Christopher Plummer always refused to refer to his most famous film by its real title. To him, it was The Sound Of Mucus, or S&M — a sly reference to sado-masochism. Devoting a brief chapter of his 600-page autobiography to the perennial favourite — it won five Oscars in 1966, none of which was for … Read more
Your Garden Made Perfect Rating: Ken Burns: Here and There Rating: Step away from the patio doors! According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 87,000 people need hospital treatment every year for injuries sustained while gardening. Cuts and falls are the most common disasters, but more than 3,000 accidents involve — yikes! … Read more
The Repair Shop Rating: Mend it for Money Rating: They said it would never be done. More specifically, my wife thought I’d never get round to it. There’s been junk boxed up in our garage, unseen since we moved in more than 20 years ago. But one of the bonuses of lockdown is that we’ve … Read more
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night’s TV: Joanna Lumley – the ab fab Corrie star, Bond girl and bride of Dracula By Christopher Stevens for the Daily Mail Published: 01:46 GMT, 3 February 2021 | Updated: 01:50 GMT, 3 February 2021 Joanna Lumley’s Home Sweet Home – Travels In My Own Land Rating: Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable … Read more
The Drowning Rating: The Mallorca Files Rating: One of the oddest and most unsettling effects of bereavement is the way that, on occasion, you’ll think you see the dead friend or relative in every crowd. I don’t mean ghostly apparitions. It’s just an illusion, something about a stranger’s hair or coat, or the way they … Read more
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews the weekend’s TV: Magical view from above that only Santa usually gets to see By Christopher Stevens for the Daily Mail Published: 02:04 GMT, 1 February 2021 | Updated: 02:04 GMT, 1 February 2021 Stormborn Rating: A Perfect Planet Rating: We’ve been looking at things all wrong. Wildlife film-makers endure all kinds … Read more
Robson Green: Walking Coast to Coast Rating: The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles Rating: Call the palace. Robson Green has found just the job for that awkward member of the Royal Family, the one who has been at a bit of a loose end recently. Prince Andrew can become a beekeeper. The actor … Read more
Long Lost Family Rating: Devon and Cornwall Rating: Davina McCall’s shows tend to run their course. Big Brother was a national obsession, until suddenly we all felt it had nothing new to give us. Her stint as a judge on The Masked Singer is going well enough, but who remembers telly filler such as Got … Read more
CHRISTOPHER STEPHENS: We’ve been here before. Mum is a scatty mess, rarely without a coffee mug brimming with wine in her hand, clueless about money and unable to concentrate.
Looking back, the signs were there, had I only opened my eyes to them. The growing distance between us. Him having an affair with a colleague six years before, which I forgave because, well, everyone makes mistakes. The fact that I was the one doing all the heavy lifting of parenting at the expense of … Read more