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The Change, series 2 review: unapologetic about burying its feet in the soil and communing with birds

The Change, series 2 review: unapologetic about burying its feet in the soil and communing with birds

Telegraph25-03-2025

Have you started your own Linda's Ledger yet? In series one of Bridget Christie's The Change (Channel 4), 50-year-old, menopausal Linda (played by Christie) revealed to her ungrateful husband and teenage children that she had been keeping ledgers of all the unreciprocated chores she had done around their Swindon home. It amounted to 6.5m minutes – roughly six-and-a-half years of thankless domestic drudgery – and Linda announced that she was taking some of that time back. She mounted her old Triumph motorbike and headed to the Forest of Dean to rediscover herself.
Which she did, spectacularly, winning over the sceptical, insular rural oddbods to the extent that she became the local town's first ever 'Eel Queen' at the annual festival (a role that had only ever been an Eel King before). The appearance of husband Steve (Omid Djalili) in the final seconds of the first series, however, has thrown Linda's new life into a spin – she had told the locals she was unmarried and childless – and she now stands accused of 'maternal deception' and faces banishment from the forest.
If that all sounds supremely pagan, it's because it is. The show is a blend of English folklore, folk music, ritual, tradition and eccentricity, with shades of Detectorists and Jez Butterworth's hit stage play Jerusalem (as well as Toby Jones and Tim Crouch's brilliant but cruelly overlooked Don't Forget the Driver). Appropriately, the second series is co-directed by Mackenzie Crook, who created Detectorists and starred in Jerusalem, and these six episodes feel more comfortable in their own skin than the first run. The Change no longer seems to be apologising for burying its feet in the soil and communing with birds.
It's the more prosaic matter of housework that sets the second series in motion, as the women of the area learn about Linda's Ledgers. Soon, the local stationery shops have run out of notebooks and women are queuing up at Linda's caravan to ask about the rules. Is laughing at his bad jokes a chore? Is sex? En masse, women down tools, forcing men to pick up the slack and the whole thing takes on the pleasing air of an off-kilter Greek play. In one lovely moment, the local men go on a sex strike in protest, only to find that their wives are delighted. Je Suis Linda, they say.
As befits modern TV comedy, it's not laugh-a-minute, but The Change is a beguiling and unusual thing (wrapped in the traditions of British sitcom) with a language and rhythm all of its own. Occasionally Christie's roots as a stand-up are revealed, as the show slips into the didactic ('Did you know that…?'), but there is so much verve and zeal in the writing that you can forgive it. In a superb cast, Jim Howick, as a disenfranchised misogynist, and Paul Whitehouse, as the pub bore, stand out. Both characters felt a little cartoonish in the first series, but here Christie imbues them with a sadness and dislocation that feels utterly real. Linda's revolution wouldn't just benefit women.

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Beth review – like a frustratingly unfinished Black Mirror
Beth review – like a frustratingly unfinished Black Mirror

The Guardian

time34 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Beth review – like a frustratingly unfinished Black Mirror

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Where to watch The Handmaid's Tale season 6 in the UK
Where to watch The Handmaid's Tale season 6 in the UK

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  • The Independent

Where to watch The Handmaid's Tale season 6 in the UK

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Gogglebox star shocks fans with glam makeover as she looks worlds away from the C4 show
Gogglebox star shocks fans with glam makeover as she looks worlds away from the C4 show

Scottish Sun

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  • Scottish Sun

Gogglebox star shocks fans with glam makeover as she looks worlds away from the C4 show

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GOGGLEBOX favourite left fans stunned after unveiling a glam new look - looking completely unrecognisable from her Channel 4 sofa days. The star, known for her laid-back telly-watching attire, swapped PJs for full glam in a makeover that's sent social media into meltdown. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Izzi Warner looked worlds away from her usual casual look on the Channel 4 show Gogglebox Credit: Instagram 6 Fans were stunned to see the reality star glammed up after sharing pics on Instagram Credit: Instagram Izzi Warner, who's been a staple on Gogglebox since 2015 alongside sister Ellie, ditched the casual loungewear for a sleek outfit and full face of makeup. The mum-of-two looked a far cry from her usual sofa-ready self as she posed with freshly styled hair, flawless glam and a figure-hugging outfit. Taking to Instagram, the 31-year-old gave her followers an insight into her life posting photos with her new boyfriend, two kids, six dogs, famous sister and days out with the family. She captioned the snaps: "Happy days in May". Izzi showed off her incredible slimming figure and glam makeup looks with laminated brows, full eyelashes and beaming white teeth. Her blonde hair was styled in flattering natural waves, and she oozed luxury with her stylish designer outfits and trendy co-ords. Fans were stunned to see the blonde beauty out of her casual loungewear and off the sofa. They flooded the comment section gushing over the star with one saying: "You look amazing Izzy!" Another added: "Wow. You look fantastic!" A third penned: "Stunning!" Paddy McGuinness reveals his 'crush' on married TV star just hours after ex Christine's bond with Dan Osborne emerged This comes after Izzi spoke about her new man, Toby Joyce , during a Gogglebox episode where she read out the Valentine's Day card he had sent her. Speaking to her sister Ellie, Izzi said: "Wait till you see what Toby got me for Valentine's - a card in a box!" She read: "To Izzi, our first of many. Thank you for being the absolute best. I bloody adore you. Happy Valentine's Day I love you loads and lots more. Toby'." While her sister Ellie joked that the letter was "cringe", fans of the pair have shared their delight over Izzi's new romance, following her split from ex-partner Grant. Izzi and Grant were together for 10 years and have two children together; Bobby, 10 and Bessie Rose, four. It was revealed that she had split from her long-term partner in October 2024. Izzi has shared pictures with her new boyfriend Toby on social media since January, after posting snaps from the pair's trip to Paris. She then revealed her boyfriend has joined the British Army. Izzi shared a selfie with Toby and appeared to be bursting with pride. Toby looked dapper as he smiled in the snaps at his swearing-in ceremony at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Izzi said: "The sun shone at Sandhurst on the Sovereigns parade. "Congratulations to all the officer cadets commissioning today, in particular 16 platoon. Thank you for all who took part in what was spectacular parade." She finished her sweet post with: "Proud of you @tobyj1." 6 Izzi Warner has shared snaps of her new boyfriend Toby Credit: Instagram 6 The pair posed together for snaps at Toby's swearing-in ceremony at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Credit: Instagram 6 Izzi shocked fans last year when she confirmed she had split from the father of her two children Grant Credit: Instagram

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