digital culture
STREAMING Top Christmas picks
THE WITCHER: BLOOD ORIGIN Dir. TBA
(4 x 40-60 min episodes)
Following the trend of prequel fantasy epics, Netf- lix’s The Witcher will be the latest to jump on board this December, with new spinoff Blood Origin tak- ing place a century before Cavill’s White Wolf was rolling his eyes at bards and jumping into steamy baths. Instead, martial arts baddie Michelle Yeoh, who was on top form in Everything Everywhere All At Once, will be suiting up as an elven Witcher – the very first one, in fact. Joining her are six other pointy-eared ‘outcasts’, pitted against a nefarious superpower.
Streaming on Netflix from Christmas Day. Also streaming
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE Josh Widdicombe and Nish Kumar team to rinse the local news. Thurs 1 Dec,
Sky Max
SLOW HORSES, S2 Second round of Gary Oldman’s biting espionage series.
Fri 2 Dec, Apple TV
ROSIE MOLLOY GIVES UP EVERYTHING Starring Sheridan Smith on a journey towards cleaner living. Wed 7 Dec,
Sky Comedy
EMILY IN PARIS, S3 An American in Paris pattern-clashing like nobody’s business. Wed 21 Dec, Netflix
HIS DARK MATERIALS, S3 (FINAL) Dir. Amit Gupta, Charles Martin, Weronika Tofilska
(8 x 40-60 min episodes)
A fantasy blockbuster of transatlantic proportions, Sea- son 3 of HBO and the BBC’s adaptation of Phillip Pull- man’s book trilogy also marks the series’ conclusion. Unfortunately, lockdown plagued this season’s produc- tion, so expect casting and story changes (one of which due to the sad passing of Helen McCrory). On the plus side, with numerous recognisable filming locations in Wales, a tie-in exhibit (previewed earlier in this issue) of behind-the-scenes photography will be at the Glynn Vivian as well.
Airing/streaming on BBC One and iPlayer Dec 2022 (exact date TBA).
I HATE SUZIE TOO Dir. Georgi Banks-Davies, Anthony Neilson
(3 x 32-41 min episodes)
Billed as an ‘anti’ Christmas special, Billie Piper – as ex-child star Suzie Pickles – will be vying for your at- tention once more in the second season of this acclaimed comedy drama. I say ‘season’, but it’ll only comprise three episodes, releasing as a Sky Atlantic exclusive and streaming on NOW TV thereafter. Details are scant so far but the general logline is that Suzie will be throwing herself at the public’s mercy once more via the gladi- atorial arena of reality competition TV. Appropriately, Piper is dressed as a sad clown in an early sneak peek [pictured].
Airing/streaming on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from Tue 20 Dec.
BAD EDUCATION: SEASON SPECIAL 10-year anniversary for Jack Whitehall and the Abbey Grove kids. Christmas 2022 (exact date TBA), BBC 3 and iPlayer
THE LAST OF US From the Chernobyl creators, based on the survival game series. Mon 16 Jan, Sky Atlantic and NOW TV
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE, S15
Season 15, hunties! Jan 2023 (exact date TBA), WOW Presents Plus
THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA, S2 (Very) adult animation of Critical Role’s first D&D campaign. Jan 2023 (exact date TBA),
TREASON Dir. Louise Hooper, Sarah O’Gorman
(5 x 50-60 min episodes)
Starring Jennifer Walters’ main squeeze Charlie Cox, Treason comes from the writer of Oscar-nommed Spiel- berg film Bridge Of Spies, and its announcement from Deadline described it as “The Bodyguard meets John le Carré”. Joining Daredevil is ex Bond girl Olga Kurylen- ko and Game Of Thrones Red Wedding victim Oona Chaplin (granddaughter of Charlie), who will play a tan- gled trio of MI6 and Russian agents, and lovers. Secrets and lies will be spun and revealed in what looks to be a decent slice of Boxing Day drama, unfolding over five episodes.
Streaming on Netflix from Mon 26 Dec. 40
SCROOGE: A CHRISTMAS CAROL Dir. Stephen Donnelly, 96 mins
We’ve all got a preferred Christmas Carol retelling – mine is between the two extremes of The Muppets and the pitch-black 2019 Guy Pearce miniseries. This new one from Netflix is more on the Jim Henson end of the spectrum of Dickensian imitators, putting an animat- ed, musical and (possibly literal) time-travelling twist on the story. The animation looks comparable to pres- ent-day Disney/Pixar while early reviews say it’s a “trip- py” watch. Luke Evans voices a slightly nicer Scrooge, joined by Olivia Coleman, Jonathan Pryce and Jessie Buckley.
Streaming on Netflix now. Emily In Paris
Amazon Prime Video HANNAH COLLINS
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