by Friday 1 March
The Adventures of Dick Turpin completely free,
Apple TV+
Before he cooked up quips about cakes, Noel Fielding made his name in the surreal sitcom The Mighty Boosh. He’s older now, of course, but as evidenced by this silly, silly return to his roots, he’s not so mature. He plays Dick Turpin, the English highwayman whose adventures have passed into legend. Fielding’s version is less interested in robbing people, however, and more concerned with looking the part. He is a man of the highway in the mold of Adam Ant: vain fashionista, dandy.
The first episode – which brings together the Turpin gang and introduces us to Hugh Bonneville’s thief, Jonathan Wilde – is slow for him. But it’s in the wonderful episode two, also available today, where Fielding’s penchant for absurd sight gags and whimsical wordplay clicks. A highlight is Turpin’s unlicensed butcher father (Mark Heap) saying, “come back to the butcher and work for me”. There’s also a great guest appearance from Greg Davies, whose throaty Leslie Duval calls Turpin a “foppy drop” and robs “the unrobable coach.” His treasure is an “emerald the size of a monkey’s fist” and sits next to a monkey cut out for scale. SK
Dead hot
Amazon Prime Video
Fool Me Once co-writer Charlotte Coben (Harlan’s daughter) is this irresistibly complex, if tonally uneven, UK thriller. Five years ago, the love of Elliot’s (Bilal Hasna) life went missing. But could he still be alive in Liverpool? And if so, why is his twin sister Jess (Vivian Oparah) joking? The cast includes Penelope Wilton and Peter Serafinowicz.
Masters of the Air
Apple TV+
The great drama of the Second World War is going from strength to strength. This week, Buck takes Austin Butler prisoner
radio from the beginning under Germany’s nose. Meanwhile, Major Rosie (Nate Mann) and his men are assigned a series of suicide missions to bomb Berlin, before finding themselves in the catch-22 of increasing mission quotas.
Father Brown
BBC One, 1.45pm
This week’s cozy drama of the day is full of fun, as comic priest Mark Williams reluctantly investigates the existence of a vampire. That, according to Bernard (Nicholas Woodeson), is the only explanation for his daughter’s empty grave. Ray Fearon is very cartoonish as a famous vampire hunter.
Here we go
BBC One, 8.30pm
Tonight’s episode of the family sitcom features a hilarious cameo from Jim Howick’s Ghosts co-star Simon Farnaby. He plays the brother-in-law of Boyd (or “Void”, as he’s known), the restless showman famous for never asking a question in conversation. That is, until the absurd Paul (Howick) makes it his mission to trick him into asking for one.
Martin Compston’s Norwegian Fling
BBC Two, 10pm
The second week of Martin Compston’s journey across Scotland’s Nordic neighbor takes him to Bergen, where he meets the Scots who have reached the Norwegian home. They even march in the Norwegian National Day parade, bagpipes and all.
Eurovision 2024: Graham Meets Olly
BBC One, 10.40pm
This year’s UK Eurovision hopeful Olly Alexander sits down with chat king Graham Norton in this one-off special. The highlight for Eurovision fans will be the premiere of the music video for the Alexander Dizzy entry. Join us afterwards for the Big Eurovision Party: a celebration of the competition hosted by the likes of Conchita Wurst and Johnny Logan.
Napoleon (2023) ★★★★
Apple TV+
Ridley Scott’s thrilling and haunting biopic is a slab of daddy cinema, with battle sequences so spectacular you’ll forget all thoughts of historical inaccuracy – although Joaquin Phoenix’s soft Californian accent will probably always bother you. another highly energetic performance. He has Vanessa Kirby on par with Joséphine, his sane and sultry first wife. A riot.
Spaceman (2024) ★★★
Netflix
Nothing about Spaceman suggests an “Adam Sandler vehicle”, but his experiment with Swedish director Johan Renck (Chernobyl) is worth making a Tarkovsky film in the outer reaches of our solar system. Sandler’s Jakub is a Czech cosmonaut who investigates a cloud of dust near Jupiter; Lenka (Carey Mulligan) is his abandoned spouse, ready to give up. How to win back? Why team up with a giant talking spider, of course.
Ferrari (2023) ★★★★
Premier Cinema Sky, 8pm
Bloody car crashes, Adam Driver’s questionable taste in Italy, co-star Shailene Woodley rejects
even attempt an Italian accent… Michael Mann’s biography of Ferrari founder Enzo will appeal to petrol heads and action-minded people, and will repulse anyone who enjoys understated drama. Don’t overthink it – the cars are beautifully recreated, courtesy of Ferrari themselves, and the usually mighty Penélope Cruz in support.
Dunne (1984) ★★
Film 4, 11.15pm
Great folly from David Lynch, he got a $50m budget to put Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic on the screen. Producer Dino De Laurentiis wanted to jump on the Star Wars bandwagon, but the film – which focuses on an interstellar spice war – was far too weird to pay off. Never mind: Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 version, with Timothée Chalamet, was a hit; the equally epic second installment is in cinemas now (from Friday 1).
TV previews
Stephen Kelly (SK), Veronica Lee (VL), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Poppie Platt (PP) and Gabriel Tate (GT)
