Childhood best friends reunite only to discover one of them has terminal cancer? That’ll do it. If it’s a soppy BBC drama you’re after this yuletide, Mayflies fits the bill. It’s hard to care about what happens to him, and the Czech baddies he’s running from are mere caricatures – but it’s nice enough to look at and good fun. Stonehouse is portrayed very unfavourably here, as a fool and a philanderer. Macfadyen stars opposite his wife, Keeley Hawes, who plays Stonehouse’s suspicious spouse Barbara. This series, which is played for laughs, tells the story of how the real-life Labour politician faked his own death in the Seventies, after being blackmailed into becoming a spy for the Czech Secret Service. There’s more than a whiff of Succession’s awkward Tom Wambsgans in Matthew Macfadyen’s new slippery snake character, John Stonehouse. If this really is Happy Valley’s final hurrah, it seems it’ll be going out on a high.
SERIES TO WATCH OVER CHRISTMAS SERIES
It’s equally as tense, too, with the series exploring Tommy Lee Royce’s (James Norton) tightening hold over his now-teenage son, Catherine’s grandson Ryan, played by Rhys Connah. The show, written by Sally Wainwright, is back at long last – and, we’re thankful to report, is as watchable as ever.
Nicole VassellĪny fear that Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) had lost any of her pithy bite in the six years she’s been off the screen are dispelled mere seconds into episode one of the third and final series of Happy Valley. Riches isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but it could be just the ticket if you’re after some light, soapy silliness. From Dynasty to Succession, we’ve seen rich relatives go toe-to-toe in the boardroom many times over. As the CEO of family-run Black haircare business Flair and Glory, Stephen’s demise sets off a battle royale for control over the company. With a wealthy, fragmented clan at its centre, this six-part drama from Inventing Anna screenwriter Abby Ajayi introduces the Richards family, who are rocked by the sudden death of patriarch Stephen (Hugh Quarshie). Riches provides the fictional kind in droves. Louis Chiltonįor many, Christmas often comes with a healthy side serving of family quarrelling. Diehard fans may be left pining for more, but the gentle, off-beat humour that defined the first three seasons of Detectorists is neatly decanted into this 75-minute-long swansong. Rachael Stirling, meanwhile, turns in a reliably winning performance as Andy’s wife, Becky. Eschewing a festive backdrop for a more evergreen approach, the episode sees Lance ( Toby Jones) and Andy (Crook) stumble upon a find of potential archaeological significance. Mackenzie Crook’s eminently endearing sitcom, about the lives of two metal detectorists who comb the English countryside for treasure, returns for a one-off Christmas special on BBC Two.
SERIES TO WATCH OVER CHRISTMAS TV
I’m An Alcoholic: Inside Recovery debunks the AA myth that movies and TV have shown us for years.
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