The Kilkenny Observer Friday 7 May 2021
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Lockdown streaming
5 to watch after Line Of Duty
Wild at heart: the wonderful Lily James as Linda in Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit Of Love on BBC One
1. INFORMER
Starring Nabhaan Rizwan, Jessica Raine and Paddy Considine, Informer is a tense thriller about a second-generation British Pakistani who is coerced into working as an informant for a counterterrorism unit. Exploring themes around identity and family, the series feels like a forgotten gem from the BBC. One season, six episodes, its is streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
2. UNFORGOTTEN
The most underrated drama on British TV, Unforgotten is head and shoulders above the neverending mass of crime dramas populating our screens. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar bring charm and natural chemistry as the lead detectives Cassie and Sunny, but it’s the smartly-plotted cold case mysteries that are this show’s trump card. Four seasons, with first three on Netflix.
3. BODYGUARD
Keep your Sundays free for BBC’s period drama The Pursuit Of Love A TV adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love begins on BBC One this Sunday, May 9. The adaptation of Mitford’s 1945 novel will remain faithful to the original plot – breaking it out into three, 60-minute instalments. Beginning in the interwar period, The Pursuit of Love
chronicles wilful, aristocratic heroine Linda Radlett’s quest to find true romance at all costs – a desire that takes her from her ancestral home of Alconleigh in Oxfordshire to the Pyrenees at the height of the Spanish Civil War and on to the Paris of the Lost Generation. Acting as her foil will be
the story’s narrator, Linda’s cousin Fanny Logan, whose altogether more “respectable” choices throw Linda’s daring into stark relief. The wonderfully talented Lily James (who has a lead role in just about every major period drama this year) will star as the wild-hearted Linda, with Emily Beecham
Nicole Kidman to play I Love Lucy ACTRESS Nicole Kidman will play the role of the iconic comedienne Lucille Ball in the film ‘Being The Ricardos.’ Ever since it was announced that Kidman would take on the role of Lucille aka Lucy, in the upcoming Aaron Sorkindirected feature, all eyes have
been anticipating seeing her in action. As is an awardwinning actress who’s been in the entertainment business for many years, it’s pretty much guaranteed she’ll do a fantastic job when it comes to acting the part of the legendary comic.
Kidman takes on Lucy’s famous red curly locks and classic wardrobe and seems to be showing off the demeanour of the star with her facial expressions.
playing Fanny. The supporting cast is good – with Dominic West (The Affair) and Dolly Wells appearing as Linda’s parents (whom Mitford based on her own rather severe mother and father) and Andrew Scott as the Radletts’ very eccentric neighbour, Lord Merlin.
Keeley Hawes played Home Secretary Julia Montague and Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden starred as her Personal Protection Officer, David Budd, in this enthralling and addictive thriller. Each episode reveals further complexities in the pair’s professional and personal relationships as they find themselves at the heart of a web of intrigue that involves the security services and the police as well as politicians and civil servants within Westminster itself. The explosive finale was watched by over 19 million viewers here and across the water and everyone has been desperately hoping for a second season ever since, Covid permitting. On Netflix.
4. THE MISSING
The Missing creators Harry and Jack Williams are masters of crime mysteries and The Missing is the duo’s finest hour. Season 1’s story about a missing boy starring James Nesbitt as the desperate father is fantastic, however, it was season 2 that took the show to another level. Starring David Morrissey, Keeley Hawes and Roger Allam, the mystery about a girl going missing in Germany is brilliantly crafted. Tcheky Karyo’s standout performances in both series as French detective Julien Baptiste even earned him a 2019 spin-off, Baptiste, which is also available on Amazon Prime.
5. MARCELLA
Despite marriage woes, a tragic loss, memory blackouts and her struggles as a mum, a London detective, Anna Friel as Marcella Backland, excels at what she does best; catching killers. Streaming on Netflix with three seasons.
