What to watch this October
🎃 Films, TV, theatre + marvels from the community
Hello angels 💫
A very happy October to you. Here are some nuggets to enjoy this month.
🎭 Theatre
I don’t often recommend theatre as I know a lot of you aren’t based in London BUT I have seen two things recently that I wanted to tell you about…
Shifters is currently on at the Duke of York theatre in London (but only until the 12th so you need to get moving). I saw it a few weeks ago and loved it. It’s a rom-com written by Benedict Lombe and produced by big names including Idris Elba, Little Simz and Maya Jama. It tells the story of first loves Des and Dre, who reunite at a funeral eight years after splitting up. It’s also being adapted into a TV show, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Austentacious is also good fun. It’s improvised comedy with a Jane Austen theme. Each night, the cast get suggestions from the audience about the title of the evening’s play and then improvise a show out of it. I’ve seen it twice, ten years apart, and both times it was very good and very silly. On every Monday until December in the Arts Theatre in the West End.
🍿 Film
I’ve recommended a few films recently, including Dìdi, Sing Sing and The Outrun. Another film I’ve enjoyed is Lee, a film that tells the true story Lee Miller, a model turned war photographer who worked for Vogue during the second world war. She became one of the most important war photographers of all time, and the images she sent home did a lot to raise awareness about what was happening on the frontlines and the horrors of the concentration camps. It’s a moving and important story, and Kate Winslet is phenomenal. If you want to learn more about the nine year journey to get it made, you can have a watch of this interview on Lorraine. Out in UK cinemas now.
🎬 TV
There are a few old favourites that have come back for another season recently…
Slow Horses — the best British spy drama of the moment, featuring Gary Oldman (as maybe the most likeable unlikeable character ever??), Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden. It follows a dysfunctional team of MI5 agents that have been relegated to a special department after making career-ending mistakes. Season 4 is currently coming out weekly on AppleTV+.
Colin From Accounts — the Aussie comedy about a couple who meet after running over a dog, from real-life husband-wife duo Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer. All episodes of season 2 are now available on BBC iPlayer.
📹 Documentary
Strike: An Uncivil War is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of the 1984/5 minters’ strike. It was released to coincide with the 40th anniversary of one of the strikes’ most violent confrontations, the Battle of Orgreave, and features fascinating personal testimonies from the people who were there. On Netflix.
What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates is a new five-part series from Bill Gates, that looks at the big issues likely to shape our future — from AI and misinformation, to inequality and global warming. V interesting. On Netflix.
💜 Marvels from the community
🎃 Emily O recommends MILF by Paloma Faith, a raw and honest book exploring the challenges of being a woman and navigating motherhood.
🎃 Emily E recommends Families Belong Together: How Displaced Families are Reunited, an episode on the Stompcast podcast about the British Red Cross’ amazing refugee family reunification work.
🎃 Raissa recommends Good Material by Dolly Alderton, a rom com novel following Andy, a struggling comedian who is blindsided when his long-term girlfriend unexpectedly ends their relationship.
🎃 Celine recommends The Hour, an espionage thriller set in Cold War-era England starring Ben Whishaw and Dominic West. On Netflix.
🎃 Chloe recommends Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams, a programme following former international cricketer Freddie Flintoff’s attempts to build a young cricket team in his hometown of Preston (it’s very wholesome). On BBC iPlayer.
Happy watching / reading / listening 😘