Jon Hornbuckle

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘TV’s golden age’ enough times over the past couple of decades to get wary of the hyperbole, but this year does seem to be shaping up to be a kind of mini golden age for the TV follow-up. Severance, Andor and The Last of Us all look like building on incredibly satisfying first runs with equally masterful second runs (even more masterful, in Severance’s case). The third season of The White Lotus has proved that, whether you love it or find it a touch too languorous, there’s no escaping Mike White’s transgressive privilege-in-paradise satire. Likewise for season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian-flavoured sci-fi Black Mirror. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment,  and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Netflix has announced the finale of Squid Game this summer, along with the end of Stranger Things, a second run of Tim Burton’s Wednesday and about a zillion other things, while HBO is offering up a second season for Nathan Fielder’s genius/awkward comedy docuseries The Rehearsal. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)🔥 The best TV and streaming shows to watch in 2025📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

With Hollywood still regaining its footing after a 2020s it’d probably describe as a personal low, the field has been open for streaming shows to monopolise the cultural conversation. And this year it’s been well-established thoroughbreads that have been dominating our social feeds (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Bear, Industry, Bridgerton, Slow Horses), as well as some unexpected bolters (Baby Reindeer, Rivals, Fallout). And with a second run of Squid Game about to end the year with a big pile of bodies, the pressure to cram in eight or ten episodes’ worth of must-see TV is not relenting anytime soon. Our advice? Shake off the pressure to ‘see everything’ – it’s impossible, short of ripping a hole in the fabric of time – and find the shows that really hit your sweet spot. To help with this, we’ve taken a backwards glance over the best and most all-round enjoyable new binges, curating our definitive list of 2024 favourites. And as any fan of ace Aussie comedy Colin From Accounts will tell you: it’s not always about the number of Emmys on the shelf, as the sheer joy on screen that makes something worth your precious time. Here’s where to start. RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The 50 best movies of 2024🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2023📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

Tom Cruise is back to save cinema yet again this week, with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One crashing into your local picturehouse, multiplex or theater and unleashing another cargo of pulse-racing action. Cruise is back as IMF super-agent Ethan Hunt on the hunt for a mystery cruciform key that can access a world-changing (not in a good way) new A.I. called ‘The Entity’. The film opens at the bottom of the ocean with your classic submarine-in-peril sequence before surfacing and immediately decamping to some of the world’s most exotic, architecturally advanced and generally easy-on-the-eye locales. On the itinerary this time? Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi, Rome, Venice and Norway. ‘We wanted to make a bigger film,’ says director Christopher McQuarrie, ‘a more global film’. Well, mission accomplished. Here’s our ultimate travel guide to the globe-trotting action spectacular.

Actuar es un trabajo. Incluso en el nivel más selecto, los actores de Hollywood trabajan, aunque desde fuera no se parezca al trabajo que el resto de nosotros estamos acostumbrados a hacer. Y eso significa que, como nosotros, un actor hará algo simplemente para cobrar un dinero y después se arrepentirá. Un ejemplo: Dakota Johnson. Recientemente, en una entrevista con Vanity Fair, la actriz –que actualmente protagoniza la próxima adaptación de Netflix de la novela 'Persuasión' de Jane Austen– habló de la "batalla" que supuso la realización de la trilogía cinematográfica de '50 sombras de Grey' que lanzó su carrera. La elección de Johnson y su coprotagonista Jamie Dornan para los papeles principales, junto a Sam Taylor-Wood en la dirección, dio un barniz de credibilidad a estos blockbusters de literatura fetichista. Pero el producto final estaba lleno de diálogos torpes y escenas de sexo que daban vergüenza ajena. "Firmé para hacer una versión muy distinta a la película que acabamos haciendo", dijo Johnson. Johnson no es la primera actriz que expresa cierta vergüenza por sus decisiones interpretativas. Aquí hay otras ocasiones en las que la lista A de Hollywood ha echado pestes de su trabajo. NO TE LO PIERDAS: Los mejores estrenos del mes

Actuar és una feina. Fins i tot en el nivell més selecte, els actors de Hollywood treballen, encara que des de fora no s'assembli a la feina que la resta de nosaltres estem acostumats a fer. I això vol dir que, com nosaltres, un actor farà alguna cosa simplement per cobrar uns diners i després se'n penedirà. Un exemple: Dakota Johnson. Recentment, en una entrevista amb Vanity Fair, l'actriu –que actualment protagonitza la propera adaptació de Netflix de la novel·la 'Persuasió' de Jane Austen– va parlar de la "batalla" que va suposar la realització de la trilogia cinematogràfica de '50 ombres d'en Grey' que va llançar la seva carrera. L'elecció de Johnson i el seu coprotagonista Jamie Dornan pels papers principals, juntament amb Sam Taylor-Wood a la direcció, va donar un vernís de credibilitat a aquests blockbusters de literatura fetitxista. Però el producte final estava ple de diàlegs maldestres i escenes de sexe que feien vergonya aliena. "Vaig signar per fer una versió molt diferent de la pel·lícula que vam acabar fent", va dir Johnson. Johnson no és la primera actriu que expressa certa vergonya per les decisions interpretatives. Aquí hi ha altres ocasions en què la llista A de Hollywood ha malparlat de la seva feina. NO T'HO PERDIS: Les millors estrenes de cine del mes 

Acting is a job. Even at the most elite level, Hollywood actors are still putting in work, even if, from the outside, it doesn’t look like the work the rest of us are accustomed to doing. And just like you, that means that, every once in a while, an actor is going to do something simply to collect a paycheck – and then regret it later. Case in point: Dakota Johnson. Recently, in an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress – currently set to star in the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion – discussed the ‘battle’ of making the 50 Shades of Grey movie trilogy that launched her career. The casting of Johnson and co-star Jamie Dornan in the leading roles, along with Sam Taylor-Wood on directing duties, lent a veneer of arthouse credibility to the fetish literature blockbusters. But the final product was plagued with hammy dialogue and cringe-inducing sex scenes. ‘I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making,’ Johnson said, expanding on 50 Shades author EL James’s insistence on having ‘a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen. Johnson is hardly the first actor to express some embarrassment over their acting choices. Here are a few other notable occasions when Hollywood’s A-list spoke put the boot in on their own work.

A child going missing is every parent’s worst nightmare, but in Disney’s new psychological thriller, nothing is quite as it appears. Adapted from the novel Playdate by American/Norwegian crime novelist Alex Dahl, and transplanted from Scandinavia to the north of England, The Stolen Girl follows two families thrown into chaos as an international investigation brings dark secrets to light. Here’s all you need to know about the new Disney+ thriller. Photograph: Disney+Holliday Grainger as the mysterious Rebecca Walsh in ‘The Stolen Girl’ What is The Stolen Girl about? The Stolen Girl kicks into gear when a young child is abducted after a sleepover at a friend’s house in suburban Manchester.  When parents Elisa and Fred Blix (Denise Gough and Jim Sturgess) go to collect young Lucia (Beatrice Cohen), they learn that the family they thought were looking after their daughter never even existed.  Is the mysterious Rebecca Walsh (Holliday Grainger) involved in the disappearance? And how does flight attendant Elisa’s shady ex (Xavier Samuel) fit into the story? Those are some of the questions reporter Selma Desai (Ambika Mod) and detectives DI Shona Sinclair (Bronagh Waugh) and DS Lizzie Walker (Layo-Christina Akinlude) will be trying to puzzle out.  What follows is a rollercoaster of infidelity, secret communes, murder and globe-trotting sleuthing... to say any more specifics would ruin the ride. It’s the perfect pulpy, cliffhanger-filled binge watch. Matt Squire/Disney+Denise Gou

Heard rumours of mayhem at screenings of A Minecraft Movie? Fear not, because that raw exuberance is being contained within some secure – and potentially unique – environments this weekend.Minecraft fans will be able to level up their cinema experience at Cineworld cinemas on Sunday, via special 4DX ‘Chicken Jockey’ screenings. A Minecraft Movie, the latest video-game adaptation to hit cinema screens, is breaking records at the global box office, but die-hard fans of the block-building game are reportedly causing chaos at screenings. ‘Chicken Jockey’, a phrase likely to baffle anyone born before 2000, has become the latest contested topic of cinema etiquette. It’s the moment in the movie that sees a baby zombie riding a chicken and it’s had audiences shrieking with joy and lobbing their popcorn around. Cineworld wants fans to embrace the chaos by dressing up and cheering along to a movie experience its calling ‘an immersive, ground-shaking, chicken-bouncing, multi-sensory rollercoaster ride’. Minecrafters will be able to feel every buck, sway and water blast in unison in the moving 4DX seats.  These are the participating cinemas on Sunday, April 14: Aberdeen Union Square, Glasgow Renfrew Street, Greenwich O2, Hull, Newport Spytty Park, Wembley – 3.20pm Cardiff, Newcastle, Milton Keynes, Wandsworth, Wolverhampton – 3.30pm Leicester Square – 4.20pm Feltham – 4.50pm Ashford, Ashton, Barnsley, Birmingham Broad Street, Bracknell, Edinburgh, Ipswich, Plymouth, Rushden Lakes, She

It’s time to head back to the picturesque seaside town of Shipton Abbott for more murder and mysteries as Beyond Paradise returns for a third outing. The Death in Paradise spinoff has become a fan-favourite in its own right, swapping Caribbean islands for the idyllic British coast, but keeping all of the mystery and mayhem. Here’s all you need to know about Beyond Paradise: when it airs, who’s in it, and where it’s filmed. Photograph: Joss Barrett/BBCKris Marshall as Humphrey Goodman and Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams When is Beyond Paradise season 3 released? The third series of Beyond Paradise lands on BBC iPlayer and BBC One from Friday, 28 March at 8pm. For those craving a Friday night of full-on sleuthing, Beyond Paradise will be immediately followed by the latest episode of original series Death in Paradise at 9pm. Who is in the Beyond Paradise season 3 cast? Kris Marshall is back as Detective Humphrey Goodman, a cop who has relocated from the exotic climes of Saint-Marie in the Caribbean to the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbott. Marshall is best known for his role in classic BBC sitcom My Family and, of course, starred in the ultimate Richard Curtis romcom Love Actually. Sally Bretton plays his fiancée Martha Lloyd. British telly fans will recognise the actress from Not Going Out and Green Wing. Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber swaps starships for starfish as Archie, Martha’s ex-fiancé and business partner. Zahara Ahmadi (EastEnders) plays Detective Serge

When it comes to murder mysteries, nobody can touch the inimitable Agatha Christie. It’s fortunate, then, that a new BBC adaptation hits screens this month. One of Christie’s lesser-known novels, 1944’s Towards Zero is an outlier in her bibliography, with no appearances from cunning Belgian Hercule Poirot or the formidable Miss Marple. Many of the filming locations used in Towards Zero have a connection to Christie. The author was born in Devon, where the gripping drama unfolds. Here’s everything you need to know about the cast, filming locations and how to watch it. Photograph: BBCOliver Jackson-Cohen and Ella Lily Hyland in ‘Towards Zero’ What is Towards Zero about? Towards Zero transports viewers to 1930s England and more specifically, Gull’s Point, the picturesque coastal estate of Lady Tressilian, aunt to tennis ace Nevile Strange. After making headlines following a scandalous divorce, Nevile and his ex-wife Audrey make a shock decision to spend a summer together at Gull’s Point, where they spent much of their early years. Tensions run high with unfinished business between the former childhood sweethearts and the arrival of Nevile’s new wife Kay. James PardonInspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) must find the killer before they strikes again Add to this mix, a long-suffering lady’s companion, a mysterious gentleman’s valet, an exiled cousin with a grudge, a venerable family lawyer, an inquisitive orphan and a French con man, and you’ve got all the ingredients to a Christie

Dare to imagine a Sunday evening without a new crime drama to binge? Luckily you don’t have to. Siobhan Finneran and Katherine Kelly lead the cast of Protection, ITV’s latest crime series that’s sure to get people talking as it explores the murky world of witness protection. Filmed across the North West, Protection is based on the real experiences of a Metropolitan Police witness protection officer Here’s all you need to know about Protection, where it was filmed and how to watch. MATT SQUIRESiobhan Finneran stars in crime drama Protection What is Protection about?  Protection follows long-serving witness protection officer Liz Nyles who finds herself at the heart of a security breach and personally compromised by an affair with a colleague. Determined to fight back and uncover the true source of corruption within her unit, DI Nyles is on a mission to redeem herself and keep her witnesses safe, even when they’re criminals themselves. Navigating the morally-grey world of witness protection, Liz will have to venture into the criminal underbelly and beyond in her fight for truth and justice, while becoming increasingly torn between caring for her family or carrying out her duty as a police officer. Check out the trailer below for a taste of the drama.  Where was Protection filmed? Filming took place between July and September 2023 in the North West of England. Filming took place between July and September 2023 across the North West of England, including Liverpool,

A new true-crime drama explores the life – and death – of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the UK. With a stellar cast including Lucy Boynton, Toby Jones and Nigel Havers, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story reveals facts about the case that have remained secret for decades. Here’s the lowdown on the facts behind ITV drama A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story. Photograph: Des Willie/ITVLucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story What is ITV’s A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story? Born in Wales in 1926, Ellis was the fifth of six children to her parents Arthur and Berta. In her early years, the family moved to Basingstoke in Hampshire where Ellis attended school and lived her teenage years. Ellis moved to London in 1941 during the height of World War Two, it was here that a 17-year-old Ellis fell pregnant by a Canadian soldier stationed in the UK. The soldier had a wife back in Canada and abandoned Ellis and their child, Andy.  Ruth worked as a hostess in London clubs, where she met dentist George Ellis, whom she married in 1950 and they welcomed a daughter, Georgina, but the relationship was volatile and abusive, leading to divorce. Ellis started working in London’s nightclubs as a hostess and eventually rose to become manager of the Little Club in Knightsbridge. It was here that Ellis met racing car driver David Blakely, and the pair soon fell in love. Photograph: ITVThe real Ruth Ellis Why was Ruth Ellis hanged? The fairy-tale romance didn’

British telly’s newest water-cooler series, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story is a true-crime drama that explores the life – and death – of one of Britain’s most infamous murderers. In 1955, Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in the UK. The ITV series will show the build-up to the murder, from her troubled childhood to her fateful relationship with an abusive lover, and chart the weeks between her arrest and execution. Someone will want to talk to you about it as work, so tune in and arm yourself with all the facts. Here’s what you need to know about the plot, filming locations and cast. Photograph: ITVLucy Boynton as Ruth Ellis in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story What is A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story about? The true-crime series tells the story of Ruth Ellis, who became the last woman to be executed in the UK in 1955, at the age of just 28, after murdering her abusive lover. The story is told over two parallel timelines and reveals facts about the case that have remained secret for decades. One strand follows the moment from Ellis’ arrest through to execution, while the other charts her life from childhood, living through World War II and working in London’s nightclubs. Born in 1926, Ellis moved to London in 1941 and became pregnant after falling in love with a married Canadian soldier who later abandoned her and their child.  To stay afloat, she started working in London’s nightclubs as a hostess and eventually worked up the ladder to become manager of

Toxic Town is a new four-part Netflix drama that explores the huge impact of an environmental catastrophe on local families. In 1995, dozens of babies in the Midlands town of Corby were born with disabilities as a result of toxic waste polluting the air. Jodie Whittaker headlines the cast bringing this harrowing drama to the screen for the first time. Here’s what you need to know about the true story behind Toxic Town. Credit: Ben Blackall/NetflixJodie Whittaker stars in Toxic Town What is the true story of Tracey Taylor and the residents of Corby in Northamptonshire? An unexplained cluster of birth defects occurred in the small town of Corby, Northamptonshire in the mid-’90s. The town had been a hotbed of industry but its steelworks closed in 1981. The local council was then put in charge of its reclamation, which meant removing toxic waste that was a byproduct of the former steel works, in a bid to rebuild on the site and grow the local community. including transporting toxic waste in a bid to revive the town. But those in charge opted for speed over safety and cut corners when it came to transporting the toxic waste. Uncovered vehicles raced through the residential streets, with toxic matter spilling over the side of the trucks, turning into dust once dry. After years of anguish, local families, determined lawyers and whistleblowers in the local council worked together and realised that the toxic matter had been inhaled by pregnant mothers, which caused the limb differen

Jodie Whittaker headlines an all-star cast in Toxic Town, a harrowing new Netflix drama that’s being billed as ‘the UK’s Erin Brockovich’. Based on a true story, Toxic Town is set in 1995 when dozens of babies in the Midlands town of Corby are born with disabilities as a result of an environmental catastrophe.  Here’s all you need to know about Toxic Town’s plot, cast and filming locations.  NetflixJodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood in ‘Toxic Town’ What is Toxic Town about? Toxic Town tells the true story of a devastating environmental scandal in Corby, Northamptonshire and its lasting impact on families in the community after a link was found between 19 children born with physical abnormalities following a mishandled clean-up of toxic waste from the town’s former steelworks site. What followed was a decade-spanning fight for justice as the families embarked on an exhausting court case battle to hold those responsible to account.  The Northamptonshire town has been a hotbed of industry but its steel worksite was closed in 1981. The local council was then in charge of its reclamation, including transporting toxic waste in a bid to revive the town. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of the drama. Where was Toxic Town filmed? Production on Toxic Town started in August 2023. While the series is set in the Northamptonshire town of Corby, much of the show was filmed in the North West, across Bolton, Liverpool and surrounding locations in the East

Renée Zellweger’s Bridget is back and that means more emotional baggage, more hilarious antics, and a new batch of certified bangers for an all-new soundtrack. The Bridget Jones soundtracks have become almost as popular as the film series itself.  A sort of Mount Rushmore of British pop music, the soundtracks have featured the likes of Geri Halliwell, Gabrielle, Jamelia and Robbie Williams, to name just a few.  When the third Bridget Jones movie landed in 2016, efforts were made to give the soundtrack a more contemporary edge, with Ed Sheeran and Ellie Goulding giving popular – if slightly uninspired – efforts. No surprise then, that the fourth instalment, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, continues the trend of blending iconic jazz standards with young pop A-listers like London’s homegrown talents Jessie Ware and RAYE.  Photograph: Universal Pictures What’s on the Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy soundtrack? Weeds – Rose MorrisThe Sweetest Gift – SadeModern Love – David BowieWorth It – RAYELove is Back – CelesteToes – Glass AnimalsPearls – Jessie WareWhat a Wonderful Thing Love Is – Al GreenLight Work – ElmieneMad About the Boy – Dinah WashingtonPraise You – Fatboy SlimI Want A Little Sugar in My Bowl – Nina SimoneA Little Respect – The Hanseroth TwinsTil I’m Done – Paloma FaithShould I Stay Or Should I Go – The ClashTurn On The Lights – Jamie CullumBlame It On Me – George EzraAm I the Same Girl – Barbara AcklinDive – Olivia DeanHave You Met Miss Jones? – Robbie Williams 

Netflix has raised prices in the UK again, with viewers facing an annual increase of up to £24. The streaming service previously hiked the prices for UK customers in October 2023 and introduced a cheaper plan that included adverts.  Fifteen months on and the cost is going up again, with all subscription plans going up by at least £1 a month. The cost of adding extra members - people who don’t live in the same household – will also rise by £1 across all subscription plans. In July 2024, Netflix axed its most-popular Basic plan, with those viewers either having to put up with adverts or shelling out an extra £36 each year to upgrade to Netflix Standard without any pesky ads. Courtesy of NetflixStranger Things is one of the biggest shows on Netflix Despite the price increases, Netflix is clearly doing something right. By the end of 2024, Netflix had more than 300 million global subscribers, an increase of 41 million from the previous year. It’s likely that the price increase – and surge in subscriber numbers – is the result of the streaming service funnelling eye-watering amounts of money on live sports, with a $500 million-per-year deal with wrestling giant WWE and high-profile boxing and NFL live broadcasts. But, with the lengthy delays between seasons of hit shows like Stranger Things and The Witcher, there’s a strong chance that casual viewers will balk at the idea of shelling out more dosh. Photograph: Liam Daniel/NetflixBridgerton will return to Netflix in 2026 Breakdo

Death in Paradise is back for a fourteenth season with more murder, mojitos and idyllic sun-drenched. Two things will be true of the BBC crime series’ latest run: someone will die, and you will be exploring flight options to the Caribbean before the credits roll. EastEnders stalwart Don Gilet has stepped into the lead role as DI Mervin Wilson, the latest expat detective on the island. Here’s all you need to know about the upcoming season, the filming locations, the cast, and when the episodes are on telly. Credit: BBC Pictures / Lou DenimDon Gilet as DI Mervin Wilson in Death in Paradise When can I watch season 14 of Death in Paradise? Death in Paradise returns to BBC One at 9pm on Friday, January 31 and will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The series consists of eight episodes, with the finale expected to air on Friday, March 21. Audiences in the US have to wait a while longer, with the series kicking off on BritBox on Wednesday, February 19. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of the drama that’s set to unfold.  Where is Death in Paradise filmed? Guadeloupe, a French archipelago situated between Dominica and Antigua in the eastern Caribbean Sea, stands in for Saint Marie, the fictional island of Death in Paradise. Guadeloupe consists of six small islands, with Basse-Terre the most prominent one used for filming the BBC drama.  Deshaies, on the north coast of Basse-Terre is the filming location for the show’s fictional fishing village location o