Catch up TV review: Little Boy Blue, The Durrells, Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain, Kevin Can Wait
David Farnor | On 30, Apr 2017
What’s available on-demand on Freeview? Keep up-to-date with our weekly catch-up TV column, including reviews of shows on ITV Hub, new releases on All 4 and a guide to My5.
(For BBC TV reviews and round-ups, see our weekly Best of BBC iPlayer column. Or for reviews of the shows on All 4’s Walter Presents, click here.)
Little Boy Blue (ITV Hub)
After The Moorside, 2017’s true crime trend continues with this four-part drama about the murder of an innocent child amid a wave of gang violence. Read our full review
Available until: 24th May (Episode 1)
The Durrells (ITV Hub)
The Durrells is as old-fashioned as the eponymous family’s name suggests. The ITV series follows a group of Brits living in Corfu. Oh look, there they are struggling to learn the language. Oh look, there’s one of them being hit by a goat. Oh look, there’s mother Louisa flirting with the hot local men again. But for all its tired and dated premise (it’s based on Gerald Durrell’s memoirs, including My Family and Other Animals), there’s a deceptive charm to the programme. That’s less to do with the writing, which introduces a nasty landlady to the mix of eccentric villagers and daft family characters, and more the cast themselves, from Callum Woodhouse as idiotic gun-loving Leslie to Daisy Waterstone as teenager Margo, who’s falling for a local monk. But Keeley Hawes is the undisputed star of the show, bringing the tenacity and frustration of a mother’s life falling to pieces, but mostly revealing her pin-sharp comic timing – the sight of her trying to flirt with the town’s residents while selling olives is worth tuning in for alone.
Available until: 23rd May (Episode 1)
Kevin Can Wait (All 4)
Kevin James stars in this new CBS sitcom, which has been snapped up by E4 for broadcast in the UK. And that’s all you really need to know about this disappointingly staid affair, which is all too happy to plod along offering exactly what the phrase “Kevin James sitcom” suggests. From James’ retired policeman just wanting to hang with his immature man pals to his disapproval of his daughter’s nerdy boyfriend, it’s like watching a time capsule from the mid-1990s, but with words such as “app” added. At one point, Kevin James eats four hamburgers when they were meant to be for the whole family. Hilarity ensues. Fans of James may be entertained, but for all of his skill at physical comedy and harmlessly likeable charisma, this does nothing to stand out from the busy TV crowd.
Available until: 16th May (Episode 1)
Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain (ITV Hub)
What were you doing on 18th April 2017: talking about Theresa May’s announcement of a general election, or watching Don’t Ask Me Ask Britain? The very fact that ITV’s new gameshow was overshadowed by the election is oddly fitting, as the whole thing centres around a simple gimmick: asking people to vote along live with the programme. The panel game sees comedians (led by Jonathan Ross and Frank Skinner) guess how Britain votes on hot button issues. You know, the important questions like how eggs should be cooked. Alexander Armstrong is typically slick as the presenter, but the idea of people downloading an app to provide real time statistics does little to disguise the old-fashioned Family Fortunes format. The questions themselves are as slowly served up as they as bland (probably to give audiences time to interact), only adding to the underwhelming post-Gogglebox post-Brexit vibe. Start asking some real questions about the EU, capital punishment and the NHS and this might get our vote.
Available until: 25th May (Episode 1)
