TELEVISION & FILM
THE PICK OF TV & FILM ON DEMAND
SCI-FI
Episodes 1 and 2 available on BBC iPlayer from midnight on Friday
The announcement of a simultaneous global l he needs to be thought ht of in the same launch for this new series of Doctor Who had way as Star Wars and Marvel, not as some some UK fans crying foul. Why, they argued, idiosyncratic oddball with a smaller following. should the US be favoured with a primetime Not that any of this dilutes the strangeness premiere, while our debut appointment with that makes Doctor Who so special or results in the the Doctor gets scheduled for midnight? episodes being any less of a talking point. In fact,
They have a point, as this is a British TV my advice would be to think of this opening double property, but those objecting do need to bear in bill more as a big entertainment event that you mind a couple of things. First, there’s the injection want to be first in line to see. Just spare a thought of cash from overseas partner Disney, which for parents with kids now pleading to stay up means the investors have likely had a say. And through the night because they don’t have school second, if Ncuti Gatwa’s Time Lord is to succeed, the next day.
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BBC iPlayer
DRAMA
All 3 series available now
FULL BOX SET
It’s ten years since we first met browbeaten police sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire), but in the crowded landscape of TV law enforcers, she still feels more emotionally complex and well realised than her rivals. It helps that Happy Valley is as much a gritty family saga as it is a crime drama, and while the actions of Cawood’s antagonist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) can often make for gruelling viewing, writer Sally Wainwright never loses track of the empathy she feels for all her creations.
NATURE
Available now
Sir David Attenborough turns 98 this week, but he’s still television’s foremost naturalist — his new series Mammals, which concludes this Sunday on BBC1, is a fine addition to iPlayer’s collection of his work. The rule of thumb when looking for his most important series this century is to watch anything with “Planet” in the title. But if you’ve ticked off Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet and the rest, the iPlayer collection also has old archive treats such as Life on Earth and the even older Zoo Quest. There’s wonder in every programme.
“I’ve been watching Putin vs the West,” says the comedian, writer and presenter. “It’s a terrific three-part documentary by film-maker Norma Percy. I’ve also recently enjoyed The Bear (Disney+) and
