Dear friends. What a scorcher of a month. It was too hot for me. Temperatures in the 30s (90s) are fine when you're on holiday, with an air conditioned room. But in London, in houses built to keep in the heat? Nooo. Fortunately it was a little cooler in the last few days.
It was a busy month with some fun activities. I was turned into an "artwork" not once but twice. I explored Bedford for the first time and went to Plymouth.
Dear friends. Another month has whizzed by and it's time for my round-up of TV watched, books read, and podcasts listened to.
This is the last post in the current format. There will soon be a standalone book reviews post, with the first one on November 18 to join the What's On Your Bookshelf link-up. Fear not, TV and podcasts will still be covered but in my review of the month, on the last Friday of the month.
All clear? Great - let's launch into Books.
Dear friends. Another month, another selection of TV, books and podcasts. Let's start with books.
Dear friends - welcome to another edition of my monthly reviews of TV shows, podcasts and books.
Without further ado let's start with what the Muttons have been watching. And there have been a few duds this month, although some of you may think I'm mistaken (do let me know in the comments).
Dear friends. I don't normally post my Friday Favourites until the last Friday of the month, but had a disaster with some photos so substituted this post instead. I hope you enjoy my round-up of TV, books and podcasts, and look forward to seeing your recommendations in the comments.
Dear friends -welcome to the October edition of Friday Favourites, my round-up of books, podcasts and TV. It was a much better month for new TV shows. Autumn always has a positive effect on the schedules. Let's start first with television, and two of Apple TV's big bets.
TV SHOWS
Oooh I thought: an alien invasion, and Sam Neill! But we're four episodes in, and not one glimpse of an alien. Instead, the drama focuses on individual people and families, and the real-time effects of the invasion on them. All we know about the invasion so far is that strange things are happening. Sam Neill, a sheriff about to retire in episode 1, was sucked into a strange hole in the middle of a corn field. A bus load of British school children careered across a field and haven't been seen by us since. A Japanese astronaut went into space, and her communications director, and girlfriend, pictured, mourned when the space ship disappeared.
So all very mysterious, but a bit ponderous too. I'm finding it hard to engage with the characters - the few that are constant. We've seen one family in each episode: the husband has been cheating on his wife with an Instagram cookery "influencer." He wants to leave his family, and comes across as spineless and weak. The two children are very whiny. I have high hopes for the wife, played by Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani, as she seems resourceful and spirited.
It looks as if many stars are taking part in the series, including Kim Cattrall and Elizabeth Moss.
At least Invasion has promise. The same cannot be said for the gloom fest that is Foundation. It takes itself very seriously.
We're still persevering, but I've long forgotten the original premise, spelled out in episode 1. I don't blame Jared Harris for bailing after one episode. Nobody smiles in Foundation. There aren't even any aliens to speak of, just angry people on planets which seem to have no natural resources, yet the people have been there for decades.
Maid is a mini series about the plight of a young woman who leaves her drunken boyfriend and tries to go it alone with their three year old daughter. It's a disturbing tale of how little state support there is for a woman like Alex. Things start to get a bit better for her but she's repeatedly let down by her bipolar mother, played by Andie MacDowell. Her father, who has a new family, offers help, but Alex is triggered by an incident when she's cleaning the house of a runaway who was badly treated by his mother. She remembers she and her mother fleeing from her father several years ago. It's an engrossing true story. We root for Alex all the way and despair when she makes naive decisions.
Brits are well familiar with the term "Cobra" by now, which is the Government's emergency committee convened to deal with crises like Covid. Boris Johnson famously missed several meetings of Cobra early on in the pandemic because he was writing a book about the Romans.
In Sky's Cobra, now in its second series, the Prime Minister is Robert Sutherland, played by Robert Carlyle. His Downing Street Chief of Staff is played by Victoria Hamilton with a snappy pixie cut and good tailoring. If Boris thought he was under siege with a pandemic, Sutherland has it in spades with cyber attacks and 300 people killed after a solar flare. Not to mention problems in his personal life.
The government's harried intelligence chief, Eleanor James (Lisa Palfrey) doesn't seem to have a clue who's behind it all. It could be the Russians, Chinese or Americans. My money's on the Americans, who were the villains in the recent drama Vigil, and seem to be the current scapegoats in UK dramas.
Cobra is an ambitious drama but sometimes it's very implausible. Big moments with special effects are done on the cheap. Some of the actors are far too hammy and cliched, like David Haig, who plays the villainous newly appointed Foreign Secretary. Mr Mutton and I were both engaging with our phones during the most recent episode, which speaks volumes.
If you're pining for Call My Agent, the wonderful French comedy drama series, you might want to try Family Business. There's a familiar face in the form of Arlette, who plays the family's matriarch. Now in its second series, this is the story of a family who unwittingly get into cannabis production after their butchery business fails. It's not quite as funny CMA, but is a nice little amuse bouche.
We only discovered Shetland recently: it's now back in series 6. I wonder how such a small place can generate so much crime, but we always said that about Midsomer Murders. Shetland is a non-flashy crime series, based on the novels of Anne Cleeves. It's got characters we can invest in, good acting and spectacular scenery.
ITV's new four-part crime drama this week also had spectacular scenery, and was also based on a book by Anne Cleeves. It was set in North Devon, and the cinematography was stunning with lots of back lighting and bokeh.
The drama focuses on Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, who has returned to live in a small community in North Devon with his husband. It’s a place Matthew walked away from 20 years ago, after being rejected by his family who are part of the area’s Barum Brethren community. His mother is Juliet Stevenson who delivers a tour de force performance in her Brethren headscarf. As you might expect, this a community rife with secrets and lies - and a couple of murders.
We have yet to watch episode four but I'm told Anita Dobson, (pictured), who's unrecognizable as the downtrodden wife of Brethen leader Dennis (Martin Shaw), steals the show.
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Greetings all and welcome to the July edition of book, TV and podcast reviews. Hardly any TV again, but not for want of trying. There's just nothing new that's floating my particular boat. But I know most of you like the book reviews best, so let's launch into them.
Welcome to the May round-up of this month's favourite podcasts, TV and books. It's a bumper edition because with Mr Mutton off on his two week bike ride, I have had full control over the remote control.
It's the monthly round-up of TV, book and podcast reviews. I didn't necessarily like all of them - but you can always count on me for being honest and objective! Without further ado....
Without further ado, let's look at my latest TV recommendations.
TGIF! A week later than normal, here's my monthly round-up of favourite viewing. listening and reading. Love to get your recommendations in the comments.
"You were the purple blog and ripe wheat-field and a crab tree in May. You were good food, and songs in the firelight and the rosary at night. You were a welcome for my coming and a prayer for my going out. You were Gran."
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