Catch up TV reviews: The Windsors Royal Wedding Special, What Makes a Woman, Humans, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Warrior
David Farnor | On 20, May 2018
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.)
The Windsors: Royal Wedding Special (All 4)
With several seasons under its belt, you could be forgiven for thinking The Windsors would run out of steam. But the Royal Wedding is precisely the kind of material that Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffrie lap up and dish out with ruthless wit and a side portion of belly laughs. And so we see Richard Goulding’s gormless Harry and Kathryn Drysdale’s over-eager Meghan agree to get hitched, leaving Harry to descend into a debauched stag do, while Wills finds himself competing with the “Tramp Catcher” to save the streets from being cleaned up. Pippa, meanwhile, is scene-stealingly good, as she tries to over-feed Kate to sabotage her dress, or even win back Harry – and Beatrice (Ellie White) and Eugenie (Celeste Dring) hosting their own wedding fashion vlog is the icing on the cake, not least because it leads to a whirlwind romance with Jeremy Corbyn. Is it respectful? Not at all. Would we change it for the world? Not in the slightest. Laughing at the relentless irreverence is as British as cheering on Harry and Meghan in the first place.
Available until: 19th June 2019
What Makes a Woman? (All 4)
Transgender model and activist Munroe Bergdorf examines the gender and identity in this stirring documentary, which provides a fresh look at the social implications and prejudices of our changing world – hopefully one that’s changing not just in terms of awareness but acceptance too. Munroe’s journey doesn’t discuss gender issues, though, but also gives us an eye-opening look at actual facial surgery undertaken by Bergdorf, bringing the subsequent interviews with people on all sides of the debate into even sharper, more personal clarity. If you were left wanting after Channel 4’s Genderquake debate, this is the follow-up you’ve been waiting for.
Available until: 15th June 2018
Humans: Season 3 (All 4)
“We do our best to present a united front,” says Laura Hawkins (Katherine Parkinson), at the start of Humans Season 3. Beside her, husband Joe (Tom Goodman-Hill) scoffs silently. The pair are separated, after their family was split by the rise of Synths, humanoid machines built to serve humans – and, specifically, the rise of consciousness within them, which was facilitated by their daughter Mattie, who uploaded a firmware patch in Season 2 to save Mia (Gemma Chan), their family’s Synth, and Leo (Colin Morgan), her brother. Focusing more on the intimate, individual fallout than the action-packed conflict that erupted nationwide, this muted opener for Humans’ third season marks the sci-fi out as a distinctively British counterpart to Westworld – one that’s heart-wrenching topical and no less nailbitingly tense. Read our full review
Available until: 3rd August (Episode 1)
Jon Richardson: Ultimate Warrior (UKTV Play)
The nuclear apocalypse. Politics. Making typos on social media. Grated cheese going off before you can finish the packet. Having to wait more than 2 minutes for a train. The modern world is a dark place, full of things to worry about. The idea of a TV programme devoted to examining every last one in detail might not sound like the healthiest of things, but that’s precisely the premise of Dave’s latest comedy series. It smartly takes it cue from Richardson’s intensely neurotic persona, managing to break out of its panel show format to enjoy diversions into Neighbours-themed quizzes, lectures on dishwashers and a rants about human overpopulation. Read our full review
