Latest news with #CriminalRecord
Daily Record
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Brutal gangland executions in Spain discussed by Daily Record crime team
Crime Reporter Norman Silvester speaks at length about the Spain shootings in a new crime podcast launched by the Record this week. Criminal Record: The Lyons and Daniels gangland feud explained after hoods shot dead in Spanish bar The team at Criminal Record met today to discuss the brutal gangland killings after Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were gunned down in Spain. The two senior Lyons clan members were executed by a gunman at Monaghan's Bar in the Costa Del Sol on Saturday night. The key lieutenants were assassinated outside Monaghan's bar in Fuengirola amid a violent turf war raging across Scotland since March. In a brand new podcast, which has been launched by the Record this week, crime reporter Norman Silvester spoke about the killings that shocked the country. Silvester spoke in detail about what happened on the night as we discussed chilling CCTV footage which showed the gunman inside Monaghan's bar as the pair were assassinated. The crime specialist then discussed at length the history of the Lyons gang and their bloody feud with the Daniels clan - which dates back more than 20 years. As Silvester explains, it is claimed the feud between the two crime families first began over control of drugs turf. In 2001 a large stash of Daniels' cocaine was stolen from a house in the Milton area of Glasgow and sold on to the Lyons. The rivalry between the two crime family networks has seen shootings, stabbings, hit and runs, firebomb attacks, police corruption and drug trafficking busts. We also discussed the possibility that the shootings could be linked to Scotland's ongoing gangland war which broke out earlier this year. Silvester spoke about how the underworld feud first erupted after Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson's cronies stole a £500,000 stash of cocaine from a Dubai-based "Mr Big" known as Ross McGill, using fake cash. The Lyons gang were thought to be supporting Dubai-based McGill who waged a war on Mark Richardson - and associates the Daniels family. Finally, we discussed the likelihood of the notorious Lyons crime seeking a bloody revenge - and what this might involve. To watch the podcast, head over to our YouTube channel by clicking here. You can also subscribe to listen to this podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts by searching for 'Criminal Record' .
The Independent
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
From Severance to Silo – the 24 best Apple TV+ shows to binge
Over the past decade, the TV landscape has been revolutionised by streaming. Where once everyone was limited to a handful of channels and had to put up with endless repeats of Last of the Summer Wine, viewers are now faced with a glut of potential streaming services – making it harder than ever to know what to switch on. Throughout most of the 2010s, Netflix was all but synonymous with the idea of original streaming content. But the past few years have given rise to a number of compelling alternatives, including Disney+, Prime Video, and Apple TV+. Since its launch in 2019, Apple TV+ has established itself as one of the most reliable emergent streaming services, when it comes to original content. From dramas such as For All Mankind and Pachinko to lighter comic fare like Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest, the streamer has proved that it can more than hold its own against the competition. In 2019, Apple TV+ even became the first streaming service to produce an Oscar Best Picture winner, in the sentimental drama Coda. And with its television output, Apple has worked with a number of esteemed creatives such as Pablo Larrain and Clio Barnard, as well as some of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway and Harrison Ford. With dozens of past and ongoing TV series in its catalogue, and many more in the pipeline, Apple TV+ 's range of options may still be intimidating for new subscribers. To help you out, The Independent has assembled a list of the very best shows Apple TV+ has to offer – and you can watch them for free this weekend. Here are 17 of our favourite TV series to watch now on Apple TV+... Severance This chilling corporate satire about work/life balance sees staff at a mysterious company, Lumon, get 'severed' – slicing their work selves apart from their home selves so that one part of their consciousness never leaves the office and the other part never goes in. Starring Adam Scott and Patricia Arquette, it's surreal, blackly comic, beautiful and profound. And the season finale was a nailbiting masterpiece. The first series made it onto our list of the best shows of 2022, which you can read in full here. Ellie Harrison Criminal Record Don't let the plodding title put you off: Criminal Record is anything but your average police drama by numbers. When detective duo Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo face off in this thriller, it's hard not to hold your breath. In another, cosier police procedural, this pairing might have ended up as an 'odd couple' pair, with Jumbo's young, principled sergeant teaching Capaldi's gruff chief inspector a thing or two about the modern world, and him imparting a few nuggets of old-school wisdom in return. But this eight-parter, created by Indian Summers writer Paul Rutman, is definitely not that show: it's much nastier and, therefore, much more realistic. Katie Rosseinsky Ted Lasso Jason Sudeikis's Yank-out-of-water comedy about a belligerently good-natured NFL manager who tries his hand at Premier League football is probably Apple TV+'s most talked about original series. The increasingly indulgent second and third seasons have proved divisive – as have the show's constant Americanisms and spurious butchering of the beautiful game – but its first season in particular remains a charming, light-hearted endeavour. Louis Chilton An ambitious historical epic detailing the lives of four generations of Korean immigrants, Pachinko launched on Apple TV+ in 2021 to universal acclaim. There's some real talent both behind and in front of the camera: The Terror 's Soo Hugh served as showrunner, while Columbus and After Yang filmmaker Kogonada split directing duties with Justin Chon (Blue Bayou). A second season, currently in development, is likely to be a source of feverish anticipation among fans. LC Bad Sisters Where Sharon Horgan goes, razor-sharp comedy can usually be found. She was already pretty universally adored for her writing on Catastrophe and Motherland, and then the Garvey girls tore onto the scene in Bad Sisters. It follows four Dublin sisters who are conspiring to murder the horrible husband of the remaining, fifth, sister. Horgan, who also stars in it, is terrific, and Eve Hewson is a revelation as plucky youngest sibling Becka. EH For All Mankind Everyone knows the USA was the first country to send people to the moon. What this series presupposes is… what if it wasn't? For All Mankind takes the Space Race as a jumping-off point for a whole alternative history timeline, as a Soviet PR victory causes a butterfly effect that ripples throughout the rest of the century. Solid writing and strong performances from a cast that includes Joel Kinnaman, Jodi Balfour and Wrenn Schmidt make For All Mankind arresting and unusual television. LC Slow Horses This adaptation of Mick Herron's Jackson Lamb spy books stars Gary Oldman as the gloriously grumpy intelligence officer. He's part of the dysfunctional team of British agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 known as Slough House. The show, from Veep and The Thick of It writer Will Smith, is cerebral and full of pitch-black comedy. EH Mythic Quest This half-hour series, set in the offices of a World of Warcraft -esque video game studio, is a robustly enjoyable sitcom created by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia alumni Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz. While it never really comes close to matching Always Sunny 's lightning-in-a-bottle comic brilliance, Mythic Quest shines thanks to Charlotte Nicdao's turn as the talented but flawed Poppy, whose bristly relationship with the egomaniacal Ian (McElhenney) forms the show's narrative core. LC The Morning Show One of the starriest shows on the platform – and that's saying something – is this comedy drama that pulls back the curtain on early morning US TV. Massively in its favour are the fizzing performances from Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, Steve Carrell and Billy Crudup. The first season was fantastic. The second slightly descended into chaos (plus, it introduced Covid into the storyline, which is always painful). And the third was fully deranged. But it was still compulsively watchable. EH Dickinson One of Apple TV+'s earliest series is also one of their best: a revisionist comedy-drama about the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson, starring pop musician and True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld. There are plenty of liberties taken with historical fact – here, the young artist is shown to be in love with Sue Gilbert (Ella Hunt), her best friend, who is also engaged to marry Emily's brother. But Dickinson is an intelligent, imaginative series that seeks to capture its subject in spirit rather than likeness. LC Trying In this lovely British sitcom, Esther Smith's Nikki and Rafe Spall's Jason are 'trying' to adopt a child. They've attempted to conceive for years, including through IVF, and it hasn't worked out. While infertility struggles might not exactly sound like ripe territory for comedy, writer Andy Wolton is masterful at unearthing the absurdities within. Worth your time. EH The Problem with Jon Stewart Ex- Daily Show comedian Stewart more than proves his chops as a formidable political interviewer in this topical non-fiction series. Every so often, a clip from The Problem will go viral, featuring Stewart holding a politican to account on issues like gun reform, but episodes are worth watching in their entirety: Stewart is a likeable and articulate host, attacking his subjects with a good balance of accessibility and rigour. LC Shrinking In Apple's sunny dramedy Shrinking, Jason Segel plays a therapist whose – to borrow an expression from the writer Georgia Pritchett – mess is a bit of a life. The series co-stars a growling Harrison Ford and a mesmerising Jessica Williams, and it arrived on the platform just weeks before Segel's best mate Chris O'Dowd's own midlife crisis show (see next pick) came along, so it certainly seems as though there's something in the water. EH The Big Door Prize Chris O'Dowd is as leggy and affable as ever in this show adapted from the novel by MO Walsh. It's set in a small town that turns upside down after a strange 'Morpho' machine appears in the local store. For the same price as a cup of coffee, the glowing blue object promises to tell people their 'true life potential'. Of course, it pretty instantly sends everyone, including O'Dowd's Dusty, into an existential spiral. EH There's not really anything else on television quite like Schmigadoon!. A musical tribute to 1940s and 1950s Hollywood musicals (and a direct parody of Brigadoon), this effervescent show sees Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key stumble upon a town where everyone is all-singin' and all dancin'... but won't let them leave. Barry Sonnenfeld, erstwhile Coen brothers cinematographer and director of 1993's Addams Family Values, directs the entirety of season one. LC Shining Girls Based on Lauren Beukes's 2013 novel, this dark mystery sees Mad Men favourite Elisabeth Moss play Kirby, a newspaper researcher who, six years before the series kicks off, survives a viscious attack by a man who was never captured. Determined to find the culprit, she discovers a murder that has a striking resemblance to her own attack, and begins her investigation. As our writer Amanda Whiting put it: 'There's hardly a scene in Shining Girls that doesn't feature Elisabeth Moss doing something stunning.' EH Hijack This real-time show, starring Idris Elba as a man trying to stop hijackers on a plane from Dubai to London, was the stealth hit of last summer. It has all the hallmarks of true event TV: a slow-burn mystery waiting to be solved, a ticking-clock scenario, a hero you'd trust with your life, and an agonising week-long wait for new episodes. Elba does some of the finest eye-acting seen on TV: his pupils darting around the cabin, communicating to viewers, if not his fellow passengers, where his interests lie. And there's something almost erotic about the calm confidence with which he goes toe-to-toe with Neil Maskell's Stone Island hijacker (Maskell, too, is superb, projecting an eerie competence as an East End villain). Nick Hilton Silo Based on the books by Hugh Howey, this series has an irresistible setting: a subterranean city with 144 floors whose residents unquestioningly lock themselves away from the outside world. Why? Because they believe they will die within minutes if they leave. Naturally, some characters believe a conspiracy may be afoot, and secretly attempt to learning the truth behind their existence in the the silo. It stars David Oyelowo, Rashida Jones, Rebecca Ferguson and Harriet Walter, to name a few. And it's brilliant. Jacob Stolworthy High Desert Patricia Arquette anchors this witty, dynamic series about Peggy, a chaotic ex-felon who becomes a private eye. As Peggy gets sucked into an eccentric mystery involving a stolen Picasso painting and a number of skeevy figures from her past, she struggles to keep her own demons at bay. Arquette is undisputedly the star here, but High Desert is enlivened by a number of quirky, charismatic supporting performers, including Rupert Friend, Matt Dillon, and Bernadette Peters. LC Before He's better known for comedy but Billy Crystal plays convincingly against type in this earnest drama in which he stars as child psychologist Eli, already reeling from the suicide of his wife and suddenly confronted with a mute, traumatised child. The child, Noah appears in his life as both a challenge and a curse. He has bloodied hands, an implacable stare and no capacity to explain the roots of his disturbing appearance and behaviour. It's heavily indebted to The Sixth Sense but remains both creepy and unpredictable throughout. Phil Harrison Prime Target Everyone's favourite White Lotus breakout star Leo Woodall plays a mathematical genius in this enjoyably bonkers thriller, which starts off at a Cambridge college and ends up hopping around the globe as a strange conspiracy unravels. Edward (Woodall, dressed in a lot of brown) is a postgrad who is trying to find a pattern in prime numbers, which might just allow him access to every computer in the world. Naturally, there are shadowy forces attempting to thwart his research. Yes, the plot stretches credulity, but it's perfect popcorn escapism. KR Dope Thief Ray and Manny are a couple of small-time Philadelphia crooks who specialise in peacefully ripping off stash houses by masquerading as DEA officers. But they get in over their heads when an acquaintance of Manny's tips them off about a possible big score out of town. Dope Thief works as an amiable buddy drama thanks to the natural chemistry between leads Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura. But it has a hard centre too - both men have tragic backstories and big dreams and are easy to root for as two underdogs, out of their depth. PH The Studio A TV show about a film studio with a storied past that's struggling to stay afloat in the streaming age, debuting on a streaming platform? Let's just say that things get pretty meta in Seth Rogen's comedy The Studio. He plays Matt, an exec who has just been promoted to head of (fictional) Continental Studios. It should be his dream gig, but it soon becomes clear that he won't exactly be making great cinema: instead, the higher-ups want him to help them churn out blockbusters based on 'legacy brands'. A whole load of famous faces, from Martin Scorsese to Ron Howard to Charlize Theron, make cameos as themselves, too. KR Your Friends & Neighbours Jon Hamm manifests his usual blend of self-assurance and self-loathing in this drama about a hedge fund manager who suddenly loses everything. After watching his job, his family and his fortune crumble, he has a dangerously seductive idea. He's surrounded by awful, rich neighbours - so why not start emptying their houses of the trinkets of conspicuous wealth they so complacently take for granted. It's a midlife crisis and a wry satire on the crumbling American dream all rolled into one. PH
