can revisit the series in full on All4.
TV: Insane Fight Club 2
“It’s yersel’!” We were thoroughly won over by the first Insane Fight Club, a bawdy but sweet documentary about the Glaswegian Insane Championship Wrestling federation and its cocksure star, Grado. This follow-up catches up with its performers as they head south of the border to lure in a bigger audience. Utterly charming.
