Catch up TV reviews: Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled S6, India’s Rape Scandal, The Lateish Show S2
David Farnor | On 01, Aug 2021
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.
India’s Rape Scandal (All 4)
Investigative journalist Ramita Navai is behind this powerful and shocking documentary that examines two rape cases in Uttar Pradesh and what happened afterwards. With more than 70 Indian politicians currently facing charges of crimes against women, the revelation of an institutional cover-up and widespread corruption driven by a misogynistic justice system is perhaps no surprise, but the documentary will certainly enrage you as you watch society working against the victims rather than supporting them. There is strength to be found, though, in the survivors and their families who rally round them to fight back against the broken system – and hope in the way that public opinion appears to be on the side of the women.
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled: Season 6 (UKTV Play)
A group of people sit around a table for a chat. That’s the format behind Dave’s unassuming comedy series Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, which is essentially a podcast recorder live on camera. But that simplicity is what makes the show such a fun watch – it really is a talk show, in which aimlessly rambling chat is the order of the day. Alan Davies is naturally funny, especially when allowed to be relaxed and informal, and he steers the conversation gently, using only a prompt for each celebrity guest to spark a discussion topic. Sarah Keyworth, Darren Harriott, Angela Scanlon and Dara O Briain start off this sixth run with the kind of candid banter that makes the show charmingly easygoing telly, and their laughter at each other’s anecdotes feels enjoyably genuine.
The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan: Season 2 (All 4)
Later this year, Channel 4 recently announced, Mo Gilligan will host a special one-off revival of The Big Breakfast. It’s easy to see why, when you watch the return of his late night Channel 4 show. Gilligan’s laidback sense of humour is consistently funny and his enthusiasm is infectiously sincere, with none of that trademark energy lost as he’s clearly pleased to be back in front of a studio audience with his own programme. His choice of guests is equally strong, in an industry where the PR circuit can leave a lot of talk shows and even podcasts feeling like mass-produced entertainment. His second run kicked off with Lily Allen and Jack Whitehall and continues with Martin Freeman, Joel Dommett, KSI and Raye. Their willingness to partake in games such as rapping nursery rhymes is evident – and it’s even funnier when (as in the case of Martin Freeman) they don’t really feel comfortable doing it. Gilligan pitches it just right, knowing when to tease and when to support his guests, and the result is a warm and entertaining 45 minutes that manages to surprise even when pulling out the usual childhood home video tricks – and actually turning them into music that sounds good.
