The Crown, Season 5, Netflix review - is the royal epic outstaying its welcome?

★★★ THE CROWN, SEASON 5, NETFLIX  Is the royal epic outstaying its welcome?

Strong cast rehashes some familiar themes

Now into its fifth season, Netflix’s royal pageant is entering that danger zone where once-majestic TV series suddenly find they’re running out of steam. Perhaps Harry and Meghan’s publicity-hogging shenanigans and the real-life loss of the Queen and Prince Philip have somewhat overshadowed Netflix’s quasi-fictional drama. Perhaps everybody has become sick to death of rehashed versions of the life of Princess Diana.

Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre review - Elton John's often dazzling new musical

★★★ TAMMY FAYE, ALMEIDA THEATRE The rise and fall of an iconic figure whose reach stretched across late 20th century American culture

Plenty of heart and bite in a show illuminated by Katie Brayben's compelling performance

I’ll confess to a certain schadenfreude when the American televangelists who seemed so foreign to us Brits were led away to be papped on their perp walks, ministers in manacles: One big name after another skewered on their own hubris, gulling the gullible out of their savings and shoe-horning right-wing ideologues into political and judicial office. Thank God (ironically) that we’re too smart for that kind of nonsense in Europe. 

How’s that turning out then? 

Album: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen

★★★★ RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - RETURN OF THE DREAM CANTEEN Stadium rock old-timers summon up a feast of West Coast guitar pop

Stadium rock old-timers summon up a feast of West Coast guitar pop

Does the world need to hear more from Red Hot Chili Peppers? Outside the bouncin’ bro’ fanbase, a regular consensus is that, despite being one of the biggest bands in the world, doing their global stadium rock thing – with free added funk! – achieving the highest level of commercial success, they're not of actual interest.

Music Reissues Weekly: The Best of Roxy Music

THE BEST OF ROXY MUSIC What was on CD two decades ago reappears on vinyl

What was on CD two decades ago reappears on vinyl

In summer 2001, The Best of Roxy Music reached number 12 on the album charts. The 18-track compilation tied-in with the band’s reunion tour, which kicked off that June. Original band members Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay, Phil Manzanera and Paul Thompson came together for the dates. They’d last played live in May 1983, after which they split.

Music Reissues Weekly: The Hit Parade - Pick Of The Pops Vol.1

THE HIT PARADE - PICK OF THE POPS VOL 1 Why the enduring indie combo may be Britain’s most wilful band

Fourteen reasons why the enduring indie combo may be Britain’s most wilful band

On the cover of The Hit Parade’s Pick Of The Pops Vol.1 it says “London’s No.1 Pop Group.” Underneath, a strapline states “File under: C86 twee Sarah Sixties pop.” Obviously, irony is at play with some of this – from the band name to the album title and the top pop group boast. The suggested categorisation might be nearer the mark.

Album: The Kooks - 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark

Back to the Eighties for the group's upbeat and playful sixth album

From Brighton to Berlin with the Brit School alums, who formed 20 years ago – allegedly out shopping in Primark. Virgin signed them three months later. What started as “a joke” has endured through five albums – and here comes their sixth, 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark.

The Newsreader, BBC Two review - a drama series of welcome substance from Australia

★★★★ THE NEWSREADER, BBC TWO A drama series of welcome substance from Australia

It's 1986, and a Melbourne TV news team are battling rival stations and each other

Period drama from Australia is something of a rarity on our televisions, so The Newsreader scores for novelty alone. It’s not startlingly innovative in form, but it does what it sets out to do in a highly satisfying way. Which is to tell a tale of everyday misogyny, racism, homophobia and backstabbing in the Aussie television industry of the mid-1980s.

The Darkest Part of the Night, Kiln Theatre - issues-led drama has its heart in the right place

★★★ THE DARKEST PART OF THE NIGHT, KILN Issues-led drama has its heart in the right place

The didactic vies with the dramatic in Zodwa Nyoni's incident-packed new play

Music plays a big part in the life of Dwight, an 11-year-old black lad growing up in early 80s Leeds. He doesn't fit in at school, bullied because he is "slow", and he doesn't fit in outside school, would-be friends losing patience with him.

But he does fit in at home, loved unequivocally by a protective mother, somewhat enviously by a bickering sister, and rather reluctantly by a preoccupied father. Like the records he plays on the gramophone, his life is about to spin – and he'll have to hold on to the warmth of family love in a cold world.

Sherwood, BBC One review - a traumatic journey through a painful past

★★★★ SHERWOOD, BBC ONE A traumatic journey through a painful past from James Graham

James Graham's drama exposes wounds that never healed from the 1980s miners' strike

Renowned for an impressive body of work that includes This House, Quiz and Brexit: The Uncivil War, playwright and screenwriter James Graham has looked inwards and backwards for his new six-part series Sherwood.

Album: Neneh Cherry - The Versions

★★★ NENEH CHERRY - THE VERSIONS Esoteric set of multi-artist cover versions from the singer's back catalogue

Esoteric set of multi-artist cover versions from the singer's back catalogue

Initially, the weird thing about this is it’s being released as a Neneh Cherry album rather than a compilation of artists doing Neneh Cherry covers, which is what it is. That said, awareness slowly grows of a kindred sensibility to recent Neneh Cherry output, the esoteric jazzual spirit that’s imbued her last couple of albums.