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What's currently good on the BBC iPlayer?

May (2002)

A horror that just came up on prime. I am normally dubious af about their recommendations, but everything else on that row was actually very good (and I'd seen everything else on that row) so I gave it a go. And, what an excellent move. A young woman suffers from extreme loneliness and isolation and tries to make friends with various folk, but not particularly wisely. Starts slowly but builds into a nicely semi-comic shocker that concludes perfectly. Highly recommended.

The Train (1964)

Frankenheimer & Burt Lancaster in an anti-heist movie. Thats cos it's the Nazis trying to remove the finest works of recent French art just before Paris fell. Another excellent, taut and detailedly textured film on both the nature and purpose of art as well as the bravery of the resistance. Hard to imagine a modern British version, not so much because of the lack of invading armies, but I just can't imagine there being a massive movement to stop the last works of Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin from being lost to the nation.

One of all time faves (unsurprisingly) fine film with very authentic railway shots before it all changed for ever. Based and embelished from the real case - where the cargo got no further than the Ceinture around Paris thanks to the resistance and cheminots. Favourite shot - "Hello Metz , it's on time" (interior shot of blacked out Verdun signal box , one light on the level frame , as train comes screaming past with that unique , high pitched Etat whistle )

It could never have happened in the UK - most of the art treasures were stored in rehabilitated ex slate mines at Manod near Blaenau Ffestiniog for the duration. They would never have found them.
 
We did, loved every episode! There’s some characters that’s for sure.
Excellent :thumbs:

Fran and Paddy were my fav’, I remember at first I thought Robert Sheehan as Darren was too much of a pretty boy but I’ve known people like him IRL, look like butter wouldn’t melt but proper ruthless. Have met pretty much all the characters IRL.

Nidge Weasel was the proper cunt tho’.

The Wire / Top boy / Love/Hate - all very much a much the same, L/H edges it for me tho’ but I’m probably a tad biased.
 
L/H for me too, it’s got proper guts.
Not sure if you ever read the old thread about it.

 
On Chesil Beach is on for another nine days, highly recommend it.

"Romantic drama based on the novel by Ian McEwan.

Young university graduates from different social classes get married after an intense but non-physical affair. She is a talented and ambitious classical violinist from a supercilious striving family, he is from humbler stock, but despite their intense love for each other, the honeymoon proves to be a huge challenge to their relationship."

Don't be fooled by 'romantic drama' though, it's heavy on the drama, it's not a twee, soppy, feel-good romcom style movie.

It's a period piece, 1950s? 1960s? A couple who have little prior experience in relationships are on honeymoon, so there's fumbling, repressed feelings, some not-so-repressed anger, and also a fair amount of backstory, and some context to the difficulties that arise.

I watched it a week or two ago, and found it understated but powerful, with characters more complex than they initially seem. Saoirse Ronan and Billy Hole are both superb in it, the latter uncomfortably so.

 
On Chesil Beach is on for another nine days, highly recommend it.

"Romantic drama based on the novel by Ian McEwan.

Young university graduates from different social classes get married after an intense but non-physical affair. She is a talented and ambitious classical violinist from a supercilious striving family, he is from humbler stock, but despite their intense love for each other, the honeymoon proves to be a huge challenge to their relationship."

Don't be fooled by 'romantic drama' though, it's heavy on the drama, it's not a twee, soppy, feel-good romcom style movie.

It's a period piece, 1950s? 1960s? A couple who have little prior experience in relationships are on honeymoon, so there's fumbling, repressed feelings, some not-so-repressed anger, and also a fair amount of backstory, and some context to the difficulties that arise.

I watched it a week or two ago, and found it understated but powerful, with characters more complex than they initially seem. Saoirse Ronan and Billy Hole are both superb in it, the latter uncomfortably so.

Oh I saw that a while back, it's very well done but quite a difficult watch in a lot of ways.
But yeah, worth it.
 
Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World?

I've only watched the first one, on the build up to and outcome of the first Iraq war, but it was quite interesting. It may have been on before, because quite a few of the interviewees (Powell, Albright, Kissinger) are dead.

It's good that one of them is on Sudan, the conflict that got hardly any coverage, in the UK at least.
 
I watched Alfred Hitchcock at the NFT - from 1969 I think - and it’s very good, he is in conversation with Bryan Forbes and taking questions from the audience

 
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This is quite a decent 6 part comedy with half hour episodes. Mid life crisis Dad with hot new partner in a wheelchair.


Your tastes may vary. I liked it, but it’s flawed… so don’t be coming at me. :D
 
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Also I struggled to find Love/hate on the crappy ITVx interface. But typing in “lovehate” found it. So thanks for the reminder, thread people.
 

Have unexpectedly found myself loving this series. The young lads are so funny and endearing, very reminiscent of so many of the teenagers I work with. It's great to see them being given some screen time in all their imperfect, messy glory. Freddie Flintoff also comes across as thoughtful and likeable.
 
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Laughing so much from the offset. It actually does the job. So many highly praised sitcoms on iplayer are mostly laughter-free, so this makes a welcome change.
 
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