Culture vulture

Breaking Bad: Not the Greatest Story Ever Told

In December I got a Netflix account and decided to have a (Walter) White Christmas by watching all five seasons of Breaking Bad. In case you hadn’t heard, Breaking Bad is regarded as The Greatest TV Show Ever Made by… Continue Reading →

2014/01/12

Strange Days: Cold War Britain

HE’S BACK!!! Dominic Sandbrook presents the BBC2 series Strange Days: Cold War Britain, part of a season of programmes examining what the Beeb calls the “superpower stand-off” that began after World War II. “Red Dawn”, the first instalment in this… Continue Reading →

2013/11/17

Brutal & Beautiful

London has many museums, but until last week I didn’t realise there was one slap-bang in the middle of Hyde Park Corner. The elegant classical proportions of the Wellington Arch belie the Tardis-like properties of this overlooked landmark. Inside you’ll… Continue Reading →

2013/11/03

Masters of Sex and the Master of Suspense

After last week I wasn’t sure whether to continue with my blog about C4’s Masters of Sex. There are too many TV recappers out there already, each with their devoted following of snarky commenters. It’s always more fun to just… Continue Reading →

2013/10/16

Masters of Sex and mid-century design

In my quest to recapture that elusive Mad Men vibe, I watched the pilot episode of Masters of Sex on Channel 4. This 12-part US drama from Showtime is about the pioneering research on sexuality conducted from 1956 onwards by… Continue Reading →

2013/10/09

Open House London – more than just grand designs

Detail from Gordon Cullen mural at Greenside Primary School, London W12

The third weekend of September is always the best time of year to be in London. On 21 and 22 September, the annual Open House London event will see the city throw open its doors to anyone with an interest… Continue Reading →

2013/09/20

Sons of Anarchy: an A-Z

Sons of Anarchy, Charlie_Hunnam_by_Gage_Skidmore

Ardent admirers of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy whipped themselves into a frenzy last week over the casting of British actor Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey* in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s forthcoming movie. They vented their displeasure by starting an online… Continue Reading →

2013/09/10

Howzat! Kerry Packer's War

Kerry Packer is an unstoppable force of nature, who spews out expletives and dispenses wads of cash at an equally alarming rate. BBC presenter John Inverdale continues to attract almost as many column inches as our new Wimbledon Champion, Andy… Continue Reading →

2013/07/10

Vicious: Raking Over the Ashes of British Comedy

“Is this over yet then, Freddie?” enquired a hungry guest at what felt like the longest and worst catered tea party in TV history. This was episode one of Vicious, ITV1’s new Monday-night sitcom starring the absolutely fabulous Ian McKellen… Continue Reading →

2013/04/30

The Secrets of Broadchurch

Instead of wondering whether DI Hardy would drop dead before solving the case, I found myself asking why Tennant was growing that rather unattractive beard. As the final credits rolled on ITV1’s Broadchurch, teary-eyed viewers contemplated that yawning gap in… Continue Reading →

2013/04/23

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