Defined by shoulder pads, cut-crease eyeshadow, stone-washed denim and statement haircuts, the unmistakable 1980s aesthetic is a gift for television. We’ve seen 80s Bristol in The Fence, London’s 80s gay scene in It’s a Sin and the early Diana years in The Crown. Now it’s the turn of London’s elite criminals in Joan.
Its contestants don’t “crack on” immediately or pull each other for chats at the firepit – they are parents with real baggage tentatively giving themselves a second chance at love.
Each of the eight parents have their children nearby to their Sussex mansion in what they call ‘the bunker’ (but in reality is a gorgeous farmhouse). The kids watch their parent’s every move through a live stream and witness every awkward moment that comes with that.
Brenda Blethyn first pulled on the distinctive fishing hat, scarf and gabardine coat back in 2010, when episode one of Vera started filming in the North East for ITV. Now, after 14 years and more than 50 episodes, the award-winning actor has confirmed that she is stepping down from the role of DCI Vera Stanhope, after filming for her final two shows wrapped in May.
New ITV sitcom Piglets ramps up the gag count and restores the silliness to comedy. Belly laughs, not navel gazing, are its stock in trade. “That’s all we really want to do, make people laugh – we’re not out to change the world,” says Victoria Pile of Smack the Pony and Green Wing fame, who co-writes, directs and produces.
Lincoln will star as John, a stay-at-home dad in the midst of a midlife crisis. A failure to assert himself in some violent playground bullying leads John to have a full identity crisis and move his family as far away from their life in London as possible, to the fictional Scottish village of Coldwater.
Before we readjust to life at the Villa, let’s get to know the contestants.
The launch on Monday 3 June will see 10 contestants (often nicknamed ‘the OGs’) enter the villa and pair off. At the end of the episode, a bombshell will enter to shake these couples up, and anyone left single at the next ‘re-coupling’ will be dumped from the island. Over eight weeks plenty more bombshells will enter, with the cast usually totalling over 30.
Only four couples will make it to the final, and then it’s up to the public to vote for their favourite, who will split £50,000 between them.
ITVX Presents: Edinburgh Fringe Live will see the ITV platform stream four showcase gigs live from the Festival. Each showcase will feature material from 2024’s best and most exciting comedians, produced by NextUp Comedy, known to comedy fans as a leader in British stand-up streaming.
Changing Ends will return for a second series to follow a young Alan Carr (Oliver Savell) doing his best to survive 1980s Northampton. The sitcom draws from the comedian’s upbringing as the son of a fourth division football manager.
The free service allows its users to stream live channels through smart TVs, without the need for an aerial or dish. Viewers are also able to watch on-demand content from the UK’s biggest broadcasters.
As was previously announced, Hisense will be the first smart TV partner for the service, and begins selling Freely smart TVs today (30th April).
Freely represents the first collaboration between Britain’s four public service broadcasters, in an effort to futureproof live TV in the age of streaming.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office belongs to that handful of British TV dramas – think Cathy Come Home or Queer as Folk – that changed the world we live in, but the shocking truth is that it almost didn’t get made.
This was one of several remarkable insights shared with the RTS into the four-part ITV series that finally drew the public’s attention to what may be our broken nation’s gravest miscarriage of justice ever.
