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Lockdown Watchlist: Martin Freeman shares what he’ll be streaming while stuck indoors

Phil de Semlyen
Written by
Phil de Semlyen
Global film editor
Lockdown watchlist: Martin Freeman shares what he’ll be streaming while stuck indoors
Photograph: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images
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There’s several lifetimes’ worth of movies, series and soundtracks available to stream, but where to start? We ask ‘Breeders’, 'Sherlock’ and ‘The Hobbit’ star Martin Freeman for his quarantine playlist.

Streaming series I’m catching up on
‘“Succession”. Everyone talks about it, so I should watch it. One of my brothers texted to tell me to watch “Giri/Haji” too.’

Dream box set 
‘There are some fantastically brilliant European or Asian directors I need to catch up on, so it’d be Akira Kurosawa. Also Rob Reiner. He doesn’t get cited in the way other great directors do.’

Sopranos Photograph: Amazon Prime

Show to stream immediately 
‘ “The Sopranos” has everything in it: family, humour, violence, great clothes, great music, and amazing writing and performances. It’s an extraordinary television programme, and the blueprint for everything we watch now. “Fleabag” would be another.’

Uplifting movie soundtrack 
‘[Martin Scorsese’s 1978 concert film of The Band] “The Last Waltz” has some of my favourite music in it. The movie makes me feel uplifted and it’s got great guest appearances. Van Morrison stomps around the stage in a [brown suit] like an angry toddler.’

One to keep the kids entertained 
‘It used to be CBeebies – “In the Night Garden” was a fucking godsend – but now they’re 11 and 14, and we bond over scary films. Not gory things, more great Hammer features and films like “Dr Terror’s House of Horrors”. It’s set on a train and has Peter Cushing as Death doing his “general foreigner” accent.’

Favourite book about the movies 
‘Peter Biskind’s [account of ’70s Hollywood] “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls”. When I was growing up, my favourite films were by young, bearded Hollywood directors, like Scorsese and Spielberg. I also love David Mamet’s “Bambi vs Godzilla”. It’s about how much of a twat you can get away with being in Hollywood.’

Most missed thing about going to the cinema
‘It’s the excitement you get when the lights go down and being enveloped by the sound. I’ll miss the experience of just bedding in for a couple of hours. It is an amazing thing and I can’t quite believe we’re not going to be able to do it for a while.’ 

‘Breeders’ airs on Thursdays at 10pm on Sky One and streams on Now TV.

You might want to take a look at our guide to the 19 best Netflix shows to stream right now

Check out five ways to help your community during the coronavirus outbreak.

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