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Midnight Sun finale review - 'terminal silliness, wholesale slaughter'

Mark Sanderson Thursday, 04 May 2017

So here’s the thing: a heavily pregnant woman is hanging by her ankles above a raging torrent. Two teens, one with a broken arm, are stuck down a well. And 15 miners, deep below ground, take refuge from a fire in an emergency chamber, unaware it has been sabotaged by the serial killer among them, who then, using “a gadget”, proceeds to switch off the mine’s pumps so they will all slowly drown.

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Line of Duty, Series 4 finale review - 'great acting, great writing'

Jasper Rees Monday, 01 May 2017

Cop a load of that, then. Hana Reznikova is serving time for triple murder. Ted Hastings is on permanent gardening leave. The Huntleys have renewed their wedding vows on a family trip to Disneyworld. Just kidding. This is a Reg 15 alert to advise you that the following paragraphs contain almost nothing but spoilers.

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Brian Johnson's A Life on the Road review – ripping yarns of rock'n'roll

Adam Sweeting Saturday, 29 April 2017

The simplest ideas are often the best. Here’s one – take AC/DC’s Tyneside-born vocalist Brian Johnson and get him to chew the fat with a list of fellow rock’n’roll veterans. Later in the series he gets to meet Sting, Nick Mason and Lars Ulrich, but for this first show (on Sky Arts) the guest was Roger Daltrey of The Who.

The Good Fight review - 'flawless writing and acting'

Veronica Lee Friday, 28 April 2017

If Robert King and Michelle King, creators of The Good Wife, took the Joss Whedon line on sequels – “They are inevitably awful” – then we would not have The Good Fight (More4) gracing our screens. But, thankfully, this sequel (actually, more a spin-off) is far from awful – it's very, very good.

Little Boy Blue review – 'the sum of all fears'

Adam Sweeting Tuesday, 25 April 2017

Turning the real-life murder of an 11-year-old boy into a four-part TV drama carries obvious risks (might it be exploitative, sick or in bad taste, for instance?), but judging by this opening episode of Little Boy Blue (ITV), screenwriter Jeff Pope has skilfully walked the line.

Broadchurch review - the final reckoning

David Benedict Tuesday, 18 April 2017

“Take your pick. Who shall we talk to first?” DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and DS Miller (Olivia Colman) had their three prime suspects waiting for them in custody.

Homeland review - 'worryingly prescient'

Adam Sweeting Monday, 17 April 2017

It was a long time coming, but Homeland’s sixth series at last awoke from its early-season slumbers to put on a late surge over the closing episodes.

Maigret's Night at the Crossroads review - 'more straight faces from Rowan Atkinson'

Jasper Rees Monday, 17 April 2017

We’re three films into Rowan Atkinson’s tenure as Inspector Maigret and so far he’s barely twitched a facial muscle. Gone are the eye bulges and nostril flares, the rubbery pouts. There’s sometimes a hint of a frown, the odd twinge in a wrinkle around the eyes, but Atkinson’s performance continues mainly to be about keeping his cards superglued to his chest. Gnomic is about the size of it.

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Guerrilla review – 'it takes itself fantastically seriously'

Adam Sweeting Friday, 14 April 2017

Devised and written by John Ridley, the Oscar-winning writer of 12 Years a Slave, Guerrilla (Sky Atlantic) takes us back to London, 1971.

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Our Friend Victoria review – Victoria Wood’s genius is irreplaceable

Jasper Rees Wednesday, 12 April 2017

In the closing credits of Acorn Antiques, wobbling diagonally across the screen, it says the part of Berta was taken by “Victoria Woods”. Has there ever been a lovelier, truer typo? There was only one Victoria Wood, and yet she seemed somehow to be plural.