Bridgerton
Regency London. Beautiful debutante Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and the devilishly handsome but rakish Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) are faking a romance – an arrangement that suits them both.
A cast that seems to consist of at least half of the actors in Britain (including Ben Miller, Bessie Carter, Polly Walker and Golda Rosheuvel (above))
But what if they develop real feelings for each other? And what if Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews), the anonymous author of a gossip sheet, gets wind of their wheeze? Meanwhile, with a cast that seems to consist of at least half of the actors in Britain (including Ben Miller, Bessie Carter, Polly Walker and Golda Rosheuvel), there are duels, brawls, bareknuckle boxing matches, unwanted pregnancies, glimpses of mad King George III, wonderful, extravagant candlelit balls and amorous assignations in pleasure gardens.
Netflix’s lavish costume drama is a sexy, sumptuous blast. From Christmas Day
The Midnight Sky
It’s 2049 and nuclear disaster is threatening to wipe out humanity. As global radiation levels rise, the staff at an Arctic observatory are being evacuated to die at home with their families.
One man is left behind, Augustine Lofthouse – played by a heavily bearded George Clooney – a space scientist who’s already terminally ill. But he’s about to make two big discoveries – that’s he not alone and that a manned spaceship is on its way back to Earth after an expedition to a Jovian moon.
If he could just make contact… MB From Wednesday
The Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit became Netflix’s most viewed scripted limited series ever in only four weeks and was its top show in 63 countries, including the UK. Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis (who also wrote The Hustler and The Man Who Fell To Earth), it’s the inspiring tale of chess prodigy Beth Harmon (a mesmerising Anya Taylor-Joy) playing her way to the top in a male-dominated game.
Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, it’s the inspiring tale of chess prodigy Beth Harmon (a mesmerising Anya Taylor-Joy, above with Marielle Heller)
From the moment Beth sits down to her first game of chess as a little girl to the climactic match when she is taking on the Russian world champion, we are rooting for her, and the finale is as emotional a piece of drama as you will watch this year. Available now
London Hughes
Executive produced by US comedy star Kevin Hart, this stand-up special from London Hughes should help launch the British star’s international career no end. She uses her own past as an inspiration and pulls no punches throughout the show – the prudish out there had better brace themselves… From Tuesday
The Last Dance
Even if you’re not a sports fan and you don’t know the first thing about basketball, you’ll be fascinated by this documentary series, one of the streaming giant’s biggest hits of the year.
It offers an insight into the rise and rise of the 1990s Chicago Bulls team, led by the legendary Michael Jordan (above) – and it’s about much more than hoops and slam dunks
It offers an insight into the rise and rise of the 1990s Chicago Bulls team, led by the legendary Michael Jordan – and it’s about much more than hoops and slam dunks. Available now
We Can Be Heroes
When aliens capture the Heroics, Earth’s superheroes, their kids have to help save the day. Given that their abilities include elasticity, time control and predicting the future, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids), it’s an action comedy and sequel to his The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl In 3-D, which was a flop. This is a lot better. From Friday
DISNEY+, SKY, BRITBOX, APPLE TV+ & ACORN TV
Soul
Joe Gardner (pictured, far right) is a gifted jazz pianist who never got the breaks, until one day he is presented with the chance to play with a celebrated saxophonist. He promptly falls down a manhole and eventually finds himself in the Great Before – where souls live before they are joined with their human body.
Joe is determined to get back to his own body so he can do the gig that has long been his dream, but he ends up making the leap with Soul 22, who has never been able to see the point of life on Earth.
Joe Gardner (above, far right) is a gifted jazz pianist who never got the breaks, until one day he is presented with the chance to play with a celebrated saxophonist
This beautifully animated, big-hearted Pixar film owes a lot to Powell and Pressburger’s 1946 film A Matter Of Life And Death and stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey and – get this – Graham Norton. Disney+, from Christmas Day
Tin Star
A former London undercover cop finds that dark deeds from his past are impossible to shake off, even after he takes a new job in a supposedly quiet town in the Rocky Mountains of Canada.
Tim Roth (above centre) is outstanding in the lead, ably supported by Genevieve O’Reilly (above left), Abigail Lawrie (right) and Ian Puleston-Davies
Tim Roth is outstanding in the lead, ably supported by Genevieve O’Reilly, Abigail Lawrie and Ian Puleston-Davies. The third and final series has just dropped. Sky/NOW TV, available now
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
A top cast of Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Timothy Spall, Jimmy Nail, Christopher Fairbank, Gary Holton and Pat Roach are the British construction crew working on the site from morning till night in Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais’ wonderful comedy drama.
A top cast of (clockwise, from left) Tim Healy, Kevin Whately, Timothy Spall, Jimmy Nail, Christopher Fairbank, Gary Holton and Pat Roach (centre) are the British construction crew
The best two series – which also happen to be the first ones, set in Germany and Spain – are being made available. BritBox, series 1 & 2, from Christmas Eve
Chernobyl
Keep your iodine pills handy when watching this brilliant and terrifying dramatisation of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and its aftermath. Jared Harris and Emily Watson are the scientists trying to work out what went wrong at the power plant in what is now Ukraine but was then part of the Soviet Union.
The series won pretty much every award going. Sky/NOW TV, available now
Elizabeth I
The multi-award-winning, two-part drama from 2005 features a searing performance from Helen Mirren in the lead role. The story charts the last 24 years in the iconic monarch’s long reign and offers insights into her relationships with the Earls of Essex and Leicester.
The multi-award-winning, two-part drama from 2005 features a searing performance from Helen Mirren (above) in the lead role
Jeremy Irons, Hugh Dancy, Toby Jones and Patrick Malahide are among the impressive supporting cast. Acorn TV, from Monday
Wolfwalkers
Robyn Goodfellowe is a young apprentice hunter who, after journeying to Ireland with her father to help wipe out the last remaining wolf pack, has an experience that changes her life – and may pit her against her own family. Apple TV+, available now
The Dream Machine
This 1964 documentary is a fascinating glimpse into TV production of the time, focusing on producer Francis Essex’s attempts to pull together a variety show called Six Wonderful Girls.
The sight of Honor Blackman and Millicent Martin rehearsing is a delight. BritBox, from Christmas Eve