Pick of the week
Robbie Williams
“I’m like a child talking to his mum,” says Robbie Williams, while listening to an old phone call between him and Nicole Appleton when he was recording in Jamaica. It’s amazing how often Williams seems vulnerable, needy and oddly forlorn, even at his absolute commercial zenith. In this gripping documentary series, Williams reviews footage from his life in the spotlight – and it’s a warts-and-all affair, exploring boyband life, his relationship with Gary Barlow, going rogue at Glastonbury, Britain’s rapacious tabloids and much more. Essential viewing for fans, but there’s universal interest in its depiction of the trajectory of fame and how it looks from the inside.
Netflix, from Wednesday 8 November
***
007: Road to a Million
From the Scottish Highlands to Venice, then the Caribbean and South America, this adventure show sees pairs of contestants tackling tests of knowledge, nerve and ingenuity. Their tasks are overseen by the Controller (Brian Cox) observing from afar. Contestants include two gently bickering sisters and a pair of south London brothers who describe a mountain range as “proper naughty”. It’s hard to see exactly what it’s got to do with the James Bond universe; essentially, it’s Race Across the World with less charm but, it has to be said, considerably more money. The last pair standing win £1m.
Prime Video, from Friday 10 November
***
Lawmen: Bass Reeves
Born into slavery but eventually becoming one of the first ever Black US marshals, the remarkable life of Bass Reeves is ripe for serialisation. He’s played here by David Oyelowo as the strong, silent type – given his racial identity, his occupation and the era into which he was born, it’s hard to see how he could have been anything else. It’s a well made, fairly traditional western, showing a man living largely in the grey area where lawlessness and law enforcement meet and often struggling with the resulting contradictions. Donald Sutherland and Dennis Quaid also star.
Paramount+, from Sunday 5 November
***
The Buccaneers
Adapted from an unfinished novel by Edith Wharton, this drama feels very much like Apple’s attempt to exploit the sweet spot in between seasons of Bridgerton where modern sensibilities meet lavish period glamour. Set in the late 19th century, the buccaneers of the title are a group of wild and gregarious young American women who are parachuted into the uptight, upper-crust London social scene. Before long, elderly matrons are fainting with horror at their antics while posh young English men are blushing furiously and loosening their collars.
Apple TV+, from Wednesday 8 November
***
Culprits
A heist thriller with a difference, Culprits joins its central gang of miscreants in the aftermath of a successful job that, as they come to realise, isn’t quite finished. Nathan Stewart-Jarrett stars as Joe, the reformed criminal at the heart of the crew who is the first to realise that the members are being systematically targeted by an assassin. Soon, that genre staple, the “one last job”, kicks in – but in this case, the job is a fight for survival. Twisty fun with a decent cast that also includes Gemma Arterton, Eddie Izzard and Niamh Algar.
Disney+, from Wednesday 8 November
***
Escaping Twin Flames
Cults make good raw material for documentaries. So much so that this particular cult was also explored in a very recent Prime Video series. Jeff and Shaleia Ayan’s online community traded in the most alluring dream of all: finding a soulmate. However, while their Twin Flames Universe began promising harmony, it soon became a grim story of gaslighting, exploitation and coercion. This series digs into the psychology of cult leaders and cult members alike, and follows people trying to rescue their loved ones from Jeff and Shaleia’s clutches.
Netflix, from Wednesday 8 November
***
The Great Erection Deception: The Stiff Nights Story
A Mormon and a vegan created a sex supplement. It sounds like the feed line for a bad joke but it’s actually the subject of this documentary about a pill called Stiff Nights which, for a while, set American pulses racing. But while the inventors claimed the pill was all-natural, it soon emerged that Stiff Nights contained sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra. The business – which was fronted by a man calling himself Erb Avore – was soon the subject of a police investigation. Then things got weirder still.
ITVX, from Thursday 9 November
