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The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Wednesday to Hunting the Yorkshire Ripper: the seven best shows to stream this week
It's a new term at Nevermore, and for the first time in her life, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) is dying to go back to school. After all, she's a minor celebrity now and dealing with autograph hunters ('I only ever sign my name in blood. I never said it was my own blood'). However, things are about to get much worse for Wednesday. Like every kid, she dreads the arrival of her family at school, but not only are her parents around more – her troublesome brother Pugsley and formidable grandmother Hester also soon become fixtures. Once again, it's stylish, smart and witty. However you feel about Tim Burton, it's hard to argue that his maximalist gothic style isn't absolutely perfect for this material. Netflix, from Wednesday 6 August The crimes of Peter Sutcliffe (and the flawed police investigation) have proved irresistible to documentary-makers, with the BBC and Netflix recently offering up versions of events. In truth, this latest series doesn't add much to our understanding of Sutcliffe's crimes, though it does broaden to examine the infamous 'Wearside Jack' tape that was sent to police by a man claiming to be the killer. Former DCS Chris Gregg – who assembled a team to catch the hoaxer – is interviewed about his career-long involvement with the case. Prime Video, from Sunday 3 August As represented in TV dramas, cold cases are often glamorous and mysterious. This documentary series shows the reality is sadder, if frequently no less intriguing. It focuses on the work of the DNA Doe Project, a US organisation that, in partnership with law enforcement agencies, uses detective work and genetic investigation to offer the relatives of some of the estimated 50,000 unidentified bodies lying in American morgues a measure of closure. It's a necessarily melancholy affair but also somewhat stirring in its depiction of tireless, valuable service. Disney+, from Wednesday 6 August A third series for this accomplished animation that follows the exploits of the Prouds, an upwardly mobile African American family who mix cartoonish hijinks with strong, slightly earnest moral messaging about identity and hot-button social justice issues. Trudy is worried about screentime and it isn't just her kids who can't put down their phones – her husband Oscar is hardly setting a good example. Cue a decision to live more consciously and to take a family holiday to London, Paris and Nairobi that becomes life-changing for everyone involved. Apple TV+, from Wednesday 6 August Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion The chemistry between Seth Rogen's Will and Rose Byrne's Sylvia continues to underwrite this profound comedy. The series doesn't just tell us that deep, platonic friendships between men and women are possible – it shows us. It's hard to avoid the feeling that Will and Sylvia have more fun together than with anyone else. And that's the whole point: shouldn't that be enough? As we return, Will is preparing to marry Jenna but admits to Sylvia that he has a crush on someone else. The fear that it might turn out to be Sylvia herself soon passes but, even so, is this another symptom of Will's inability to commit to adult life? Apple TV+, from Wednesday 6 August Most people would probably agree that the absence of a gameshow for cats and their owners is a glaring omission from the TV schedules. So thank goodness, finally, for House of Cats, a three-parter of snappy episodes which is hosted by comic Ivo Graham and social media personality, and qualified veterinary surgeon, Cat the Vet. Fittingly, there's no hint of a cash prize here; instead the winning partnership will take home a golden litter tray. Given that cats are notoriously much harder to organise than dogs, they will have certainly earned it. Channel 4, from Thursday 7 August From Walter Presents, this daft but moderately creepy mystery drama from France stars Fantine Harduin as the titular teenager. When Promethea is hit by a car, she eventually wakes from a coma with no recollection of anything but her unusual name. Gradually, her memory starts to return but that proves to be a mixed blessing as a series of disturbing revelations about an unsolved recent murder start to spill out. At first, it seems that Promethea might have witnessed this killing – but could her involvement have been even more hands-on? Channel 4, from Friday 8 August
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Mrs Brown's Boys makes return to BBC tonight as controversial show divides viewers
It's the shows that divides the nation. Mrs Brown's Boys is back for a new series - whether you like it or not... The garish opening theme titles of Mrs Brown's Boys (Friday, BBC1, 9.30pm) will either spark joy or set your teeth on edge - it's the return of the Marmite show that splits the nation. From the moment 'Mammy' (Brendan O'Carroll) appears like a Pantomime Dame in her floral dress and cardigan, millions of viewers fall about laughing. The other half of the nation scrambles for the remote and switches off immediately. For every person who loves the crude innuendo, toilet humour and expletive-filled slapstick, there is another who would rather gouge their eyes out of their head than watch a single second. As this four-part series arrives, you can expect more of the same. Agnes continues to meddle in the lives of her nearest and dearest, with plotlines including helping Winnie to pass her driving test and Agnes discovering a passion for erotic fiction. Meanwhile Grandad has SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and won't move out of his chair, while Buster (Brendan's son Danny O'Carroll) tries to start a new dog walking business. The jokes are so well signposted that the studio audience is ready to cheer or boo at every line, with bloopers kept in for extra gag points. There's also the usual monologue message at the end, with a wink to camera. In this episode, Agnes unwittingly becomes the subject of a new podcast, sending her daughter Cathy (Brendan's wife Jennifer Ann O'Carroll) into a tailspin. Agnes says of the podcast: 'Who in their right mind is going to listen to that? What a load of Sh***!'... an observation that some viewers of this sitcom may well relate to. Mrs Brown's Boys is airing on BBC One tonight at 9.30pm There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest... FIRST DATES, CHANNEL 4, 10pm Former banished Traitors contestant Ash Bibi is in the restaurant for a date, though she admits she's hopeless at flirting. Fortunately Fred Sirieix is on hand to give her a crash course in romantic banter. Ash's date is Miguel, a 46-year-old self-confessed cheesy Spanish poet, but will the pair enter into a 'faithful' relationship? Also in the restaurant is 22-year-old luxury sales assistant Dominic, who is looking for a geek with heart who can handle his big personality. Enter Stephen, a sound engineer armed with a library of one-liners. Self-proclaimed smoothie Wayne from Kent is a handyman who can fix almost anything... except his love life. With a ukulele in hand he's hoping to serenade music-lover Teresa. And superyacht steward Natasha is back for the second time, still on the lookout for a man who can sweep her off her feet. Her date, Jack from Ipswich, is a prison manager who insists that he's more of a lover than a fighter. CHIEF OF WAR, APPLE TV+ Who else could play Hawaii's ferocious warrior than Hawaiian-born American movie star Jason Momoa? Even on a normal day, he looks like a warrior. Based on true events, this epic saga follows what happens with Hawaii's four kingdoms divided by war. Told from an indigenous perspective, with a predominantly Polynesian cast, this is a passion project for creators, Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, who both have native Hawaiian heritage. Set against the stunning backdrop of the islands of Hawaii, the nine episode large-scale production tells the story of the unification and colonisation of Hawaii at the turn of the 18th century. Momoa leads the show as warrior Ka'iana, who embarks on a mission to unite his people as an existential threat approaches their shores. Expect stunning scenery, epic battles, heartfelt emotion, tribal allegiances and a fight for peace. Momoa says: 'It's a story rooted in my home, my culture, and my heart.' EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm After John planted a listening device and discovered some dirt on his brother, things are going from bad to worse for Robert. After being stabbed in the leg by Kyle, Dylan is in a bad way but refuses to talk to anyone. Celia feels annoyed with Kim for raising the rent. Now she just needs a plan to retaliate. Lewis encourages Ross to stop wasting his time and win Steph back. Will Ross take his brother's advice on board? CORONATION STREET, ITV1, 8pm It's the anniversary of Becky's death and Lisa is struggling. At a therapy session, she admits that she thinks there was more to it than meets the eye and wonders if Becky was in some way corrupt. At the garage, Kevin tells Carl he's sacked as he simply can't trust him anymore. Todd plays it down when Billy calls round and sees bedding on the sofa. Bernie and Aadi go over the wedding plans, trying to keep the cost down.
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Unpacking Edinburgh International Festival's seat-of-the-pants finances
PA Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... On the top floor of an unmarked building on the Royal Mile, staff at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) are busy fielding calls and discussing logistics as the weeks tick down to the opening night. The year-round work done here to create the Scottish capital's globally renowned celebration of the performing arts, which kicks off tonight, remains out of sight most of the time. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead, much of what the public understands about Edinburgh's festivals – of which the EIF is the jewel in the crown – tends to be informed by the state of public funding for the arts or the evaporation of corporate sponsorship in the wake of Baillie Gifford's withdrawal from book festivals across the UK. Yet every year the expectation among Edinburgh's ticketed classes is that the EIF keeps carrying on - somehow. On the surface, it does. Among highlights in this year's festival is the return to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade of Dundee-born actor Brian Cox as the 18 th century economist Adam Smith in a play about former RBS boss Fred 'The Shred' Goodwin. But - to borrow the play's title - what does it actually take to make it happen? To say that the EIF flies by the seat of its financial and artistic pants would be an understatement. 'It requires a great deal of faith and commitment that it'll be all right on the night,' says Francesca Hegyi, the EIF's seemingly unflappable executive director. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad contributed Managing the cycle of funding and artist booking is a Sisyphean task that most arts organisations deal with. But in the EIF's case the task is harder due to its sheer scale. This year, more than 2,000 artists from 42 nations (a third of them based in Scotland) will perform in 133 shows. Unlike single art form events – say, an opera festival – the EIF combines multiple performance types including opera, orchestral and chamber music, and theatre. 'Our peculiarity is that we do all the art forms, with all of their different requirements and timescales, in three and a half weeks every summer,' explains Roy Luxford, creative director. At 65 per cent of expenditure, the cost of productions and performances is by far the EIF's biggest outgoing, followed by administrative costs at 18 per cent. Visiting orchestras don't come cheap. This year the Budapest Festival Orchestra will play Béla Bartók's music for the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, a score calling for large forces including bass drum, xylophone and celesta – all shipped from Hungary. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Most EIF income comes from a combination of philanthropic donations, legacies, corporate support, and grants from trusts and foundations. Ticket sales provided only 21 per cent of total income last year. The rest, about one third, was grants from Creative Scotland, a Scottish government agency, and the City of Edinburgh Council. As hard as fund-raising may be for Hegyi and her team, the unpredictability of grant funding is arguably harder. In theory, this money ought to provide a foundational level of financial certainty to allow what she calls 'programming certainty'. That's because productions and artists often must be booked up to three years in advance. This requires making financial commitments even if the grant funding has not yet come through in time – as has happened. Finding that risk capital from the operating budget instead at a time of inflationary cost rises isn't easy. Moreover, the EIF may make commitments to up to a dozen proposed acts for future festivals at any given time. Yet any squeeze in the budget because of a delay in grant funding means programming less. 'We might go to print with our brochure each year before we've got financial certainty,' Hegyi explains. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That's what happened with this year's festival, which has shrunk by almost 20 per cent compared with last year's 161 performances. A delay last year in the announcement of the latest funding round from Creative Scotland – the result of foot-dragging by the Scottish government - meant that even with a one-off grant of £1.6 million from the UK government to help plug the gap, the EIF had to cut its cloth accordingly. Some stability will come in the wake of a new 'multi-year funding' settlement between the Scottish government and Creative Scotland, which Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said in January 'moves us beyond simply sustaining the [arts] sector to return our focus to where it should be – its long-term development'. He pledged to increase culture budgets by £100m annually by 2028-29. The EIF has been allocated a total £11.75m over three years from Creative Scotland, starting with £3.25m this year. While the festival says this will help, 'it does not give us additional capacity to invest in longer-term initiatives or more ambitious projects' given a backdrop of rising costs and a tough fund-raising environment in which corporate sponsorship has all but dried up. It also takes the EIF back to Creative Scotland funding levels in 2008.
