Dalgliesh, Series 2, Channel 5 review - more gory cases for PD James's brooding poet-detective

★★★ DALGLIESH, SERIES 2, CHANNEL 5 More gory cases for the brooding poet-detective

Bertie Carvel's enigmatic Dalgliesh is too unknowable to be appealing

When young Morse went speeding off in his Jag at the end of the Endeavour finale earlier this year, the road was left open for another, zootier Jag to zoom in, the racing green E-type belonging to DCI Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. 

Colin from Accounts, BBC Two review - winning mix of great performances, nuanced writing and a cute dog

★★★★★ COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS, BBC TWO Great performances, nuanced writing

An Australian screwball romance delivers mature slice-of-life comedy

As Australia's greatest comedic export exits the stage, strewing gladioli, a promising contender for that title makes an entrance, trailing a dog on wheels. The dog is the titular Colin from Accounts, for the few who still haven’t tried this exceptional, refreshingly mature comedy. 

A different angle on the Anne Frank story in 'A Small Light'

A SMALL LIGHT A different angle on the Anne Frank story in a Disney drama

Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber and Joe Cole star in Disney's new eight-part drama

The Diary of Anne Frank became a Broadway play and has formed the basis of a lengthy catalogue of films and TV series, but the name of Miep Gies is rather less well-known. Yet without Gies the Anne Frank story might never have reached the wider world, since it was she who helped the Frank family, along with four other Dutch Jews, to remain in hiding and evade capture by the Germans from July 1942 until their luck ran out in August 1944.

Fatal Attraction, Paramount+ review - Adrian Lyne's bunny-boiler blockbuster expanded onwards and outwards

★★★★ FATAL ATTRACTION, PARAMOUNT+  A fascinating series trips over its own ambitions

A fascinating series which sometimes trips over its own ambitions

Directed by Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction was the biggest-grossing film of 1987, and gave the world the term “bunny boiler”. Lyne isn’t aboard for Paramount’s new eight-part series, but the film’s screenwriter James Dearden is a major script contributor alongside the show’s creators Kevin J Hynes and Alexandra Cunningham.

Citadel, Prime Video review - did Amazon really pay $300m for this?

★★ CITADEL, PRIME VIDEO The Russo brothers' bid to feed the world with slam-bang action

The Russo brothers' bid to feed the world with slam-bang action

The Russo brothers, makers of Amazon Prime’s much-hyped, $300m new spy drama, decided to keep the concept simple – it’s Good versus Evil. In the Good corner we have Citadel, a super-secret global spy network which has the modest ambition of keeping everybody, everywhere in the world, safe.

The Diplomat, Netflix review - can London's new American ambassador prevent World War Three?

★★★★ THE DIPLOMAT, NETFLIX Can London's new American ambassador prevent World War Three?

Sorkin-esque drama takes a satirical look at the 'special relationship'

Does the “special relationship” really exist? Judging by Netflix’s sparky new political drama, yes it does, with London-based CIA agent Eidra Graham (Ali Ahn) going out of her way to spell out the unique intelligence-sharing arrangements between the US and the UK. Just as long as everyone remembers that the Americans are well and truly in charge, nothing can possibly go wrong.

Malpractice, ITV1 review - she got into a mess on the NHS

★★★★★ MALPRACTICE, ITV1 Niamh Algar shines in powerful and timely medical drama

Niamh Algar shines in powerful and timely medical drama

This skilfully-woven drama about an NHS doctor being battered by professional and personal pressures is undoubtedly timely, and benefits greatly from being written by Grace Ofori-Attah, a former NHS doctor herself. Her inside knowledge lends weight and verisimilitude to scenes depicting admission procedures or the way the treacherous politics of NHS hierarchies work, and perhaps most significantly, how internal investigations are conducted.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, ITV1 review - Agatha Christie gets a tense and twisty reworking by Hugh Laurie

★★★★ WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? Christie gets a tense, twisty reworking by Hugh Laurie

Lucy Boynton and Will Poulter shine as a pair of intrepid amateur sleuths

With Magpie Murders currently airing on BBC One, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is another gem from the BritBox stable, where it made its debut last year. Its secret weapon is Hugh Laurie, who’s all over it as screenwriter, director and actor.

Magpie Murders, BBC One review - zinging TV adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's bestseller

★★★★★ MAGPIE MURDERS, BBC ONE Zinging TV adaptation of Anthony Horowitz's bestseller

Not only a whodunnit, but also a two-dunnit

Finding a fresh twist on the traditional detective mystery is virtually impossible, but Anthony Horowitz has made a bold stab at it with Magpie Murders. This TV adaptation (which appeared on the BritBox streaming platform last year) has been masterminded by Horowitz from his 2016 bestseller, which ingeniously features two interlocking stories, one set in the present day and one in the 1950s.

Rabbit Hole, Paramount+ review - sabotage, subterfuge and corporate skulduggery

★★★★ RABBIT HOLE, PARAMOUNT+ Sabotage, subterfuge and corporate skulduggery

Can Kiefer Sutherland save the world from a megalomaniac mastermind?

Kiefer Sutherland has proved to be a hardy perennial over the decades, from movies like Young Guns and Flatliners to TV shows including Designated Survivor and especially the much-lauded 24. And he seems to have picked another winner with Rabbit Hole.