Screen Queen TV Reviews: Dept. Q, The Quilters, And Just Like That . . . and Pee-wee As Himself
There are few television shows that have as fond a place in my heart as British crime drama The Bill. Growing up, it was a staple in our house and, quite honestly, I've struggled to find anything to plug its hole since it was unceremoniously yanked from screens back in 2010.
Don't get me wrong, there have been plenty of great police series in recent years — Apple TV's excellent Slow Horses and the darkly brilliant Happy Valley spring to mind — but The Bill hit different. Though it took a crime-of-the-week format, the ever-revolving detectives were always brilliantly cast, and over seasons and years I felt as though I knew them personally.
My favourites were the crotchety-but-clever detectives — DCI Jack Meadows, played by Simon Rouse, and DCI Frank Burnside (Christopher Michael Ellison) were top tier — but I also loved the rank and file, particularly Sgt June Ackland (Trudie Goodwin).
Which brings me to Dept. Q, a new series from the writer of The Queen's Gambit, based on the novels of the same name by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen.
I can't tell you much about this new police series as there's an embargo in place, but I will say this: the central character in this Scottish series, DCI Carl Morck (played by Matthew Goode) has big Bill energy. He's rumpled, cranky, and fighting his own inner demons (his police partner and friend was shot in front of him not long ago, and he's still reeling from the fallout). It makes him perfect 'TV detective' fodder.
Morck has been given the job of overseeing a newly formed cold case department, the titular Department Q, which he's running from a dank basement in the bowels of the Edinburgh police station. He assembles a not-so-crack team to help him sort through files, and the case they're assigned ends up being the through-line of the series.
I'm genuinely excited for you all to see this. And TV execs, if you're reading this: bring back The Bill!
My Netflix algorithm knows me better than I know myself. It's been recommending I watch this doco, about a group of prison inmates in the US who are part of a quilting program, for days now. Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I dipped in — and loved it! Even better, at only 30 minutes long, it also ticked my Early Night criteria box. Who knew watching a bunch of inmates make quilts for foster kids could be such a wholesome and life-affirming experience? Netflix did. And I thank them for that.
Look, haters gonna hate. But I'm going to continue to watch Carrie Bradshaw and her postmenopausal besties traverse this next stage of their lives. The new series drops this week and — good news! — Che Diaz is nowhere to be seen. Thank heavens for that.
Nadya Suleman is the Californian woman who gave birth to octuplets back in 2009 — unbelievably she was already mum to six other kids. This doco series explores her, ahem, life choices. She's not who you think she is.
I absolutely adore Paul Reubens and his comic creation, Pee-wee Herman — I was genuinely devastated when he passed away in 2023. This documentary, which was filmed before Reuben's death and uses personal archive footage from the star, gives an insight into who the comedian actually was. Or does it? Fans will be fascinated.
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7NEWS
36 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Annabel Bower celebrates the King's Birthday Long Weekend with delicious recipes inspired by royalty
Annabel Bower is an Australian chef and food stylist that lives in Adelaide. She trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School which is a famous cooking school in Ireland. Today, she is going to showcase three delicious royal desserts: Classic Eton Mess Treacle tart (made from breadcrumbs and golden syrup – it was a family favourite for the Mancroft family) Buttermilk chocolate cake Recipe below: Classic Eton Mess by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel Said to have originated at the famously proper Eton College and traditionally served at their annual cricket match against Harrow, this glorious jumble of berries, cream and crumbled meringue is as posh as it is imperfect—like many a British institution, really. And let's be honest, it's the perfect dessert for an Aussie gathering too—if your pavlova takes a tumble, don't panic. Just call it Eton Mess and carry on like royalty. Ingredients For the meringues 3 egg whites 1 cup castor sugar Raspberry Coulis 300gm frozen raspberries, defrosted. 1 tablespoon icing sugar 1 tablespoon Cointreau To assemble 500gm fresh strawberries, sliced thinly 200gms fresh raspberries - or any other fruit in season i.e. pomegranate, cherries. 200ml thickened cream 1tsp pure vanilla bean paste 1Tbs castor sugar 150gm Sour cream/ crème fraiche or mascarpone Equipment Stand or hand-held beater/mixer 2 flat baking trays lined with baking paper Metal ice-cream scoop Glass trifle bowl Method Preheat oven to 120 degrees (not fan forced, use the bake or top/bottom heat setting). Line 2 flat trays with baking paper. Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric beater, whisk egg whites until they become thick and opaque. When they start to form stiff peaks whisk in castor sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue until all the sugar has dissolved. Whisk for a further 30 seconds on high until thick and creamy. Using an old-fashioned ice-cream scoop, place golf ball – or tennis ball size dollops of meringue mixture onto the lined baking trays, evenly spaced. For individual desserts make smaller meringues, for a shared dessert make the bigger ones. Bake for 1 hour at 120 degrees, shutting the oven door carefully so as not to knock any air out of the meringues. After an hour, do not open the oven door, just turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool in the oven over night or for the rest of the day. When cool remove from oven and gently transfer to an airtight container until day of serving. The meringues can be made 1-2 weeks ahead if stored in a cool dark spot. Just before serving whip the thickened cream until soft peaks form, stir in sugar and vanilla. Mix through sour cream/crème fraiche or mascarpone until smooth. Push the defrosted raspberries through a fine sieve to remove the seeds, stir through icing sugar and Cointreau to create a coulis. Slice the strawberries – you can add an extra dash of Cointreau to these if you like. To serve, layer a trifle dish or individual glass cups of bowls with all the elements, crushing the meringue as you go. Swirl to mix and eat as soon as possible. Annabel's Favorite Chocolate Cake by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel This is my never-fail, always-devoured, 'can I lick the bowl?' chocolate cake. It made its first appearance in an English country house kitchen, baked for the three mischievous little ones I nannied, and has since become the star of every birthday bash for my own four children back home in Australia. Rich, fudgy, and impossibly moreish, it walks the line between classic English high-tea and Aussie backyard BBQ. It's the kind of cake that disappears before the candles have cooled—and honestly, it's so good you might find yourself baking it for no reason at all... and that's entirely encouraged. Ingredients 125gms butter, softened 1 cup castor sugar 2 eggs 1 Tbs vanilla bean paste 2/3 cup cocoa, sifted 1 cup milk + 2tsp balsamic vinegar* OR 1 cup + 2tsp buttermilk 1 ½ cups self-raising flour, sifted ½ cup hot water or hot coffee *The milk will curdle when you add the vinegar – this is supposed to happen! Icing 200gms Milk or dark chocolate (or a mix of both) 75gms butter To decorate – fresh berries and flowers or chocolates and sprinkles. This recipe is perfect for doubling – just make sure you've got a big enough bowl! Equipment 1 x 24cm springform cake tin, greased and base lined with baking paper Stand or hand-held beater/mixer. Method Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Add the vinegar to the milk and set aside. In a large bowl beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time making sure the first is fully incorporated before adding the second. Next add the vanilla and sift in the cocoa powder. Incorporate on a low speed. Add the milk, flour and water (or coffee) and beat on a low speed until smooth and velvety. Pour into you greased and lined cake tin and bake for 45-60 minutes. You will know the cake is cooked when the centre is no longer wobbly and you can pierce the centre of the cake with a skewer and it comes out clean. If the top of the cake begins to brown before the centre is cooked, loosely cover it with foil to prevent it from burning. Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool before icing. The cake can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer. Icing To make the icing simply melt together the butter and the chocolate. Either in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each one or on the stove top on a very low heat stirring constantly. When melted it will become smooth and glossy, keep stirring once you remove it from the heat allowing it to cool slightly. Then pour over the cake starting in the centre, allowing the chocolate to drip down the sides. Decorate with fresh berries, or chocolates. Treakle Tart by Annabel Bower @foodbyannabel I'd never made a Treacle Tart until I found myself cooking in a grand Gloucestershire kitchen for The Lord and Lady Mancroft. Gooey, golden and outrageously sweet, it quickly became a Sunday staple—especially requested by Lord Mancroft himself, usually after a morning of polo, fox hunting, or some other thoroughly British pursuit. Known affectionately as a 'nursery pudding,' this tart is the kind of comfort food that makes you feel like you've earned a second slice… even if the only galloping you've done is to the table. Ingredients Pastry Shell 300gms sweet shortcrust pastry. Homemade or high-quality store bought. Filling 400gms golden syrup 1 lemon, zest grated 2 eggs, beaten 100gms fresh white breadcrumbs – made from fresh white bread with crusts cut off in a food processor. 1 tsp flaked sea salt or Maldon salt (optional) To serve Ice cream or clotted cream Equipment 22cm Tart baking tin with removable base, 1 baking tray for the tart tin to sit on. Food processor for breadcrumbs Baking beans – ceramic beads used to weigh down pastry during 'blind baking' which means baking a tart shell without its filling. Method Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Roll the chilled pastry out to a thickness of 0.5-0.75cm. Gently transfer into tart tin, pressing into the base and sides to form a tart shell. Chill again if it has become warm. Cover with baking paper which generously overhangs the edges of the pastry and tart tin. Fill with 'baking beans' or dried pulses or rice. Place tart tin on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes then carefully remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave in oven and lower the temperature to 160 degrees Celsius. Mix together the filling whist the tart shell is being prebaked. Combine the golden syrup, lemon zest, eggs and breadcrumbs and whisk until there are no lumps. Carefully pull the baking tray with the tart tin out of the oven and pour in the filling. Gently shake to evenly distribute but be careful not to spill any down the sides of the pastry shell. Sprinkle with flaked salt if using. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set. Cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with clotted cream, crème fraiche or ice cream – vanilla or chocolate!
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Powerful acting helps keep this coastal crime drama from sinking
The Survivors ★★★ Netflix Created by prolific screenwriter/director/producer Tony Ayres, this crime drama is based on the novel of the same name by the equally prolific Jane Harper (The Dry). The story takes place in – you won't believe it – a small town where everyone knows each other's business, and many members of the tight-knit community have long-held secrets. Unlike The Dry though, things are very wet in The Survivors; the setting is the fictional Evelyn Bay, a coastal town in Tasmania where everyone's lives revolve around the water – fishing, diving, tourist sightseeing boats. Kieran Elliot (Charlie Vickers, last seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) is returning to Evelyn Bay for the first time 15 years, with his partner Mia (Bridgerton 's Yerin Ha), who also grew up there, and their newborn daughter. They've come to help out Kieran's parents, Brian (Damien Garvey) and Verity (the never less than astounding Robyn Malcolm), who are dealing with Brian's worsening dementia. Verity collects Kieran and Mia from the airport and is passive-aggressive to both of them from the outset. The reason for her tepid welcome is soon revealed: 15 years earlier, Kieran's brother Finn (Remy Kidd) and his friend Toby (Talon Hopper) both drowned while trying to save Kieran who, despite his intimate knowledge of the landscape and the tides, found himself trapped in a local cave as it filled with water during a freak storm. We're shown the incident in flashbacks, including the aftermath of Kieran in hospital as Verity blames him for his brother's death, while Brian tries to calm her down. Clearly that didn't work, as Kieran fled for the mainland as soon as he could. But now he's back, and somewhat surprised that it's in time for the anniversary of the accident, which is to be commemorated with a special footy match. But his old mates Ash (George Mason) and Sean (Thom Green) welcome him back, even though Ash is now paired up with Kieran's ex, Liv (Jessica De Gouw), and others in town are less than thrilled.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Powerful acting helps keep this coastal crime drama from sinking
The Survivors ★★★ Netflix Created by prolific screenwriter/director/producer Tony Ayres, this crime drama is based on the novel of the same name by the equally prolific Jane Harper (The Dry). The story takes place in – you won't believe it – a small town where everyone knows each other's business, and many members of the tight-knit community have long-held secrets. Unlike The Dry though, things are very wet in The Survivors; the setting is the fictional Evelyn Bay, a coastal town in Tasmania where everyone's lives revolve around the water – fishing, diving, tourist sightseeing boats. Kieran Elliot (Charlie Vickers, last seen in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) is returning to Evelyn Bay for the first time 15 years, with his partner Mia (Bridgerton 's Yerin Ha), who also grew up there, and their newborn daughter. They've come to help out Kieran's parents, Brian (Damien Garvey) and Verity (the never less than astounding Robyn Malcolm), who are dealing with Brian's worsening dementia. Verity collects Kieran and Mia from the airport and is passive-aggressive to both of them from the outset. The reason for her tepid welcome is soon revealed: 15 years earlier, Kieran's brother Finn (Remy Kidd) and his friend Toby (Talon Hopper) both drowned while trying to save Kieran who, despite his intimate knowledge of the landscape and the tides, found himself trapped in a local cave as it filled with water during a freak storm. We're shown the incident in flashbacks, including the aftermath of Kieran in hospital as Verity blames him for his brother's death, while Brian tries to calm her down. Clearly that didn't work, as Kieran fled for the mainland as soon as he could. But now he's back, and somewhat surprised that it's in time for the anniversary of the accident, which is to be commemorated with a special footy match. But his old mates Ash (George Mason) and Sean (Thom Green) welcome him back, even though Ash is now paired up with Kieran's ex, Liv (Jessica De Gouw), and others in town are less than thrilled.
