The Gold, BBC One review - gripping dramatisation of the 1983 Brink's-Mat bullion robbery

★★★★★ THE GOLD, BBC ONE Gripping dramatisation of the 1983 Brink's-Mat bullion robbery

You can't always tell the difference between the police and the thieves

The raid on the Brink’s-Mat warehouse at Heathrow in November 1983 has entered the folklore of British crime and criminology. The gang of six armed robbers had expected to find £3m in cash, but instead got away with £26m worth of gold bullion. The story of what happened to the loot, the thieves and their associates remains at least partially swathed in mystery to this day.

Fauda, Season 4, Netflix review - Israeli terrorism thriller gets darker and dirtier

★★★★★ FAUDA, SEASON 4, NETFLIX Israeli terrorism thriller gets darker and dirtier

Fourth time around, the human cost is becoming too much to bear

Bald, barrel-shaped and pugnacious, Doron Kavillio (Lior Raz) could have been conceived as the anti-Bond or the un-Ethan Hunt. But as action heroes go, Doron can mix it with the finest as he tracks down terrorists with his comrades in Israel’s Mista’arvim Special Forces team.

Happy Valley, Series 3, BBC One review - tension mounts as the Yorkshire crime drama approaches its conclusion

★ HAPPY VALLEY, SERIES 3, BBC ONE Sally Wainwright's masterpiece shows the competition a clean pair of heels

Sally Wainwright's masterpiece shows the competition a clean pair of heels

In this glittering era of global streaming, the viewer is constantly bombarded with the latest and most sensational TV drama from South Korea, Australia, Denmark, California etcetera. But Huddersfield’s own Sally Wainwright continues to show most of the competition a clean pair of heels.

Stonehouse, ITV review - history repeats itself as farce

★★ STONEHOUSE, ITV History repeats itself as farce

Dramatisation of the John Stonehouse story feels strangely unnecessary

A disclaimer in the opening credits confessed that some scenes in this three-part history of disgraced Labour MP John Stonehouse had been “imagined for dramatic purposes”, but there was no need. The man’s life story fell comfortably into the “you couldn’t make it up” zone, and there wasn’t really much that screenwriter John Preston needed to add.

Doc Martin Christmas Special, ITV review - Santa comes to Portwenn as the final curtain falls

★★★★ DOC MARTIN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, ITV Santa comes to Portwenn as the final curtain falls

It's a wrap for the 18-year-old TV institution

In 10 series stretching over the last 18 years, ITV's Doc Martin unobtrusively became an enduringly popular household name, but it finally reached the end of the road with this Christmas one-off. Unless, of course, there’s a prequel, a sequel, an origin story or a transformed internationalised version from Netflix.

All Creatures Great and Small Christmas Special, Channel 5 review - life during wartime with the Yorkshire vets

★★★★ ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, CHANNEL 5 Life during wartime with the Yorkshire vets

Siegfried Farnon grapples with an ethical crisis

As the third series of All Creatures… ended a couple of months ago, Britain had just declared itself at war with Germany and the men of Darrowby were queuing resolutely in the town square to join the armed forces. Intriguingly, as the credits rolled, it seemed that among them was one of our headlining vets, Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse).

Slow Horses, Series 2, Apple TV+ review - Mick Herron’s spies make a welcome return

★★★★★ SLOW HORSES, SERIES 2, APPLE TV+ Mick Herron’s spies make a welcome return

The losers of Slough House are as winning as ever

Apple TV+ is using the arrival of season two of Slow Horses to offer a generous three-month free trial to its streamer service. Ample time to catch up with season one and watch it multiple times before all of season two is available at the end of December. Go for it.

Tokyo Vice, BBC One review - murder, extortion and corruption in the Japanese capital

★★★★ TOKYO VICE, BBC ONE Murder, extortion and corruption in the Japanese capital

Eager American reporter Jake Adelstein plunges into the murky world of the Yakuza

There was originally a plan to make Tokyo Vice a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe, but it has ended up as a TV series starring Ansel Elgort. It’s almost certainly the better for it, because the eight episodes of this first season – the way it ends, or rather doesn’t, makes a second helping inevitable – give it space to explore Japanese culture and its often mutually uncomprehending relationship with American or European values.

1899, Netflix review - Atlantic voyage turns into cosmic nightmare

Another mind-bending trip from the creators of 'Dark'

Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese won delirious acclaim for their previous Netflix series Dark, a labyrinthine and fantastical account of children vanishing from a small German town. Anyone familiar with its baffling events and leaps across different timelines will probably feel at home with 1899, the duo’s similarly mind-bending follow-up.