Man vs Bee, Netflix review - or should it be Bee vs Bean?

★★★ MAN VS BEE, NETFLIX Rowan Atkinson's new comic character is no Blackadder

Rowan Atkinson's new comic character is no Blackadder

Rowan Atkinson’s strange little comedy (written by Will Davies) is the story of Trevor Bingley, a rather pitiable late-middle-aged man who finds a new job as a house-sitter for a disdainful and ridiculously wealthy couple, Nina and Christian Kolstad-Bergenbatten (Jing Lusi and Julian Rhind-Tutt, pictured below). They live in a high-tech superhome in countless acres of lush green countryside.

Borgen: Power and Glory, Netflix review - Birgitte Nyborg is back, more fascinating than ever

★★★★★ BORGEN: POWER AND GLORY, NETFLIX Birgitte Nyborg is more fascinating than ever

The Danish series about a top woman politician is still smarter than 'The West Wing'

Has there ever been a smarter television series than DR’s Borgen? It’s regularly compared to The West Wing for its twisty interrogation of government shenanigans – and certainly it pays to get to grips with the coalition-driven political scene at the Castle, seat of the Danish government, just as it did with Aaron Sorkin’s take on the Hill. 

Ricky Gervais, SuperNature, Netflix review - a provocateur at work

★★★★ RICKY GERVAIS, SUPERNATURE, NETFLIX A masterclass in meta comedy

An equal opportunities offender delivers a masterclass in meta comedy

Irony can be a trump card for a provocative comic such as Ricky Gervais, and he plays it right at the top of his SuperNature, an updated version of a show he started touring in 2019, which was rudely interrupted by the pandemic and is now his latest Netflix special. 

Anatomy of a Scandal, Netflix review - sex, sexism and the abuse of power

★★★★ ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, NETFLIX Sex, sexism and the abuse of power

Sarah Vaughan's novel gets a binge-watching makeover from David E Kelley

British political life in the Boris Johnson era routinely seems stranger than fiction, and this adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s novel about a Flashman-style Tory MP should delight all those who view Westminster as a sewer of privilege, corruption and back-slapping old-boy networks. Refreshingly, it doesn’t dabble in actual politics at all, but the action speeds along with an easy fluency which comfortably carries the viewer over its multiple absurdities.

Bridgerton, Season 2, Netflix review - power politics and love triangles as Regency fantasy returns

★★★ BRIDGERTON, SEASON 2, NETFLIX No Duke of Hastings and not much sex doesn't bode well

No Duke of Hastings and not much sex doesn't bode well

The first series of Bridgerton (Netflix) became a ratings-blasting sensation because of the way it thrust a boldly multiracial cast into the midst of a Regency costume drama, and because of the camera-hogging presence of Regé-Jean Page as the swashbuckling Duke of Hastings. Above all, it had countless astonishingly graphic sex scenes.

The Last Kingdom, Season 5, Netflix review - Danes-and-Saxons saga hurtles towards an epic climax

★★★★★ THE LAST KINGDOM, NETFLIX Danes-and-Saxons saga hurtles towards an epic climax

How much longer can the heroic Uhtred keep riding to the rescue?

Two years ago, the fourth season of The Last Kingdom (Netflix) found the Saxon saga not quite hitting peak form, possibly reeling from the fallout of the haunting death of King Alfred (David Dawson). Happily, any doubts are blown away with the arrival of 5, in which the show’s trademarks of knotty dynastic rivalry, anguished romantic entanglements and horrifying eruptions of bloodthirstiness are all roaring ahead at full blast.

Drive to Survive, Season 4, Netflix review - bitter rivalries on and off the track

Ratings-grabbing F1 docuseries revisits the explosive 2021 campaign

Netflix’s fly-on-the-pitwall series has rapidly established itself as a vital ingredient in the tapestry of Formula One coverage, and is credited with giving the sport a huge boost in visibility and popularity, not least in the USA. This fourth outing (now featuring even more undeleted expletives than ever) takes a look back at 2021’s dramatic racing season, which ended in uproar and controversy in Abu Dhabi last December.

Ozark, Series 4 Part 1, Netflix review - the Macbeths of the southern lakes in even deeper waters

★★★★★ OZARK, SERIES 4, NETFLIX Marty and Wendy Byrde in even deeper waters

Marty and Wendy Byrde continue to thicken the swamp

They’re back, the Lord and Lady Macbeth of the Ozark District, otherwise sleek-seeming middle class Chicagoans Marty and Wendy Byrde. And thanks to the super-subtle performances of Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, we hate them more than ever – except when they’re up against worse.

Russell Howard, Netflix special review - joyous return to live performance

★★★★ RUSSELL HOWARD, NETFLIX Stand-up with accompanying documentary

Stand-up with accompanying documentary

In 2019, Russell Howard was all set to celebrate his 20th year in comedy by going on a world tour. Covid put paid to that, so it was with some genuine celebration that he was able to return to the stage with Lubricant, his second Netflix special, recorded at the Eventim Apollo in late 2021.