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Unforgotten series two, episode five recap – she's cracked the case!
1 hour ago
As we gear up for the finale, Cassie tightens the screws on the suspects and their lies unravel further – but will there be more bodies found? Brace yourselves
The good news is that Cassie has finally figured it all out. The bad news is we have to wait until next week to discover exactly what she figured out. There are moments of levity, even joy this week, but there is also a breakup, memories of abuse and a confirmed false rape accusation.
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- James Donaghy
South Park creators to back off Trump jokes: 'Satire has become reality'
2 hours ago
Matt Parker and Trey Stone said it will ‘be more difficult’ to mock the new administration: ‘They’re already going out and doing the comedy’
South Park creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone have said they will refrain from “mocking everybody in government” in future episodes.
Related: South Park spoofs the Us election result: 'What have you done? You maniacs!'
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- Guardian staff
Why fret about a female Doctor Who? The true inequality is in the real world | Gaby Hinsliff
4 hours ago
A female Time Lord would be an advance. But what women need is a level playing field to begin with, not special favours
After nine centuries of roaming through time and space, anyone could be forgiven for craving a change.
Related: Peter Capaldi to leave Doctor Who at end of 2017
Related: UK has one of worst records for gender equality at work – report
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- Gaby Hinsliff
Training Day review – arresting big-screen thriller sentenced to juvenile TV reboot
5 hours ago
Bill Paxton fails to fill Denzel Washington’s Oscar-winning boots in yet another entirely unnecessary small-screen redo of a hit movie
When historians pause from sifting through the golden rubble of WWE hall of famer turned incompetent president turned whiny dictator Donald Trump’s legacy, they’ll pore over TV schedules and earnestly wonder: when did execs become so creatively bereft that they had to remake every other movie ever made rather than come up with new ideas?
Related: Madiba review – Nelson Mandela miniseries almost lives up to the legend
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- Benjamin Lee
My dad predicted Trump in 1985 – it's not Orwell, he warned, it's Brave New World
5 hours ago
The ascent of Donald Trump has proved Neil Postman’s argument in Amusing Ourselves to Death was right. Here’s what we can do about it
Over the last year, as the presidential campaign grew increasingly bizarre and Donald Trump took us places we had never been before, I saw a spike in media references to Amusing Ourselves to Death, a book written by my late father, Neil Postman, which anticipated back in 1985 so much about what has become of our current public discourse.
At Forbes, one contributor wrote that the book “may help explain the otherwise inexplicable”. CNN noted that Trump’s allegedly shocking “ascent would not have surprised Postman”. At ChristianPost.com, Richard D Land reflected on reading the book three decades ago and feeling “dumbfounded … by Postman’s prophetic insights into what was then America’s future and is now too often a painful description of America’s present”. Last month, »
- Andrew Postman
Late-night hosts skewer Trump over travel ban: 'embarrassing and inhuman'
6 hours ago
Samantha Bee and Stephen Colbert were among comics who discussed the controversial executive order, the supreme court pick and Black History Month
Late-night hosts took aim at Trump’s latest set of decisions, labelling his travel ban “immoral, embarrassing and inhuman”.
Related: Late-night hosts on Trump's leadership: 'This is supposed to be the honeymoon'
Related: Samantha Bee on Trump's inauguration reaction: 'An exquisitely tender ego'
Trump’s Scotus nominee Neil Gorsuch is a conservative’s wet dream. https://t.co/KeZxWO8l6S pic.twitter.com/nzrYgj8V0N
Related: Late-night hosts on Trump's travel ban: 'He can really get a lot of stuff undone'
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- Guardian staff
The Founder’s Nick Offerman: ‘Being American means that I have to stand up and march’
9 hours ago
The Parks and Recreation star’s new film charts the rise of McDonald’s head honcho Ray Kroc. He talks about resisting the rise of another capitalist narcissist
Hi, Nick. Were you disappointed that The Founder didn’t get any Oscar nominations?
Well, I generally ignore that part of the business, because it is infuriating. It’s simply not merit-based. It’s a lot like American politics.
Related: Why a film celebrating McDonald's is the perfect start for Trump cinema
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- Stuart Heritage
'I like your jugs tremendously': The Great Pottery Throw Down is back
10 hours ago
We may still be in national mourning about The Great British Bake Off, but the next best thing returns this week – and it’s got far better innuendos
The marquee is in pieces. The bunting is boxed. The grounds of Welford Park in Berkshire – The Great British Bake Off’s bucolic nesting place – will never again be prowled by the four-footed innuendo-peacock that was Mel and Sue, or the nana of all Middle England, Mary Berry. Paul Hollywood notwithstanding, Bake Off as we know it – that calming, familiar presence on the BBC – is no more. It’s a time of national mourning. But there’s hope, because the next best thing is back.
The premise of The Great Pottery Throw Down is simple, because it’s lifted wholesale from its cakey forebear (both shows are made by Love Productions, also responsible for The Great British Sewing Bee). A group of »
- Luke Holland
Kal Penn raises $800,000 for Syrian refugees after receiving racist tweet
10 hours ago
Star of Harold and Kumar films – and son of Indian immigrants to the Us – was spurred to fundraise for a humanitarian charity by racial abuse
Kal Penn, the actor best known for his roles in the medical TV show House and the Harold and Kumar film series, has so far raised over $800,000 (£635,000) for Syrian refugees in response to a racist tweet he received.
Penn set up a fundraising page on Crowdrise to raise money for International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian and relief charity that, among other activities, has launched an emergency appeal to help refugees in the Us. Penn’s page is entitled Donating to Syrian Refugees in the Name of the Dude Who Said I Don’t Belong in America, and the actor has reproduced a tweet containing the text “... because you don’t belong in this country you fucking joke”.
To the dude who said I don't belong in America, »
- Andrew Pulver
British Empire: Heroes and Villains review – a poignant reminder of how history gets rewritten
16 hours ago
This look at how the British empire has been portrayed over the past 60 years is a lesson in revisionism. Plus: The Great Literary Scandal: The Jt LeRoy Story
In 1972, the BBC screened one of its most ambitious history series, The British Empire, an unflinching interrogation of imperialism that was 13 hours long, took two and a half years to make and cost £500,000. It was the sort of clear-eyed assessment that is desperately needed now, mired as we are in fake news, alternative facts, a culture of appeasement and a present that seems to be hurtling forwards, or backwards, at the speed of light.
What did the establishment make of this warts-and-all account of British imperialism? In The British Empire: Heroes and Villains, A Timewatch Guide (BBC4, 9pm), historian David Olusoga reveals how one former official of the Raj was so incensed that he launched a debate in the House of Lords »
- Chitra Ramaswamy
Thursday’s best TV: The Great Pottery Throw Down; Parenting for Idiots
17 hours ago
A second series of the home-potters challenge gets underway; celebs spill the best stories from bringing up their children
Sara Cox hosts a new series of the clay-based contest. Making like Demi Moore at the wheel (if Ghost were based in Stoke-on-Trent), 10 home potters – such as pub landlord Richard, who also likes to re-enact English civil war battles – aim to throw and decorate an identical 16-piece dinner set before the keen eyes of judges Keith Brymer-Jones and Kate Malone. Then it’s time for the fiendish “wiring off” challenge. Ali Catterall
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- Ali Catterall, Rachel Aroesti, Jack Seale, John Robinson, David Stubbs, Hannah J Davies, Phil Harrison and Paul Howlett
Little Lunch: the mockumentary series for kids – and one of Australia’s best shows
19 hours ago
Set in a primary school playground, the cross-generational series proves how much can be done with just 15 minutes
Since becoming a parent, I’ve been amazed by how repetitive children’s television can be. After a short amount of time The Wiggles start to feel like housemates, and I’ve considered taking out a restraining order on Giggle and Hoot – they’re mostly made up of bright colours and noise designed to distract, which underestimates the intelligence of little ones. I know a show is working when it holds up on the 98th viewing, and it’s a relief to find them – not just for my own sanity, but because something that is clever enough to entertain an adult is particularly nourishing for a kid.
There’s a great tradition of Australian kids television that doesn’t dumb things down, from The Ferals to Ship to Shore and Round the Twist. »
- Cameron Williams
Late-night hosts on Trump's leadership: 'This is supposed to be the honeymoon'
1 February 2017 8:41 AM, PST
Comics, including Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah and the returning Jon Stewart, discussed the chaotic scenes both in and outside the White House
Late-night comics weighed in on the latest developments at the White House, referring to the damaging effects of reality-tv-star-turned-president Donald Trump’s “vindictive chaos”.
Related: Late-night hosts on Trump's travel ban: 'He can really get a lot of stuff undone'
Trump insists his Muslim ban is going well despite what our eyes and ears tell us. pic.twitter.com/tUiignKGVl
Related: Samantha Bee on Trump's inauguration reaction: 'An exquisitely tender ego'
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- Guardian staff
Madiba review – Nelson Mandela miniseries almost lives up to the legend
1 February 2017 7:21 AM, PST
Kevin Hooks’s sprawling life story tries to load as much as it can into its three episodes starring Laurence Fishburne, but its completist approach feels thin
Trying to capture the essence of Nelson Mandela on screen is a tough gig. Just ask Idris Elba. In fact, for American or British actors, trying to do justice to any African leader or public figure can prove to be a surefire way for critics to question your likeness (or lack of it), strange-mannered accent and motives in portraying a continent’s most beloved sons. After Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover and Sidney Poitier, Laurence Fishburne is the next actor in the Madiba hot seat, playing Mandela from his mid-20s all the way up to his later years in a three-part miniseries. It’s part of Bet’s black history month offering and sees the channel expand from their usual entertainment brief and »
- Lanre Bakare
Why aren’t female comedians funny? You asked Google – here’s the answer | Ayesha Hazarika
1 February 2017 12:00 AM, PST
Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queries
We live in a time of profound change and challenge and even though we think we know it all, there are still some big existential questions that plague mankind. And I do mean man.
Related: More women on comedy panel shows? Sure – if you're posh or pretty | Fern Brady
Having a fanny isn’t a barrier to being funny
Related: Study of UK comedy panel shows finds just one all-female episode
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- Ayesha Hazarika
Prankster in chief: why I threw swastika golfballs at Donald Trump
1 February 2017 12:00 AM, PST
He stage-invaded Kanye, gave Blatter a cash shower, and got cuffed for riling Trump. As Simon Brodkin gets his own TV show, he reveals why Scottish police are the best – and Swiss officers the worst
Last summer, Donald Trump was giving a press conference at the reopening of his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, when he noticed some small red things rolling towards him across the ninth tee. Lots of golfballs – all emblazoned with swastikas. “Sorry Mr Trump, I meant to put them out earlier,” shouted a functionary in a Trump Turnberry pullover, who then began handing out the balls to the assembled media.
“Get him out of here,” said the then presumptive Republican presidential nominee. A perhaps understandable reaction given that, a few days earlier in Las Vegas, another Brit had tried to grab a police officer’s gun and shoot Trump. “Ten seconds later I was dragged off, »
- Stuart Jeffries
Tales from the Coast with Robson Green review: seals, eels and no bare bums
31 January 2017 11:20 PM, PST
The friendliest man on telly keeps his kit on and his pecker up as he plays with pups, fends off congers and scales sheer granite slabs
You’ve got to feel for one old man in Clovelly, North Devon. One day last year he was out for a stroll when he fell over a cliff … No, don’t worry, he was Ok, he landed in some nettles, but he was stuck. So he shouted for help, and help came, a man climbed down the cliff to him.
“Who are you?” the old man asked. “I’m Robson Green,” said the arrival. “Robson Green?” said the old fella. “What are you doing here?”
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- Sam Wollaston
Wednesday’s best TV: Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, British Empire: Heroes and Villains
31 January 2017 10:09 PM, PST
Guinea pig Michael Mosley tests out the weight-loss benefits of diet and exercise. Plus: David Olusoga examines how the empire has been treated by TV
The last in the series finds the famous “going for an English” sketch from Goodness Gracious Me dissected by, among others, Meera Syal, who helped to create it. Then an impressive haul of celebs, including Nigel Planer, David Baddiel, Ricky Tomlinson, Maxine Peake, Diane Morgan, Russell Tovey and Josie Lawrence, discuss everything from Spaced, The Day Today and Blackadder to Till Death Us Do Part, all in Gogglebox style. Ben Arnold
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- Ben Arnold, Phil Harrison, Jack Seale, John Robinson, Mark Gibbings-Jones, Jonathan Wright, Hannah J Davies, Paul Howlett
Doctor Who fans call for black or female actor as new Time Lord
31 January 2017 12:16 PM, PST
BBC show’s incoming lead writer Chris Chibnall being urged to seize opportunity for change as Peter Capaldi leaves
Doctor Who fans have called on the programme’s new lead writer to seize the opportunity to appoint a black or female actor as the 13th incarnation of the Time Lord, following the announcement that Peter Capaldi is leaving.
The current Doctor will regenerate in this year’s Christmas special, with Broadchurch writer Chris Chibnall, who will take over the reins in 2018, being urged by some viewers to take the programme in a new direction.
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- Nadia Khomami
First look at Rihanna as Marion Crane in new Bates Motel trailer
31 January 2017 11:45 AM, PST
The star plays the character made famous by Janet Leigh in Psycho in the latest season of the small-screen expansion
Rihanna takes on the role of Marion Crane in the new series of Bates Motel and the first trailer gives a brief tease of her role.
Related: Steal a look: what we can learn from Ocean's 8's first official still
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- Guardian staff
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