Book #3 of the REVENGE series will be out very soon!
Find Books #1 and #2 HERE
The Blurb
'When you plan revenge, be sure to dig two graves'
Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils - John Milton
Monday, 25 May 2026
Monday, 16 February 2026
100th Birthday in Heaven :)
My mother Barbara would have been 100 years old today, February 17th, though I doubt she would have wanted a telegram from Charles and Camilla - Princess Anne, maybe! Mum died in 2019 when she was 93, after having suffered from Alzheimer's for 10 years.
I was taking a look at what London was like when she was born there in 1926, the year of the General Strike, and picked out three (very short) videos. I can't add videos to this blog at the moment, but these links take you to YouTube.
This snap by my sister Julia; it's just so like her.
Photos of London life in 1926, HERE
Mum in the middle, about 1941 :)
In 1926, when she would have taken Mum out in her pram, this is what my grandmother might have paid for her shopping. Back then, of course, the currency was pounds, shillings and pence, but I've converted it into decimal currency for ease of comparison:
A loaf of bread: 4p
A pound of butter: 8p
Half a pound of cheese: 4p
Eight Sausages: 6p
Six eggs: 5p
Five pounds of potatoes: 3p
A leg of lamb: 30p
A whole chicken: 25p
The large family home Mum, her parents, brothers and sisters grew up in, in West London, probably cost her father around £1,000.
On the right, aged 8
With regard to this time in my mother's life, I came across an amazing coincidence via a Twitter friend who lives in Massachusetts - it's HERE if you're interested. It's short, fear not!
I have to just mention this, while I'm on the subject of familial coincidences - during WWII, Mum's brother Geoff was in the Navy, while her brother Ken was in the Army. They never knew where in the world each other was from one month to the next (and indeed the world was a much larger place in those days), but one day down a little street in India, Uncle Geoff literally turned a corner and bumped into his brother. Of all the streets... below, from one of Mum's many photo albums.
This was taken in about 1951, in Beccles, Suffolk, where Mum met our dearly beloved father. I love how elegantly people dressed in the 50s. I remember Mum wearing white gloves in the summer, particularly to church. I also remember her saying, some decades later, 'Why doesn't anyone dress properly anymore?' 😄
This snap by my sister Julia; it's just so like her.
Happy birthday in heaven, Mummy :)
🙏
Monday, 5 January 2026
Three Siblings Face the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!!
Everything seemed so normal - there we sat, my brother Eddie, me, my sister Julia, just a pleasant family get-together at our cousin's Sue's house. Or so we thought...
...until Cousin Sue's neighbour banged on the door, begging to be let in, distraught, bloody; he said that a mysterious virus had appeared down at the docks, and 'things were getting bad in town'.
And all of a sudden he changed into a ... well, a monster. He bit Sue, actually bit her, and suddenly there was mayhem. It all happened so quickly. Around us, our family members turned into bloodthirsty savages.
Then Eddie said, "I think this might be the zombie apocalypse'
Nothing fazed my sister. Julia said, "Look, we've watched The Walking Dead, we know how to fight these things!" Indeed we did. Once we'd dispatched our former family members using kitchen utensils, mostly, Eddie took our grandfather's ceremonial sword from the its hooks on the wall. I found a handy crossbow in the cupboard under the sink, and Julia filled a Louis Vuitton handbag with supplies.
An abandoned bike waited for us outside - we were ready!
We strode through the streets, collecting weapons as we went, confident in our ability to fight the living dead.
How hard could it be?
"We've got this licked," said Julia. "After 11 seasons of TWD and all the spin-offs, we know how to ex a few zombies!"
After a while, though, it did start to get a bit more scary...
...so we left for the seaside, thinking things might be quieter in peaceful Cromer. But zombies were everywhere! We fought them on the streets, on the pier, in Morrisons; we fought them on the beaches!
'We fight on!' cried Eddie, brandishing his Katana, slicing head from body with style and aplomb that would have impressed even Michonne!
Eddie wielded his blade like a man possessed! However, Julia and I got into a tussle with a few of them, after which we started to feel a bit strange.
"Have you two been bitten?' Eddie asked. Of course we said no, it was just a scratch. But he looked at us oddly. I felt like he didn't believe us. I wasn't sure if I believed us, either.
Hi, this is Eddie.
I was right, they'd been bitten. Still, a man's gotta do what a man's got to do, even if those slavering freaks used to be his sisters!
The End
Sunday, 7 December 2025
New Book Alert!
- SO SHALL YE REAP -
Book #2 of the REVENGE series, coming soon!
Two more tales of vengeance, in which Jerry Halston and Joe Carter discover how life can take its own revenge. I can't give an exact release date, but I hope it will be out before Christmas.
Publishing the second book is always something of a relief, because you think, 'Oh good, now it's a series', so I hope you like it! If you would like to know more, you can read the first draft of blurb below.
Blurb
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap
Galations 6:7
Ordinary Joe
A phone call on a cold November morning summons Joe Carter from Vienna to Brazil, to meet up with his old travelling buddy, Ziggy. But Ziggy's changed. He has a new crowd, different values, and a clever way of reeling Joe in.
Soon, Ziggy will make an offer Joe could refuse, if he really wanted to. When he agrees, he has no idea of the dark path he will travel down.
Some roads don't let you turn back.
King of the Playground
The path between love and hate is narrow indeed.
At six years old Jerry and Mikkel become inseparable, the brothers each other never had. Mikkel is generous, funny, adventurous, the leader of the gang, the king of the playground. Jerry feels honoured to be his second-in-command, but over the years his resentment grows. Why can't he be the king? Why does Mikkel always turn up smelling of roses?
As they become men, Jerry knows that this chokehold of emotions that he can't untangle, that intensifies as the years pass, has consumed him.
As ye sow...
Book #3 will be 'Two Graves', based around the saying 'When you seek revenge, be sure to dig two graves'
Wednesday, 29 October 2025
November Photos
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Last year on October 1st, because I love the time of year, I started posting an October photo on X, every morning and every evening. Then it became something of a project, and I carried on for the whole 12 months. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, but have decided to just post random ones when I take them for the coming year :)
If you would like see to my 'best of' from October last year, please click HERE
My favourites from November 2024, below.
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Tuesday, 30 September 2025
October photos
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Last year on October 1st I started posting an October photo every morning on TwitteX, because I love this camera-friendly time of year. 😊 Then it started to be twice a day, and carried on for the whole year.
've loved taking the photos (some I posted were from previous years, but always that month), because it's made me so aware of the seasonal changes in the natural world, not least of all the light, and extra pleased when I wake up early on a beautiful day - there is no better time to capture it! Some months I found more exciting than others, but I wanted to encapsulate the atmosphere of each one, if I could.
I'll daresay I will carry on posting pictures of trees and skies as long as I can see to focus, but I've done a whole year now and I don't want to repeat myself. Thank you for looking at them, liking and reposting 💗
Here are my favourite October photos from last year.
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Saturday, 23 August 2025
Served Cold - now live!
It's live!
Here: Amazon
Served Cold
'Revenge is a dish best served cold'
Two novellas in which vengeance is planned long after emotions have cooled ... these are calculated, deliberate acts of retribution, designed for catastrophic effect.
The Steal
Jodie Tarrant has it all - her own small business, a husband she adores, lots of friends, a house she loves in a cosy English village. She can see her and Kirk's future all mapped out, with the children she longs for - until the arrival of an enigmatic stranger threatens everything Jodie holds dear.
Lucky Star
Imagine waking up in a strange room, in a strange building, with no recollection of how you got there. This is what happens to Stevie Warren. Worst of all, she soon discovers that she can't leave. But who put her there, and why? Deep down, she has her suspicions...
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
65 TV series you need to watch
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Welcome to your next telly binge - 65 of what I consider to be the best TV series ever. Most were first shown in the past 20 years; it's hard to remember favourites from years ago, but I've included a few golden oldies.
I've listed them in a vague order of preference, in reverse - if you click the title of any show, it will take you to its Just Watch page, so you can read more, take a look at a trailer, get channels/streaming info, etc.
The last group is the best of the best, and the final six or eight my all-time favourites :)
1. The Good
Dystopian/SciFi/Futuristic
After a non-human species invasion, part of California is sectioned off into a colony where all inhabitants must conform to new rules. First season is low key, but the drama and suspense is ramped up in the next two seasons. Ending is a bit iffy because it was cancelled rather than coming to a natural end, but it's a definite thumbs up. Sarah Wayne Callies and Josh Holloway star, as you can see, and I also very much liked Tory Kittles as the activist Broussard.
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Psychological drama
In 1979, a horrific shooting takes place in New York City. Danny Sullivan is arrested, and as he is interrogated his whole life leading him to this point is laid bare — and a shocking secret is uncovered.
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(new version)
SciFi/Futuristic
The epic voyages and adventures of the crew of the spaceship Gallactica. Completely ludicrous in many ways, but it's a big thumbs up!
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Sci-Fi/Aliens/Post-apocalyptic
The chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. The main character really got on my nerves, but it's a must-watch if you like this sort of thing. 5 seasons, worth the commitment!
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Spy Thriller
Set in the 1980s, The Americans is about two Russian spies who pose as a normal American couple in order to do what they must for their own country. Many seasons, ongoing. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are so good, and it also stars Noah Emmerich as their friendly neighbour - who just happens to be an FBI agent.
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World War Two Drama
1972 series set in a German POW camp. Probably a lot more sanitised than a real POW camp but it's still one of the best English dramas. Robert Wagner, David McCallum, and many popular English actors of the day, such as Bernard Hepton and Jack Hedley.
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Light Drama/Comedy
Set in the late 1950s, this follows the fortunes of a female stand-up comic. The first season is the best, but it's all highly watchable. Rachel Brosnahan as the archetypal Jewish New York wife is outstandingly good - especially when she reveals that she's not so archetypal after all.
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Space/Futuristic/SciFi
A lunar cargo pilot and smuggler 100 years in the future finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community built on the Moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. (summary from Just Watch)
There is only one season after which it was cancelled when AMC was cutting costs, but it's still very much worth watching.
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Futuristic/SciFi
When Planet Earth is in the beginning of its death throes, two androids are sent, with embryos, to a new planet in order to begin a new civilisation and save humanity. It's very, very good but for some reason was cancelled after the second season. Yet another one of those gems that should never have been given the chop!
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Family/Romantic Drama
Five seasons of Dominic West as Noah Solloway, an up and coming writer who starts an affair with married waitress Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson), which causes great upset within the lives of both families, forever. It's highly watchable (I've seen it all through twice), if frustrating at times. My favourite character was Cole Lockhart, Alison's husband, played by Joshua Jackson.
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Scifi Thriller
A group of bored delinquents are transported to a parallel dimension as part of a survival game. If you liked Squid Game, you need to watch this too. 3 Seasons, Japanese dubbed into English.
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Historical Drama
About the reign of Henry VIII and his six wives. Although some of the historical detail is laughably inaccurate, it's somehow still extremely compelling. And no, Henry VIII did not look anything like Jonathan Rhys Meyer, Jane Seymour was not a blonde bombshell, Sir Thomas More was not a mere kindly old genleman, etc, etc! Natalie Dormer is fabulous as Anne Boleyn, as is James Frain as Cromwell.
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Dark Comedy Drama
Two people let a road rage incident burrow into their minds and slowly consume their every thought and action. Stars the lovely Steven Yeun - Glenn from The Walking Dead!
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Heist Drama
A master thief and his crew attempt an epic and elaborate heist worth $7 billion dollars — but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans (from Just Watch)
Most unusual - all episodes can be watched in any order. Really works! Stars Giancarlo Esposito, who is always worth bestowing some of your telly watching time on.
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Light Drama/Comedy
A group of computer nerds make it big in the IT industry. Very funny!
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Korean Zombie Apocalypse
Nobody does zombie apocalypse like the Koreans! Two seasons, allegedly - not seen the second.
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Epic Fantasy Saga
The Starks, the Targaryens and the Lannisters need no introduction...the first season is the best, not least of all because of Sean Bean as Ned Stark. Unnecessary sex scenes throughout. And the last season was a famous disappointment, rushed and unconvincing. But it still gets a tick from me.
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Comedy Drama
A group of struggling actors and dysfunctional dreamers wait for their big break while they are stuck serving hors d'oeuvres for Hollywood catering company 'Party Down.' Made in 2009, stars Adam Scott (Severance), and it's very funny! Three seasons.
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The trials and tribulations of a California bike gang, their conflicts with enemies and law enforcement, and each other and their families. Especially good if you like looking at Charlie Hunnam. ;)
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Crime drama
As Jimmy Keene begins a 10-year prison sentence, he gets an incredible offer: If he can elicit a confession from suspected killer Larry Hall, Jimmy will be freed. Completing this mission becomes the challenge of a lifetime (from Just Watch). One season (limited series), Taron Egerton stars, and it was Ray Liotta's last TV appearance before he died.
Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to remain loyal to his personal code: “Everybody counts or nobody counts” (from Just Watch).
Stars Titus Welliver (as you can see from the picture...!), Jamie Hector (a favourite of mine), the late fab Lance Reddick, and Madison Lintz, Sophia in The Walking Dead, who is excellent as Bosch's daughter Maddie.
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Historical drama
Title and cover speak for themselves. Fascinating, and Paul Giamatti is at his best as the second president of the United States, though this is about the whole of his life.
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The ups and downs of life in the unscrupulous Cody family - four sons, a daughter and a grandson ruled over by manipulative matriarch Janine (Ellen Barkin). She susses out the crimes, then sends the kids to carry them out. Compelling stuff.
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2. The Even Better
Loosely based on the classic adventure thriller of the same name
A new one, one season only. I wasn't expecting much of this, but it was excellent. Eddie Redmayne was perfect as the Jackal - not your average butch assassin type. Looks as though it was left open for a Season 2...
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Prison Drama
The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where groups - Muslims, Latinos, Christians, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorize their mutual enemies. Great cast - Kirk Acevedo (who I'd watch in anything), Harold Perrineau, JK Simmons, Dean Winters.
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Space/SciFi/Thriller
During a perilous 24-hour mission on the moon, space explorers try to retrieve samples from an abandoned research facility steeped in classified secrets. Stars Gong Yoo (Train to Busan), who is one of my favourite actors. I watched this a while back and can't remember much about it, but I know that we loved it!
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Drug Trade/CIA Drama/Fact mixed with Fiction
Based on the true story of the CIA's involvement in the cocaine trade, set in Los Angeles in 1983. The story follows numerous characters on a violent collision course. Main character played by English actor Damson Idris, who is excellent - from nice innocent young lad to major drug lord.
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Crime Drama, prequel to Breaking Bad
At first this was a bit 4* for me, but it gets better and better as it goes along, with the last couple of seasons every bit as good as Breaking Bad. Bob Odenkirk is terrific as Jimmy/Saul, of course. It can be watched on its own, if you haven't seen Breaking Bad.
Reality TV/Survival
11 seasons so far of the only reality TV show worth watching - 10 contestants have to survive in isolation, in some of the most inhospitable places in the world. Each contestant's run on the show ends when they've had enough, and place the one call they are allowed to make: to be 'extracted'. Fun to guess who's going to cave next and the scenery is beautiful, but it's also fascinating when it comes to survival techniques.
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True Crime
Just 6 episodes - the true story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force — and the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work. Stars Jon Bernthal, who is another of those actors I will watch in anything. And Jamie Hector. Winner.
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Epic documentary series
A documentary series that gives an historical account of the events of World War II, from its roots in the 1920s to the aftermath, and the lives it profoundly influenced. I remember watching some of it when it first came out in the 1970s, and more recently with my father. Narrated by Laurence Olivier.
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True Life music drama
The story of the Wu-Tang Clan, a US hip hop musical collective who rose to fame in the mid 1990s. This tells the story from their origins on the mean streets of Staten Island, how their success came about - and how it affected them. I've seen it all through twice; the actors are terrific, especially Ashton Sanders as the RZA and Dave East as Method Man.
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True Life WWII drama
The real-life stories of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific during World War II. A companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers. Episode 5, in which Sledge has his first experience of combat, is particularly notable - you get the feeling, watching it, that he had been dropped into literal Hell, and, more than anything else I've seen, this illustrated the pure evil of war and those who initiate it.
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True Espionage Drama
Six episodes. In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott works for MI6 but is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague Kim Philby had been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB and has defected to the Soviet Union. Stars Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce - what's not to like?!
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The near future, imagined...
Seven seasons, mostly of individual hour-long stories, illustrating the technology that already exists in the world but has yet to be fully established in our consciousness. The early seasons are utterly brilliant, though I felt it went off later on. The last season was disappointing, more mainstream/dumbed down - notably, it was the first one not written by Charlie Brooker.
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Korean, dubbed into English. 496 people with severe financial problems are given the opportunity to compete in a series of games, in order to win a vast sum of money. The only catch is that non-completion of any of the games results in extermination. 2 Seasons, the end of the last one being a cliffhanger, which was frustrating. The next part is due in 2026.
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Psychological Drama
Mark (Adam Scott) leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives; when they are at work, that is all they know about their lives. At home, they known nothing about what they do during the day. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, a journey begins to discover the truth about their jobs. Also stars Patricia Arquette; tick from me.
Top stuff, this. So unusual, and it works so well. Season 2 is currently being shown, not seen any of it yet as I'm waiting until it finishes to watch all at once.
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Crime/psychological drama
The story of Ben Clemens, who after 32 years as a border patrol agent is forced to work for the very people he spent his career trying to keep out of the United States. Now exposed to life on the other side of the wall, Ben will start to question his black and white views of the world, challenging his ideology and his loyalties (from Just Watch). Cancelled after only one season, but it's still so worth watching. Michael Chiklis is da bomb.
Five seasons. The heist drama to end all heist dramas - so clever, slick, unpredictable. Spanish, dubbed into English. A man known as The Professor gets together a group of the most proficient criminals he knows, and trains them to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history: stealing 2.4 billion from the Royal Mint.
The second project, robbing the Bank of Spain, is almost as good as the first, but there's a bit too much romantic stuff going on, and it wasn't quite so tight. Still fab, though!
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Long-running family soap.
The world's first mega-soap, and one of the most popular ever produced, Dallas had it all. Beautiful women, expensive cars, and men playing Monopoly with real buildings. Famous for one of the best cliffhangers in TV history, as the world asked "Who shot J.R.?" A slow-burner to begin with, Dallas hit its stride in the 2nd season, with long storylines and expert character development. Dallas ruled the airwaves in the 1980s (from Just Watch).
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Mob Drama
The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti (from Just Watch).
I love this show, but on second all-through watch I was aware that even the characters I liked (Adrianna, Silvio, Johnny Sack) had some seriously off-putting traits! And Tony's children (Meadow and Ant Jnr) are awful 😄. I still enjoyed it nearly as much but was more aware of the darkness of the whole thing.
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Crime drama.
A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss (from Just Watch). Jason Bateman is great, as is Julia Garner as trailer trash Ruth who has a bit more about her than the rest of her family.
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An everyday tale of 4 Geordies
The story runs from the early 1960s until the 1990s, and follows the four main characters' progression through the decades, highlighting the social issues of the day without them being rammed down one's throat. Seriously bad wigs, but otherwise terrific.
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Espionage drama
CIA operative Carrie Mathison (Clare Danes) becomes convinced prisoner of war Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil. That's the first 3 out of 8 seasons. I thought it would suffer for not having Brody in the cast in future seasons, but it's great all the way through.
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The story of Pablo Escobar, infamous Colombian drug lord. Wagner Moura plays him so well, though he makes him oddly likeable, which is strange - I think it's something to do with his sweet face! Also stars Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook as the DEA agents pursuing him. The 3rd season carries on after Escobar's death, as the DEA fight against the Cali cartel.
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21st Century Dallas, set in Montana
I thought of Yellowstone as the 21st Century Dallas when I first watched this. Indeed, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) is a John Ewing type of patriarch, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) is every bit as ruthless, outspoken and great to watch as JR. The Montanan 'Bobby' is played by Luke Grimes, the good son Casey who loves the ranch and has married outside his own kind. Also, one son is a 'half-breed' (same mother, different father), and another is no longer there, though in this case the 4th sibling died rather than tootled off to Knott's Landing. 😉
The Duttons have a fluctuating relationship with the Native Americans of the land, and must fight Big Industry to keep their land and way of life as it is. There's a theme of progress = bad vs living with the land = good, which I liked very much,.
My favourite character is Beth, though I couldn't stand her at first, then I started to 'get' her. Also liked Casey, Rip and the Native American with the long plaits, can't think of his name! Just finished watching S5, the final season. Sad but at the same time a wonderful ending.
As a bonus, the scenery and horses are spectacular :)
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Historical Drama
From the books of the same name by Bernard Cornwell. It's fiction mixed with fact, telling the fictional story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, the heir to a Northumbrian estate in the 9th and 10th Centuries, who is kidnapped by invading Danes and brought up as a Viking. Throughout, he struggles with his loyalty to King Alfred the Great and his heirs, and his wild Northman side. 5 seasons, and there is a spin-off film as a sequel, but I wasn't so keen on that.
The only blight on this otherwise marvellous series which I've seen all through more than once (okay, four times) is the ridiculous accent sported by Alexander Dreymon, who plays Uhtred. In S1 he speaks normally, but in S2 (and onwards) he's developed a strange, sing-song mixture of English and Danish accent that seems particularly odd as nobody else talks in this way; even the Danes sound more English. It's quite off-putting at times! Aside from this though, I can't fault it. Most notable are Eysteinn Sigurðarson as Sigtryggr, a Dane who really does want heathens and Christians to live in peace together, and David Dawson, who is just perfect as King Alfred.
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English historical drama
A former Army sergeant returns home to an economically depressed Gallowshields in Tyneside at the end of World War One. But this sergeant always lands on his feet... Stars James Bolam as Jack Ford - I don't think anyone else could have played this character so well!
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...set in the New York of the 1950s, and the 1960s. Centres around Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a handsome ad man, his gorgeous wife Betty (January Jones) who must find a way to deal with all Don's affairs... also the ambitious Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) who doesn't fit in with the other secretaries, because she wants to be an ad exec too.
Don is a 1950s man, and finds the changing world of the 1960s hard to deal with, as indeed do all the characters in one way or another. Really excellent. Oh, and the clothes....!!
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Historical and futuristic drama centred around the US Space Programme.
A fantasy based on the premise that the Russians walked on the moon before the Americans - I am in the 'it was a hoax' camp, but that doesn't matter because this is a terrific series, all disbelief suspended! Joel Kinnaman stars as Ed Baldwin, the temperamental No 1 NASA astronaut.
The four seasons also explore the changing culture as the decades roll on, within Russia as well as the US.
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Time Travel Detective Drama
A detective chief inspector from 2006 is investigating a serial killer when he is knocked over by a speeding car. Waking up, he finds himself mysteriously transported back in time to 1973. Initially struggling to come to terms with his situation, he has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitudes of the day, while figuring out how he came to be trapped in the past. (From Just Watch).
I loved John Simm as Sam Tyler, the DCI in question, and Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt has to be high up in my all-time favourite TV detective list. His dialogue delivery is pure poetry, I promise!
Life on Mars comprises 2 seasons - running through Sam's 1973 life is the ever-present question of how and why, with some strange supernatural happenings. These questions are not resolved until the end of the 3rd season of the companion show, Ashes to Ashes, which is also very good. This time it's 1981 and Keeley Hawes takes over as the time travelling cop who lands in Gene Hunt's world.
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A family gets lost while driving on holiday, and find themselves in a small town with no way out. They soon discover that everyone there has had the same experience - the roads out just lead back to the town. Meanwhile, deep in the forest, the terrors of the night emerge.... every night. 3 seasons so far, the end of the third one left me dying to see what will happen next! Harrold Perrineau, Eion Bailey, David Apley...
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Psychological/murder drama
Dexter Morgan is the forensic expert and serial killer who only kills really, really bad people. 8 excellent seasons; also 'Original Sin', the prequel, which reveals how he became what he is, and 'New Blood', about what comes after...
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Cartoon Lampoon
The best social commentary ever televised. Mostly. In 25 seasons there are bound to be some weaker moments, but the good vastly outweighs the not-so-good.
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Dramatizes the Birth, Life, Ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, largely according to the Holy Bible's New Testament Gospels. 8 stunning episodes. Made in the late 1970s, directed and produced by Franco Zeffirelli.
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Crime/dark comedy
Ray Shoesmith is a father, ex-husband, boyfriend, brother and best friend: tough roles to juggle in the modern age. Even harder when you’re a criminal for hire (from Just Watch).
Scott Ryan's baby; writer, director and main character. Australian. 3 seasons, every half hour episode a beaut. It's sad, heartrending and funny... the dialogue is spectacularly good. Can't recommend highly enough.
Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition is a place where the rules don't apply. And the man who runs things -- legally and otherwise -- is the town's treasurer, Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, who is equal parts politician and gangster (from Just Watch).
Fiction woven into fact - Nucky Thompson did exist (as Nucky Johnson), and you'll see other real life characters you know: Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein, Steven Graham as a young Al Capone, for instance. Steve Buscemi stars, though he is not the most compelling character; Stuhlbarg's Rothstein is a contender for this, as is Michael Shannon's Nelson Van Alden, an FBI officer who takes a walk on the dark side, and the late, great Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White, another bootlegging entrepreneur. The last season felt a bit rushed, like the producers had been told they had to fit 12 episode's worth into 8, but it's a televisual treat indeed!
Again, fact and fiction intermingled. The story of Ragnar Lothbrok of Norse legend and his family as they make inroads into Britain. If I used words like 'iconic', I would say them about Travis Fimmel's portrayal of Ragnar, and Katheryn Winnick's of his first wife, the warrior sheild maiden Lagertha.
6 seasons, with the last two concentrating on Ragnar's sons. Nearly as good, though I prefer the earlier ones. Also stars Linus Roache as King Ecbert of Wessex, and George Blagden as Athelstan, a monk from Lindisfarne who starts off as a slave but becomes Ragnar's friend.
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Crime and corruption at the highest levels...
Every season spans 24 hours. So much can happen in this time... Kiefer Sutherland as counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer, doing stuff that other men can't. It's great. If you haven't watched it, start now - you've got 8 seasons!
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Bryan Cranston as Walter White, the 50 year old chemistry teacher who becomes a cook and purveyor of crystal meth, in order to save money for his family when he's gone - he's just found out he's got terminal cancer. His sidekick is Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), a former pupil gone bad. To make matters more complicated, his brother-in-law is a DEA agent.
I am not alone in thinking this is one of the most brilliant TV series ever made :)
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WWII Drama
The true story of Easy Company from the US Military, in Europe during the back end of the Second World War. Absolutely first rate. Stars Damian Lewis, Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, Michael Cudlitz, Ron Livingston... I've seen it three times, all through. Contains interviews from the real life soldiers in old age, which is fascinating. Just the best war drama ever.
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Drama about the catastrophe and its investigation and aftermath
The horrific story of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, when the mishandling of Ukranian nuclear power station caused catastrophic death and destruction. So many people were unaware of the effects of radiation, not least of all the people who ran the place, which meant that almost all those involved in the clean up died, too - and many living nearby, in the town of Pripyat.
Jared Harris (a favourite of mine) is stunningly good as Valery Legasov, First Deputy Director of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, brought in to lead the investigation. Warning: extremely harrowing to watch. Six episodes.
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Cop Drama Series
Seven seasons, starring Michael Chiklis, Walton Goggins and Benito Martinez - in an inner city Los Angeles police department, corruption is rife. That's nothing new as far as TV shows go, but The Shield is a masterpiece. Every single episode is a work of art. It's just - the best. Cannot recommend too highly. Alongside The Wire, the best cop show on TV, ever.
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Cops and drug lords in Baltimore.
Yes, I know, The Wire is on everyone's top ten of best TV shows ever! Five seasons, stellar performances by Dominic West as the 'his methods are unorthodox but he gets results' cop, the late, lovely Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar Little, who rips off drug dealers but has his own unshakeable code, Lawrence Griffith Jnr as D'Angelo Barksdale, a boy born into the drug world who sees its corruption and want to make changes, J D Williams as Bodie, the young man on the street corner, and every other actor in it. If you've never seen it, I envy you having it still to watch.
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Survival in a Zombie Apocalypse
It's not about zombies. It's about courage, the fight between good and evil, hardship, bonds of love, friendship and family, and the every day battle to stay alive until the next morning. Life stripped bare, one might say. For anyone who doesn't know, TWD stars Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, David Morrissey, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Sarah Wayne Callies, and many more. Set in Georgia then Virginia.
The main show has eleven seasons, so the quality does dip now and again; S8 is generally thought of as being the low point, and I agreed on first watch, but later saw more in it. My favourite seasons are 2, 4, 6 and 11.
Spin-off shows include Fear The Walking Dead, same time frame but in LA. This is patchy; some I loved, some I found just okay. TWD: World Beyond is about four teenagers who travel from Nebraska to New York, 10 years after the outbreak. Once the main show ended, there started the spin-offs featuring the main characters: Rick and Michonne, Negan and Maggie, Daryl and Caryl, all of which are excellent, and as good as the best of the main series.
📺 Happy watching! 📺
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