Fire Up the Group Chat – Autumn TV is Here
We have all been there – the weather takes a turn for the worst so you decide to watch some TV, then spend the next hour scrolling through the various channels and streaming services before settling on something you’ve seen a hundred times before. This Autumn, things can be different: here are a selection of new shows that actually deserve those precious hours of free time.
Reality: The Celebrity Traitors, BBC, October
Grow a fringe and grab some chunky knitwear – The Traitors is back. A simple premise: 19 people (this time celebrities, I mean proper celebrities) arrive via Land Rover to a remote Scottish castle where they play the ultimate game of detection and deception. The Traitors has become iconic – Claudia’s fingerless gloves, the overacting at breakfast, Linda’s head turn at the word ‘Traitors’ – never before has a show fuelled so much conversation. It’s appointment viewing in an era where that concept was dying, and having famous faces such as Stephen Fry, Alan Carr and Celia Imrie will only add to that hype. The time for talk is only just beginning…
Comedy: Fisk, ITVX, Available Now
Now in its third season, Fisk has flown below the radar. Written by and starring Kitty Flanagan, it centres around Helen Tudor-Fisk, a once high-flying city lawyer who finds herself in a suburban wills and estates firm after her marriage collapses. Helen is not good with people and their idiosyncrasies, meaning that working with the Gruber siblings (lazy Ray and toilet-key warden Roz) presents challenges, as does dealing with the bizarre requests of clients. Kitty Flanagan is effortlessly funny, crafting a rare deadpan humour rather than the canned-laughs we are used to from other comedies. It’s a sitcom with heart, genuine laughs and a relaxed feel: perfect for a chilled evening.
Drama: Blue Lights, BBC, Series 1 & 2 on iPlayer, Series 3 Coming Soon
The trailer for Blue Lights series three has dropped, promising more action and suspense as Grace, Annie and Tommy begin their third year as police officers in Belfast. Where the past two series have portrayed the complexities of policing a city with a complicated political history, the promo for these new episodes teases ‘a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life’, and therefore new challenges for the team. Blue Lights is definitely a binge-worthy rollercoaster of a drama, but its cliffhangers are balanced by its warmer moments: only Stevie can put so much enthusiasm into opening a lunchbox, bless him.
Family: Strictly Come Dancing (BBC, Coming Soon) and The Great British Bake Off (Channel Four, Tuesdays at 8pm)
Everyone’s heard of these, they’ve been going for years, and there’s a reason – Strictly and Bake Off are reliably entertaining shows that the whole family can sit together and watch. The new series of Bake Off is underway with the calibre of cake higher than it’s ever been before, a comfort-watch when you want to switch off from work or school with a cuppa. Strictly, on the other hand, is an explosion of glitter and sequins on a Saturday night – some think they are too cool for it, but to them I ask, what is cooler than a Paso Doble performed to ‘Insomnia’? Not much. The music, costumes and choreography are all exceptional, and before you know it, you’ll be critiquing the footwork on an Argentine Tango like the rest of us.