Angela Black, ITV, 9pm, Sundays
Crickey I was literally at the edge of my seat last Sunday night as ITV aired episode four of what’s turning out to be a gripping bit of weekend drama.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one screaming at the telly as Angela Black’s final bombshell dropped. Actually, I’m not ashamed to admit I rewound the last two minutes and watched it again so I could relive the “what the ?@@!” moment!
This is the stuff Sunday nights are made of. Something to sink your teeth into – staving off the impending Monday morning blues.
My only gripe is that Joanne Froggatt (although fantastic) seems to have been typecast since ITV’s smash hit Liar, because once again, here she is portraying a hard done by, downtrodden woman, fighting to save her dignity – and her life.
Let’s rewind to the beginning for anyone who’s not seen it yet...there will be spoilers I’m afraid.
Episode one opened with a dramatic, and for some triggering, sequence, with titular character Angela (Froggatt) being attacked by her brooding, unpredictable businessman husband Olivier (Michiel Huisman).
At work and the school drop-off the following day, Angela’s forced to concoct stories about her visible injuries – even to the dentist, charged with refixing the tooth Olivier’s smashed out of her face.
Angela is quietly determined, and appears strong and bold at times, but it’s clear from her actions, and the way she carries herself, that she’s incredibly fragile. She has been broken.
And then Ed Harrison (Samuel Adewunmi) appears. Apparently he’s been tasked with following the mother, gathering evidence to discredit her in the family court, giving Olivier full custody of their sons.
But the plot thickens. Did Olivier order a former female worker’s death after an affair? And does Olivier, in fact, want Angela dead?
Episode three sent shockwaves up and down social media as Ed, who’s talked Angela into letting him kill her husband, doesn’t keep up his part of the bargain. Is he in fact in cahoots with Olivier, who (after Ed’s false break in) shows Angela how to handle a gun, only to surprise her, forcing Angela to grab the weapon and turn it on her husband, leading to a stint in a mental facility?
In episode four, Angela is reeling from the tangents of the story – struggling to grasp what’s real and what’s make believe. After all she has had a psychotic break before – Edgewater – is it so unreasonable to conclude it’s happening again?
I won’t spoil the last part of this episode, but it’s a must-watch. Roll on Sunday night.
Charlotte Smith-Jarvis
The Finder, Disney+, watch all of season one now
In our house we love a medical or cop procedural - especially when there’s a bit of banter. One of our absolute favourites has to be Bones. Inspired by Kathy Reichs’ novels and starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz respectively as a forensic anthropologist, and former military sniper turned FBI agent, it is pitch perfect in every way – combining drama and mystery, with a dash of humour.
If you’ve not seen it – stick it on your TV planner now!
If you have had the pleasure of devouring every episode of Bones, The Finder is going to be right up your street. Ironically we ‘found’ the series while looking for something else entirely.
The show, a spin-off of a Bones character, brings together army vet Walter Sherman (Geoff Stults) and lawyer turned bar owner Leo Knox (Michael Clarke Duncan). Unlikely sidekicks. Living out of a ramshackle pub in Florida, Walter (brain damaged by an IED blast overseas) has a gift. If you ask him to find something, he’ll go after it. No matter what. No matter where. And he won’t stop until it’s in his possession. Leo is along for the ride to keep his friend out of trouble, as is Walter’s sometime lover US Marshall Isabel. Then, there’s Willa – an unruly young bar employee trying to get through parole.
This is easy watching at its best, as Walter seeks out everything from a bullet fired decades ago, to a stolen painting. It’s huge fun. And such a shame the series was cut short after just one 13-episode run.
Charlotte Smith-Jarvis
Stath Lets Flats, Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 10.15pm. Also available on All 4
If you like awkward British comedy shows (think The Office, Friday Night Dinner, and The Inbetweeners), then this is the series for you.
Stath Lets Flats follows hapless and, quite frankly useless, letting agent Stath (played creator and co-writer Jamie Demetriou) as he tries to navigate the world of rental properties at his dad’s company in London.
Stath is joined by an equally eccentric cast of characters, including his father Vasos (Christos Stergiolou), his sister Sophie (played by his real-life sister Natasia Demetriou), and colleagues Carole (Katy Wix), Al (Al Clark) and Dean (Kiell Smith-Bynoe).
What makes this show hilarious is how accurately he plays a rubbish lettings agents (we’ve all been on an awkward viewing, or seen a flat that isn’t anything like the photos), and how much second-hand embarrassment you get while watching it. At times, it’s real ‘watch from behind the sofa cushion’ viewing.
The writing and acting are both brilliant though, and the show’s second season actually picked up multiple BAFTA Awards back in 2020.
Its third season is currently airing on Channel 4 on Tuesday nights – or alternatively all of the episodes are available to binge on All 4.
Danielle Lett
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