Jon Hornbuckle

The streaming year is off to flier. For anyone who’s spent the dark winter months hibernating at home in their downtime, Netflix, BBC, HBO, Apple TV and all those other giants of small-screen entertainment have really delivered on the assignment. To help us hunker down with shows to dispel the winter blues or, in the case of Netflix’s bleak and brutal American Primeval, make them slightly worse – albeit in thunderously widescreen style. And there’s plenty more ahead. Apple TV has The Studio, Seth Rogen’s eagerly-awaited, cameo-packed Hollywood satire, Netflix has announced the finale of Squid Game this summer, along with the end of Stranger Things, more Black Mirror, a second run of Tim Burton’s Wednesday and about a zillion other things, while Disney+ delivers another series of Andor, arguably the standout show of 2022. Here’s everything you need to see... so far. You’re gonna need a comfier couch.RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The 50 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.

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

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

National treasure Sheridan Smith takes the lead in The Castaways, which has finally made it to British TV screens after it failed to impress critics when it debuted on Paramount+ in 2023. Channel 5’s latest thriller series sees the surviving passengers of a plane crash marooned on a remote Pacific island. As they fight for survival and face rising tensions and feuds on the island, back home their relatives search for answers and discover a much bigger conspiracy. Here’s all you need to know about the gripping drama that's based on the novel by Lucy Clarke. Credit: Marq RileySheridan Smith is marooned on an idyllic remote island in The Castaways When can I watch The Castaways? The Castaways airs nightly on Channel 5 with the finale episode airing on Thursday, 30 January at 9pm. Shortly after airing on TV, each episode is available to stream on My5.  All five episodes are available to stream now on Paramount+, with monthly membership starting from £7.99. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at the action.  Where was The Castaways filmed? A large portion of the desert island scenes were filmed on the island of Fiji, which ironically was the destination of the doomed flight. Greece was also used as a major location, especially for beach scenes. However, they came across unexpected challenges with the idyllic country’s weather and the heatwave in July 2023.   Credit: Marq RileyThe Castaways was filmed in Greece and Fiji Producer Myf Hopkins shared some behind the sc

Christmas movies are as essential to the festive period as the food, the decorations and the family squabbles over the Monopoly board. Everyone has their favourite classic that demands a rewatch each year, but there’s always time to discover some new offerings from Hollywood and beyond. And 2024’s line-up has something for everyone, with cute ’toons for the kids, R-rated Christmas comedies for the adults, and romcoms cheesier than a Boxing Day Stilton. If you’re looking for a new Christmas contender, you’re in luck. Our rundown takes in the best festive films that are either available to stream now or will be landing soon soon. And there’s some real festive froth to tuck into.  Photograph: Chuck Zlotnick/NetflixLindsay Lohan in ‘Our Little Christmas’ Best new Christmas movies available now Dear Santa Here’s one just for the grown-ups. Jack Black stars as the devil in a Paramount+ comedy that sees a young dyslexic kid send his Christmas wish list to Satan instead of Santa. Satan leaves hell behind to grant the kid three wishes, leading him astray via wild parties and trips to the casino. Cue plenty of raucous festive chaos from the irreverent mind of Dumb & Dumber and There’s Something About Mary’s Bobby Farrelly.  Streaming on Paramount+ now An Almost Christmas Story The most family-friendly option on the list, An Almost Christmas Story features brightly rendered animation and clocks in at a spritely 25 minutes, which means you can tee it up to keep t

Wicked has cast a spell over audiences and smashed several box office records in its opening weekend.    Proving very popular, the movie event of the year raked in an impressive $164.2 million worldwide, with $114 million in the US, and over $50 million internationally, with Wicked still to open in some countries.    Those figures give Wicked the biggest opening for a movie based on a Broadway show, beating the worldwide opening of Les Misérables ($103 million) back in 2012. Photograph: Universal PicturesMunchkinland was constructed in a Buckinghamshire village   The movie has also claimed the strongest start to a non-sequel movie in 2024, and gives Ariana Grande the biggest US opening for a pop star, outperforming Lady Gaga's A Star is Born and Harry Styles' Don't Worry Darling.    It has also become the biggest opening ever for director Jon M Chu, composer Stephen Schwartz and co-lead actor Cynthia Erivo.   The musical movie has also bewitched critics, with director Jon M Chu's trip to Oz earning rave reviews across the board.   'Wicked succeeds because of some unreproducible, lightning in a bottle convergences - of director, stars, craftspeople, and high-status material,' enthuses Vanity Fair. 'Chu uses every bell and whistle possible to turn the stage show into a movie epic,' agrees Empire.   Read our verdict on Wicked here. Where was Wicked filmed? All the filming locations from the musical movie.

The ‘Paradise’-verse is expanding with another Death in Paradise spin-off hitting screens this week. Return to Paradise takes viewers on a trip down under to Australia, with the land of roos, marsupials and Kylie Minogue crossing over with the beloved crime drama. Here’s all you need to know about Return to Paradise. Where was Return to Paradise filmed? Return to Paradise is set in the fictional coastal town of Dolphin Cove. While there is actually a beach called Dolphin Cove in Australia’s Cape Arid National Park, filming for the series actually took place across the Illawarra region of New South Wales. Credit: John PlattReturn to Paradise is the second spin-off in the 'Paradise-'verse The area is situated to the south of Sydney, with the city’s beaches also being used for filming. Locations in the Illawarra region included Sea Cliff Bridge Austinmer, Stanwell Park, Coledale Beach, Thirroul Village and Wombarra Bowlo.  Not every key location could be filmed in  Illawarra, with the surf club  shot in Bilgola on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and DI MacKenzie’s house located in Avalon.  Director Mat King expects  audiences to be ‘excited’ by the locations. ‘It’s Australia, but not in a classic way. We don’t have kangaroos, we don’t have koalas. We’ve got sun and surf and blue skies, the beaches, the forests, the cliffs, but we’re not seeing the red deserts,’ he says. Credit: John PlattDI Mackenzie returns to Australia in Return to Paradise How to watch Return to Paradise? All

It’s time to paint your face green and grab your pointy hat and broom as Wicked makes the move from the stage to the big screen. Since its official opening on Broadway in 2003, Wicked has become one of the most popular musical productions in history. The musical then opened in London’s West End in September 2006 and continues to run in the Apollo Victoria Theatre to date. Finally a movie adaptation has arrived, with Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M Chu at the helm. Here’s all you need to know about the Wicked film adaptation. Credit: Universal PicturesPopstar Ariana Granda is Glinda in the Wicked movie adaptation What is Wicked about? Wicked is the story of misunderstood young witch Elphaba, long before becomes her evil older self: the Wicked Witch of the West, as seen in classic MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. Elphaba meets Glinda the Good Witch at school and after initially clashing, the pair eventually bond. The self-absorbed Glinda gives Elphaba a makeover to make her more popular among students.  As her magical powers develop, Elphaba is granted an audience with the Wizard of Oz, but discovers a sinister plot against the animals in the kingdom. Elphaba comes into conflict with almost everyone, except the handsome Prince Fiyero. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of the magic. Why are there two Wicked movies? Director Jon M Chu has said that spreading Wicked across two movies was a ‘necessary’ decision to avoid having to cut any musical numbers, characters, or st

Until I Kill You is the latest true-crime drama that brings to the screen the crimes of serial killer John Sweeney and his victims. Anna Maxwell Martin heads up the cast as Delia Balmer, who survived a brutal attack from ex-boyfriend Sweeney. Here’s all you need to know about the truth behind ITV’s latest crime drama. What is Until I Kill You about? Until I Kill You tells the story of Balmer, a hospital nurse who began a relationship with John Sweeney, unaware that he had previously committed murder.  As their relationship deteriorates, Sweeney’s behaviour becomes more erratic and violent towards Delia, culminating in an attack in which he admits to brutally murdering an ex-girlfriend in Amsterdam.  Let down by the police and the legal system, Delia’s life is put in danger when John is released on bail and makes a second attempt on her life.  Until I Kill You is based on Delia’s book about her harrowing experiences and the impact they’ve had on her life to this day. Is Until I Kill You a true story? Until I Kill You is based on a true story, with the story being based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts. The series is also based on the book published by Delia Balmer about her experiences. Several elements have been created for the purpose of the series, with scenes and characters added for dramatisation.  Some names had been changed for the series, including Dave, the character who strikes up a relationship with Delia in the later episodes. ‘We c