Back, Channel 4 review - return of sibling-rivalry comedy with Mitchell and Webb

★★★★ BACK, CHANNEL 4 Return of the sibling-rivalry comedy with Mitchell and Webb

Simon Blackwell delves into fraternal mind games

It has taken three years for the second series of Back to reach our screens (a combination of the creator being busy, a star being unwell and Covid), but it was worth the wait. To recap for those who didn't see the first series of Simon Blackwell's very dark comedy (now on All4), it concerns Andrew (Robert Webb), who suddenly came back into the life of Stephen (David Mitchell), who is, he says, his long-lost foster

Baby Done review - romcom done right

★★★★ BABY DONE Funny, sincere, charming Kiwi comedy about unexpected pregnancy

Funny, sincere and completely charming Kiwi comedy about unexpected pregnancy

Romcoms. We all know the tried and tested formula: immature guy, uptight girl, they meet, they like each other, hate each other, and end up in love. It’s as reliable as it is unrealistic, and sometimes it takes a film like Baby Done to remind you there is a better way.

Finding Alice, ITV review - thriller, comedy or melodrama?

★★★ FINDING ALICE, ITV Keeley Hawes leads a strong cast in no particular direction

Keeley Hawes leads a strong cast in no particular direction

Or, What The Durrells Did Next. Writer Simon Nye, writer/director Roger Goldby and star Keeley Hawes are all veterans of ITV’s Corfu-based fantasy, and while Finding Alice superficially resembles a thriller, like its predecessor it’s more of an undemanding family melodrama once you’ve peeled away the wrapping.

Pieces of a Woman review - a home birth ends in tragedy

★★★ PIECES OF A WOMAN A home birth ends in tragedy

Vanessa Kirby excels in devastating exploration of grief and loss

This is not a film to watch if you’re pregnant. One of the first scenes, a 24-minute continuous take of a home birth that ends in tragedy, is extraordinarily powerful and painful to watch – almost unbearable sometimes – and Vanessa Kirby as Martha, groaning and growling her way through a very realistic labour, is brilliant and unforgettable.

Roald and Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse, Sky One review – twinkly tale for troubled times

★★★★ ROALD AND BEATRIX,  SKY ONE Twinkly tale for troubled times

Dahl-meets-Potter Christmas drama with Dawn French, Rob Brydon and Jessica Hynes

They say "never meet your heroes". That may be true, but it forms the premise of a new TV drama concerning two of the worlds most famous childrens authors – Beatrix Potter and Roald Dahl – who encounter each other at opposite ends of their life. 

Small Axe: Education, BBC One review - domestic drama concludes groundbreaking film series with quiet power

★★★★ SMALL AXE: EDUCATION, BBC ONE Systematic prejudice in the 1970s school system gives emotional punch to Steve McQueen's finale

Systematic prejudice in the 1970s school system gives emotional punch to Steve McQueen's finale

The fifth and final film in the Small Axe series is titled Education. At first, it appears this refers to the education of the central character, 12-year-old London boy Kingsley Smith, impressively played by Kenyah Sandy, who’s transferred to a disgraceful “School for the Educationally Subnormal” after being disruptive.

I'm Your Woman review - what's happening, indeed?

★★ I'M YOUR WOMAN Tepid thriller leaves spectators irksomely in the dark

Tepid thriller leaves spectators irksomely in the dark

"What's happening?", or so Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) asks time and again in I'm Your Woman, voicing the very question posed by an audience. Bewilderment would seem to be a constant state of being in director and co-writer Julia Hart's film, which doesn't so much derive suspense from withholding information as revel in an opaque narrative that I, for one, tuned out of well before the close.

Filmmaker Frank Marshall: 'People don’t understand what geniuses The Bee Gees were'

Director of the new Bee Gees documentary discusses the brothers' legacy in music

Frank Marshall might not be the biggest household name, but his footprint on Hollywood is unrivalled. He has produced hits ranging from Indiana Jones and Back to the Future to Jason Bourne and Jurassic World. He also takes occasional forays into directing, such as the madcap Arachnophobia and cannibalistic rugby tale Alive.