The Walsh Sisters, Bridgerton, and The Night Agent. With guests Lisa McGee and Sinéad Keenan

32:12And then you just stand to the front, turn to the side, and then you walk back and I was like, what the hell are they doing? But then back behind us then, there was all different types of coloured lights being shown and then as you were saying Boyd the neon signs and stuff like they were there I was like well they're putting an awful lot of effort so like I knew that it was it was big, the scale was big, like the scale of the story was big but the production as well you could tell you know a behemoth like Netflix was involved Yeah Yeah. Does it make a big difference? These are working for Netflix.

32:52Is that like part of the whole? I mean, they've been very supportive. You know, they've really they've they've really just want me to make the show that I that I have in my head. But I have to say, like, things haven't changed hugely for me because I have the exact same people around me. Like I've been working with the same people for 16 years. So it feels just about like the same gang, which is kind of incredible. so things are kept quite small for me so that I can just write and make the show. Yeah, so you feel very safe and looked after, you know? Yeah, yeah. I love the glimpses we get of Robin's home life, Sinead, particularly where you attack your husband having completely jumped to the most ridiculous conclusions.

33:37That's one of the defining things, isn't it about her, that she likes jumping to a conclusion? yeah and and i think she's she's for absolutely steadfast in her belief until she until i mean is she i mean even when she's proved wrong she's not really wrong this well you know but i mean that's a what's a stupid name for a man anyway it's your own fault for being called jesse you know that kind of thing um but it was lovely to to do that with art uh campion who who was in London Irish. Yes. As well. But yeah, poor Jim. Poor Jim. Poor Jim. Yeah, poor Jim. And you've got an incredible supporting cast, Lisa.

34:25Leila Farza, Tom Basden, Arlo Hanlon, Michelle Fairley, Josh Finnan, who's like the man of the moment. Oh, Josh. He's incredible. What a lovely performance from him. I thought, fantastic. Yeah. And Emma J. Scanlon, who loves going over the top, right? I mean, he is just... Oh my God. it's like for emmett i was like um i need someone who's immediately the baddie you know like and you just go to emma jay scannan for that you know what i mean it just like it can look so sinister but with all the like ardal you just go he would be an eccentric hotel owner and on a goal obviously it's arlo hannan you know it doesn't take much much much working out sometimes it's so and you've all you've this incredible pull of talent of comic talent in ireland now and and those uk actors tom is hilarious like absolutely had us in wrinkles constantly he's just so funny um so yeah everyone was brilliant it was brilliant and it's great fun to hang out with these characters so with the you do love a gang don't you a gang of uh girls women and it works really well and by the end we're kind of we want to hang out with we'll get sorry we want to hang out with them again is there is this would you like to see this as a returning show i mean i would love to because i think once you have a cast like this um it's just it's it's a it's just such a pleasure to write for them and you're constantly thinking of like i'm already thinking of what stupid situation they could get into and you know i can hear them but we'll have to say you know It'll just depend who watches this, but I'd certainly love to do another one.

36:04Sinead up for series two? Definitely. No question. No question. And I have to ask, before we depart, where are we with the next season of Unforgottenness? There was a read-through photo recently. Yeah, so we are shooting at the moment, so we're in the second or third week of the shoot. They very kindly released me. Very nice. Going back into their care tomorrow evening. Excellent. Yeah, and then we film to mid-April. Yeah, and then it'll be out. That's way above my pay rate. I have no idea. Fair enough. Some time. And do you watch that show, Lisa, finally? You must do. I haven't seen it yet. No, but my parents are massive, massive fans.

36:52And so I tend to not watch particularly any detective or thriller stuff when I'm trying to write that. I just get annoyed and jealous. But I will. I will. My parents are massive fans. Yeah. So I need to do that. Yeah. Brilliant. Well, congratulations on How to Get Heaven from Belfast. It's fantastic. Thank you. And thank you for joining us. Thank you so much. Thank you, Boyd. Thanks a million. That was Lisa McGee and Sinead Keenan. And time now for this week's listener question. Let me just rummage around in the pre-triaged post bag. And we have a message here, Kay, from Angie. Hi, Angie. Oh, my God, Den and Angie.

37:30Brilliant. Angie says, As I listened to today's Pilot TV, I seriously considered cancelling my subscription, following your unjustified conclusions that cats tolerate humans and do not love them. A view too often stated by dog lovers. I love both cats and dogs, but I do find the independence of cats to be the main reason for owning cats over dogs. My two cats are hugely affectionate and sociable as demonstrated by one cat's reaction to my return from a two-week holiday and there is a picture of this cat looking very affectionate. So there you go. Sweet. What's the cat's name? Have we got any details?

38:03No idea. She probably told me but I've forgotten. I was going to give him a shout out. We should say, if people don't know, it's because Steph laid into cats everywhere on this podcast. She threw down the gauntlet, the furry gauntlet, against cats because she thinks they're evil, really. Well, Steph is a huge dog lover. That's the thing. And I think she's only got space in her affections for one animal. At a time. Yeah, that's it. You can love both cats and dogs. Yes, Boyd, but, you know. Anyway, anyway, Angie's question is not about cats or dogs. What she said is, it is prompted by Boyd's comment that industry, yes, we're back to industry, has reinvented itself each and every season.

38:45I immediately thought of The Good Place as another show that kept each season fresh. What other shows do you think reinvented themselves each year to the benefit of the show? I am excluding here the anthology shows like American Horror Story, True Detective and Fargo. Still loving the pod, cat views aside. Although I'm starting to believe Kay really has left. What kind of job share means one job sharer doesn't return for a whole month? Asking as I need a job share like that. No, listen, just to answer you on that point, is that the reason why there was such a long gap for me originally coming back on is just because to let Steph settle in.

39:22And then also we knew that I'd be here for a couple of weeks when she was having her tonsils out. So, you know, that's why there'll be, after this, another big gap. And then we'll get into a regular rhythm. Don't you worry about that. Don't want these boys to get unruly. That's true. Kay has to keep us in line. So, reinvented and rejuvenated TV shows. I will refer you to a little show called Doctor Who. Never heard of it. Well, let me just tell you this. It's got a format which reinvents itself quite brilliantly throughout its multi-decade history. And it has a fantastic device called the Regeneration in which the Doctor moves on and is played by another actor.

40:04When that said existing current Doctor decides to move on. I'm really enjoying the fact that Kay is nodding the whole ass. As if she's learning new information here. It's great. Which is, I think, a sign that she's not actually listening. It is true. Oh, my God. This is like the first... I rarely don't listen. But do you know why? It's because I was taking what Boyd was saying, but I was also thinking, I don't have an answer. I don't have an answer. So I was trying to simultaneously think of one. Sorry. Oh, well, I'm glad that I'm giving you time to think of an answer. Yeah, exactly. It's Doctor Who.

40:31The answer is fucking Doctor Who. And that kind of would have been my answer. Right, yeah. I see. It's given that it is one of your favourite shows. as we've established on this podcast. I do like Doctor Who. Which is your favourite reinvention, Doctor Who, your favourite Doctor? Well, I like Shooty, obviously, because that's the one I jumped on board with because I wasn't watching Doctor Who before then. But I also like that Tenon episode that James, do you remember, adamantly disagreed that I liked it. He thought that he knew better and I didn't. Funnily enough, weirdly. So Tenon and Gatwa. Anyway, it's an object lesson in renewing, regenerating, literally, and revitalising a show throughout.

41:07it's incredible run so far. So yeah, that would be my main answer. I also think The Leftovers is a good example. That is a good example because the first season is based on the book and then afterwards it sort of plows its own furrow and it does go in a very different direction. It does, yeah. And The White Lotus, which I think has a really clear... Anthology. Oh yeah, that is. It's kind of an anthology. Do you see how quickly I flip-flopped then? I agreed with Boyd and I was like, no, actually... I'm saying it's not an anthology because there are characters from different... series that pop up.

41:37There's like a couple. No, no, no, no. It doesn't matter. It's enough. It's not a fucking anthology. But isn't that the same for Doctor Who as well? Recurring characters. Well, Doctor Who isn't an anthology. Doctor Who isn't an anthology. What he's saying is, for me, the definition of an anthology show is a completely different story setting cast across each season. Yeah. And The White Loisers is not an example. Well, I think we'll let Angie be the judge of that. Well, okay, Angie. Let us know. But I think, because Angie is a woman of fine taste and, you know. Oh, look at you. I think she'll agree that while it feels a little bit like an anthology, because it does reinvent itself, as I'm answering the question properly, it's serious, but actually characters pop up from previous seasons, it's all in its own world, in its own timeline, and it is a consistent on-running show, albeit one that magically reinvents itself each time.

42:21In summary, I agree with Boyd. That is its genius. Thank you, I rest my case. Right, you'll be pleased now that I've prepared at least 13 ,000 examples of this, but I'm going to whittle them down in the interest of keeping the show tight, but it does give you time to Google furiously for your turn. right so I agree with Boyd you're just agreeing with Boyd fine there are loads of these I thought an interesting one for this really is Blackadder because Blackadder which obviously starts as a completely different show when it's just Richard Curtis for series one and then when Ben Elton comes on for series two it's basically another show they might as well have called it something different kind of like an anthology but same actors kind of playing the same characters yeah but they're not the same characters I mean aren't they aren't they aren't they if you're going to go down the anthology fascism route.

43:03Right, okay. Anthology fascism is my new band, by the way. Alias, I thought was an interesting one because in season two of Alias, With Jennifer Garner. With Jennifer Garner, our friend Jennifer Garner, who will be on the podcast next week, talking to you, not me. She, it totally switches from being like a double agent show to being a more traditional spy series. And then they have a time jump in a later season and it reinvents itself again. And then there's a point where they just eject all that absolutely mad Rambaldi kind of weird Da Vinci Code mythology and become much more spy show of the week.

43:32Do you remember Ricky Gervais was in Alias, wasn't he? Yes. Incredible to think. So was Bradley Cooper. Oh, yeah. Mad. Oh, yeah. But that's done the opposite thing. So that's something that's gone, it goes from being very serialized to being quite episodic towards the end, whereas loads of shows have done the opposite where they've begun as episodic series and then gradually become more sort of mythology arc-based as they've gone along. So I am thinking things like Justified, which started out as a case of the week and then became an ongoing concern. Deep Space Nine, the big Star Trek example, a show that became very serialised as it went on Fringe excuse me while I power down thank you Fringe started a bit X-Files-y where it was like Freak of the Week and then it became this weird cross-dimensional mythology show which is why and Person of Interest which people talk about quite a lot did something very similar there the other thing I wanted to mention was this is the abridged version by the way this is the abridged version which is David E.

44:23Kelly's The Practice which is quite dark and gritty legal drama and then the final season of it James Spader joins as Alan Shaw and it gets a very quirky, comedic, slightly surreal feel to it. And then that's what tees up Boston Legal, which is a full-on batshit comedy legal show. But because that season kind of bridges those two shows, it's a really weird reinvention of the practice. So that's my answer. I had a few others, but I will, for the sake of brevity, leave them and not talk about them. Okay. Even if it kills me, which it might. You're the one who's brought in the new brevity rule. No, I'm here for it.

44:58Oh, Kay is adhering to the new role completely. That's how seriously I take to it. That's right. Have you found any shows that remember themselves, Kay? No, like I said, I agree with you, and it's now time to move on. Okay, good. Fabulous. If you would like your question answered, or in Kay's case, ignored, on the Pilot TV podcast, do feel free to send it in via email to pilottv at empiremagazine.com. Marvellous. What comes next in this podcast of ours? Oh, that's right. News. The latest news, which I have absolutely been looking at and know all about. Well, there was a big news story, which is that we've been waiting 18 months, roughly, to see the pit.

45:36Those of us who have not been on a long-haul flight. Yes, us muggles have been left waiting. Yeah, those of us who don't go on long-haul flights to America fairly regularly. In this room, just me. Who have managed to watch it, because it is on all Virgin flights, I believe. I'm not being paid for by Virgin, by the way. He wants to be, but he's not. I'm available to take more flights if you aren't long-haul. Anyway, yeah, so I watched the season one over two long-haul trips. James watched it ages ago. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's finally coming. It's been confirmed. March 26th is the launch day of HBO Max in the UK.

46:11And it will, right from the start, season one in its entirety will be available to watch, to stream on that service. And then season two will launch. I think at the same time, it will still be week by week because it's airing right now in America week by week. So series two launches the same day? I don't know if they haven't confirmed. I think exactly if it's going to be the same day. But it'll be simultaneous. My guess is that it will. Well, the first six or so episodes have aired in the States. Yeah, so I'm guessing it will, but that is a guess. How exciting. Yeah, and so other stuff. HBO Max is the home of Euphoria, House of the Dragon.

46:45Basically, it's quite complicated. So Sky Atlantic still carries on. If you've got Sky Atlantic or you get it as part of your Now TV package or whatever, you will still be able to watch shows that are ongoing HBO shows like Euphoria, House of the Dragon The White Lotus we mentioned before all those big shows Just like that? Well that finished anyway strictly speaking I was just thinking of ones where I can remember the logo on the credits So those existing shows will carry on being shown on Sky Atlantic Good But they will also be on HBO Max and HBO Max will be the place that new shows are on HBO shows like The Pit, etc and there's a show called Lanterns coming up which is part of a big...

47:25Sorry to interrupt, is that what the comeback will be on? Yes, so the comeback will be on HBO Max, yeah. But I think because the comeback was on Sky already I think that will be available as well. So it's quite... It's confusing that, isn't it? It's a bit confusing but, you know, you'll get used to it. So basically ping pong between Sky and HBO Max and you'll find whatever you're looking for. Yeah, it's a bit of a ping pong, yeah. And the other thing is, so Sky also had this big announcement this week that they've got a new deal with Netflix, Disney Plus, and HBO Max, and in fact, even Hi-You.

47:58Do you know Hi-You? Is it Hey-You? Hey-You? Yeah, Hey-You. I think it's Hey-You. Okay, Amanda Seyfried, Seth Freed. Hey-You! Oh, yeah, Hey-You, yeah. That's going to be launched later in the year. But for£24 a month, now, this sounds like an advert. I'm not advertising. This is just the story. This was quite a big story. Just deal in the facts. For£24 a month, you get all of those. you get all of those subscriptions. Oh, wow. But that's£25 on top of your Sky subscription. £24. Oh, sorry, sorry. No, no, no, not on top of it. That's the whole subscription. Yeah, if you don't have sport, any other additions to it, you get your entertainment package essentially is all of those things.

48:35Wait, sorry, can you just repeat the channels you're going to get for£24 because that's a good deal. Sky. So existing Sky stuff. All Sky except for sport. Fine, I don't need sport. Except for sport and movies, cinema. Whatever, that's fine. All its basic entertainment stuff. Yeah. HBO Max launching. Hit. Hey You. Hey, you. Netflix, all of that in one package. Listen, I'm not getting paid either, but actually I might consider swapping my deal. This does feel a lot like a commercial plug at this point. No, no, no, no. No, but this is a user service. That is generally like, people are paying a lot of money for individual subscriptions.

49:04I Instagrammed a shot of it. So I went to the announcement of that package. Yeah. And I Instagrammed the image that big things are going to go wherever else. And people were DMing me saying, oh, can you talk about this on the podcast? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's not, I'm not advertising. I see, I see. It's a listener service. It's a listener service, factually. Now, I should add that if you want the 4K Ultra HD versions of those channels, you have to pay more. So you do pay more for that, like a few pounds more a month. Because, I mean, I do always think, who's watching stuff and not in HD anymore?

49:35Really? Not in HD is different to not in 4K, though. Yeah, that's true. Sorry, not in HD. I've basically got an aerial on top of the TV. I'm moving around, right? So there are some people left. Oh, God, okay. Get a new TV, Kate, please. Yeah, I'm waiting for you to buy one. Thanks. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, in HD, but yeah. HD, not UHD. Not HD, not UHD. Exactly. Fair enough. But anyway, so that's quite an interesting thing. And they're really like going, this is like the biggest thing in the world, biggest kind of all-round package in the world, including all of those. Because people complain about having to subscribe separately to all these different streaming services, particularly.

50:10And, you know, if you want Prime Video... It is a faff, and it's expensive, so yeah. If you want Prime Video or Apple TV, those are different. You have to pay for that. I was about to say, now that you've basically told people to cancel their Apple TV subscription and subscribe exclusively to Sky for all of these packages, does that mean that Tim Cook comes around to your house and takes back all the goodies he gave you? You know what it means? It means that James and I are available for those trips. It is, it is. Boys, persona, non-crata, Apple, and James and I. Boyd, he has forsaken you. Don't listen to this nonsense.

50:39In fact, Timmy. Timmy, that's the reason you're going to not go in. No, in fact, what's interesting is if you've got Sky Q, Did you say you've got SkyQ? Yeah. No. Oh, okay. Sorry, I thought you said SkyQ. If you've got SkyQ, it actually offers you Apple TV shows on its, you know, homepage. Yeah. Anyway, because so, you know, it's trying to be a platform where you can access everything you want from it. But specifically, those channels are part of this deal. But obviously, Apple TV is a glorious streaming service. It's all right. Do you know what? The exciting launch of HBO Max makes me think of the best thing that's going to be on HBO.

51:15and it's not actually at this point The Pit although it is fabulous you're talking about The Comeback nor is it The Comeback and it's not even my beloved The Last of Us so it is connected to that and it is that I'm now very strongly suspecting that The Last of Us will end with the third season and the reason why I'm very strongly suspecting that is because Craig Mazin is going to be doing an adaptation of one of the best video games ever made Baldur's Gate 3 for HBO apparently he has played this game for a thousand hours how he had the time to start making things like Chernobyl and The Last of Us while he's playing a thousand hours of Baldur's Gate 3.

51:47I don't know. It's a great game though. So he's doing another hugely famous and beloved... A fantasy TV series which will follow on from the story that began in the video game Baldur's Gate 3. That's incredible. One of my favourite games ever. So yeah, I'm very, very excited about this fact. So that's going to be coming to presumably HBO Max since it is an HBO show. Absolutely. 100 % will be. So I've got a bit of old news which is that the Bergerac Season 2 trailer drops. well the John Nettles one or no you always say this it's with Damon Maloney and it got me excited because as you will recall James because you listen to every single thing I say to you I do yes do you remember that weekend when I binged the first series last year yes I actually do yeah and I enjoyed it so I'm very happy he's reprising his role and the trailer is very breathy there's a lot of huffing and puffing but what I have gleaned is that he's potentially moving on romantically after the death of his wife and his issues aren't far are far from behind him so, you know, there's a lot going on.

52:45But I'm excited. No date, I don't think, so we'd have to keep... Were you not more excited by the new Bill Lawrence TV show that a trailer dropped for, which is the Rooster show with Steve Carell? Okay, I wasn't going to mention this. I watched the trailer... And you weren't impressed. I didn't find it very, very funny. Interesting. Did you? I didn't watch the trailer. I have no opinion. What a fascinating discussion this is going to be. Have you seen it, Boyd, the trailer? I know what you mean. Yes, I did see it. and it yeah it seemed okay but it just yeah anyway I'm sure when the series cranks up I'll love it but I wasn't overwhelmed by the trailer talking of Bill Lawrence of course one of the genuine news story I think that was exciting was the trailer for Scrubs for the rebooted Scrubs which is of course the Bill Lawrence creation did you see that James?

53:33I don't know you're a Scrubs fan have I watched the trailer well the thing that has bothered me about that is that the janitor is not going to be in it I know and so I'm almost boycotting the new series described because of that. I'm boycotting it to the extent that I'm going to have to watch it for the show. Yeah. Well, he is in Shrinking so maybe you need to get on that. Yeah, maybe so. Just FYI, yeah. But John C. McGinley is going to pop up in it. And he's fabulous. He's absolutely brilliant. Dr. Cox. But he's not in it all the way through. He's described as the guest star which is interesting.

54:02But I thought the trailer looked quite funny and I'm intrigued to see what it's going to be like. Yes, I'm fascinated. I think it's going to be on Disney Plus in the UK February 25th 26th something like that yes so but yeah the revival of Scrubs it's a big deal I can't believe in fact this goes back to the cats and dogs discussion of earlier you know I'm going to say the big news of the week I can't believe you haven't yeah see Claudia oh my god Claudia is going to be co-hosting Crufts yeah just queue it up yeah Claudia Winkerman friend of the pod yeah go on Boyd well I mean what's incredible is that you know she's got she's got her BBC One chat show coming so when Graham Norton the aforementioned Graham Norton show ends in a couple of weeks time it's annual stint there'll be a break and Corley O 'Winkerman is going to get that slot with her own chat show can't wait and that was announced a while ago but she's also going to do and she'll obviously be doing Celebrity Traitors if not filming now maybe also the piano she's got the piano she's got so many things but she's clearly gone I think she's gone I haven't asked her about this myself my assumption is she's gone you know what of all the shows that are out there on TV I really fucking love dogs and I really want to do do Cruft.

55:12So she's joining the existing team. How about this? Two National Treasures, Claire Balding and Claudia Winkleman together on TV plus cute dogs throughout across its whole three or four day thing. I mean, it's genuinely, I'm genuinely thrilled and excited about the prospect. Do you watch Cruft? I do watch Cruft. Not all of it, but I do watch quite a lot of it. And you know partly why I watch Cruft? I mean, I do love a dog. I am a dog lover. But, and so you get so many. What's your favourite dog? well my friend's ballerterians I like a black lab black labs are brilliant I like huskies I can see that I want a husky yeah husky's good yeah I can definitely see that but Crufts is inherently brilliant to watch it's fantastic and Claire Boulding does a brilliant job on it for a start but just if you've seen Best in Show the legendary comedy film from that gang who did Spinal Tap and Waited for Guffman etc etc.

56:11Best in Show is for me the funniest of all of them. Even funnier than Spinal Tap I would say. Is it one of your favourite films of all time? It's one of my favourite films of all time without doubt. And when you watch Crufts all you can think about is Best in Show because it's got the judging the madness of judging and the commentary and observing the obsessive world of dog competitions of which Crufts is the biggest in the world. And so it's an absolute unending delight. And so I partly watched Crufts with thinking of the joy of best in show at the same time but yeah Claudia co-hosting that show absolute dream come true fabulous and speak pilot TV pilot TV stuff genre obviously clearly yes we will of course be reviewing crafts on an upcoming episode of this podcast let's bloody hope so you will if Steph has anything to do with it she is obsessed yeah Steph is always best in show you're saying it in front of me so out of order anyway if that's all the news then I just wanted to end on the sad news that James Van Der Beek passed away.

57:10He was 48 and he had bowel cancer. And yeah, his wife announced it, I think, on Instagram saying he met his final days with courage, faith and grace. So, very sad news. Yes, very sad. There have been lots of lovely testimonials from people like Sarah Michelle Gellar and his other co-stars. But yeah, really sad. Only 48 years old. Absolutely shocking. It was great. And I want to tell you what's really sad is reading the article today about his widow saying they had to raise loads of money because to pay for his treatment. Actually, yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that because I wanted to bring it up because he, apparently a few months or a year ago, he started selling his Dawson's Creek memorabilia to pay for treatment.

57:50And actually, I saw today online that some of the friends and family of the Van Der Beek have set up a GoFundMe. So just to say, if anyone wants to, do check that out because it sounds like they're in a bit of a tough spot. Yeah, very sad. Right, that is it for this week's news. Let's move on to the review. First up this week, we have the Walsh sisters on BBC One. This is Stephanie Pryson's adaptation of the Marion Keys novel series about a group of five Dublin-based sisters and their entirely chaotic personal lives. And this stars Extraordinaries, Marae Tyres, Derry Girls, Louisa Harlan, Shadow and Bones, Danielle Galligan, among others, not to mention Pryson herself.

58:28It's mayhem. It's messy. It's extremely bickery. But does it capture Keys sisters in all their madness? Kay, please do tell us. little fact for you when i arrived at heat i was a big marianne key's fan and i reviewed some of her books and i received a massive bunch of flowers from her thanking me personally handwritten no yeah very sweet but yeah i was huge fan of her books and particularly of the walsh family i have to confess there are a lot of details that now you know it was so long ago have slipped my mind but i remember the key crucial parts and for me this is absolutely done it justice um it's a hard feat so you said like stephanie president is the one who's adapted this i think she's done a beautiful job because it's a lot this is based on multiple books multiple characters particularly the five sisters and they each have really sort of in-depth layered stories and character arcs and so to try and distill that all into one series or even in this first episode that we're reviewing is a mean feat and I think she's really pulled it off the first episode is sort of centered around Rachel who as you've alluded to is like very messy well she's she's self-absorbed and charming but she's got addiction issues, right?

59:35And so this charts the impact it has on her boyfriend Luke, played by Jade Duffy, and also for her loyal sister Anna, played by Louisa Harland, and fiancé Aidan, played by Samuel Anderson, as well as the ripple effect on the rest of the family. She's got three other sisters and her parents. Each of the sisters are really well-drawn, and that's the thing. This is what I think Stephanie Preston's done really well, is that she's really honoured those vividly drawn characters Marion created in the books and also reflects the dark comic humour because this is a regular sort of Irish close-knit dysfunctional family and it really comes across.

1:00:14Each of them have really interesting stories. So the other sisters include Claire, scatty single mum. She's played by Danielle Galligan. We have people pleaser Maggie who's struggling to conceive and she's played by Presna herself. You've got Helen who's played by Marais Tyres who's snarky and struggles with anxiety. And then you've got the parents as well, played by Carrie Crowley and Aidan Quinn. So I think this first episode does a really good job of establishing these characters, the dynamics. It's very darkly funny. It really conveys the emotion of, you know, being in a family with someone with addiction issues and how hard that is, especially when they're in denial.

1:00:56So all in all, I think fans of the books will be pleased with this. I was delighted by it. I think each episode, I've watched four and a half episodes, each episode is funny, darkly funny, but also packs an emotional punch. And also, I've got to say, the performances of, in particular, Caroline Menson and Louisa Holland are fantastic in their portrayal of addiction and loss. Each ep packs an emotional punch, and you will probably be in tears. And also great music choices as well. There is a scene where they do a little kind of routine in the bar, which I have to say I found borderline excruciating I'm looking at James for no no it's not criticism but it's authentic I think oh yeah no 100 % but in fact actually what makes it very authentic and believable if excruciating is you've got the blokes the partners sitting there watching this display of sisterly I don't know why you were acting like this when at the Sky Christmas party we were doing a routine all three of us I mean yeah of course I very much identified with the blokes sitting there watching horrified as their as their loved ones performed in front of people.

1:02:00They're having a good crack. They're having a great fucking crack. What a week for Irish women in ensemble casts in very well-written and directed ongoing serial TV shows because How to Get to Heaven from Belfast was brilliant, as we've discussed. And I've never read a Marion Keys novel in my life, but I know. It does show you. I do feel like by not having read them, I'm buying into the patriarchy and the world of publishing, which completely divides, this is a side issue, but I just thought I'd mention it anyway, it completely divides book reading into the genders. I mean, basically, men are not in a million years supposed to read Marion Keys' books.

1:02:42I'm sure she'd be delighted if they were. And the marketing of so-called chick lit, all of that all comes down to the idea that men would never in a million years read any of these types of books. Yeah, or commercial fiction. And similarly, you know, yeah, there are genres aimed primarily at men. But anyway, so I have gone along with the majority of men who wouldn't go down there. Huge mistake. Maybe I'll belatedly go back and read some of them. But as a TV show in its own right, this is excellent. And I think what I really liked about it was that it isn't ever silly. There's humour all the way through.

1:03:19It's injected with humour, which comes from the interrelationships, but mainly between the sisters and their little kind of ways of expressing themselves. And kind of, they're all quite sharp, and all kind of slagging each other off all the way through. And their relationship with the parents, yeah, the mum. The mum is scathing all the way through to, like, all of them, basically. Much put upon dad, and barely identifiable, Aidan Quinn, by the way, who's, you know, like, just seeing him doing this role, and he's great in it, by the way. And I just thought it's so, there's little moments, that are so well done.

1:03:50Like, in fact, that bar moment, I think it's really good at depicting social drinking and drug-taking and the effect that has on people. I mean, the very first scene is kind of all about, you know, has or hasn't Rachel, the character of Rachel, gone too far with her drinking and drug-taking? And that becomes the theme all the way through. And I thought that was dramatised so well. And particularly that relationship between the character of Rachel and Anna, the two closest sisters in a way. Yeah, co-dependent. Yeah, and they're very much how far Anna is going to let her sister carry on with her messy life.

1:04:26She would be described as a hot mess, were it not for the fact that that phrase was banned when Terry White was on the regular on the show, quite rightly. But she's an absolute mess, and she's completely embroiled in this whole world of drug-taking, etc. But I just thought it was really well handled and really convincingly done, and the interrelationship just kind of made perfect sense. and it is funny without trying too hard and really importantly in this day and age in the day and age where people judge whether to carry on watching a series after you know half a minute it draws you in very quickly I thought and I believed in it you know my five minute test if after five minutes you think oh yeah I believe in these people you will carry on watching it and so from that point it worked really well and it also has a really a big cliffhanger of an ending each episode which again I think Oh it does that so well it really does that really makes you want to carry on watching it.

1:05:18And I had to watch the second episode off the end of the first because there's a huge thing that happens at the end of the first episode. So from all those points of view, they've done a really good job. They've done a fantastic job, particularly Stephanie Pryson, who is the adapter at adapting these books, at turning into, whether you've read the books or not, a really entertaining, clever, smart, funny TV show in its own right. And a very daunting prospect for her, by the way. My one criticism... Too many corridors. Samuel... Shut up. Samuel Anderson, who I love in everything, and he's great in Amanda Land, for example, at the moment, and he's a very handsome, funny, talented guy.

1:05:59I could not work out what his accent was to start with. I think... I was like, what the fuck? I was like, is he doing American? Eventually, they make it clear that he is American. Yes. But quite late on in the episode, they refer to that. And all the way up to that point, I'm like, is it version of Irish? Is it... I could not get a handle on what the fuck, to the point where it was driving me to distraction. And I was like, literally, I was like Googling it, going, is the character American in the novels? Is he American in the novels, Kay? Do you remember? I can't remember. Anyway, it was, and then when it was finally, okay, he's American, but I don't think, maybe because we know so well how Samuel Lansom really speaks, or like, because going back to the History Boys that I was in, and I've followed his career, and I've probably met him quite a few times.

1:06:37I just, it was so weird to have him doing this accent. That's my literally. Don't let that put you off. It was not, it's not let me put it off. It was my one issue, but he's brilliant anyway, and it's a great show. James, please give a favourable report of this. Well, I am not close personal friends with Samuel Anderson, so I was not in any way put off by his American accent. It was absolutely fine. No, it's really good. I really enjoyed it. I wasn't, this was a, it was like quite a late sub in to our schedule this week. But yeah, I had a really good time with it. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it.

1:07:06But exactly as you said, I think there's some very, so it's not a comedy, but I think you've got some... Oh my God, this is not a comedy. No, but you've got... What's interesting is you have some comedic actors in there, very experienced comedic actors who are very, very good at that. And so it is funny, but it's kind of quite darkly funny. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's really, really enjoyable. And I think, you know, their dynamic is great. Their relationships are great. The plot... While it's not like, you know, a high-stakes story, you're immediately invested in this first episode in Rachel's well-being because it starts with her on a night out getting absolutely twatted and her boyfriend calling an ambulance.

1:07:40and so immediately like oh my god what is happening here and then it you know continues her denial over this addiction thing but yeah it's I mean I wouldn't have necessarily thought this would be my kind of show but I thought it was great brilliant the Irish sense of humour comes across very well and more Irish shows please now yes can we have all the Irish shows Irish and Australian bring them on The Walsh Sisters then which is on BBC One and iPlayer Gwen Boydie Saturday this coming Saturday the 21st of February 9.15pm and can we it's interesting so Saturday night is the new home of kind of BBC drama.

1:08:13With, you know, the Josh Finnan show, which was huge. Waiting for the out. Waiting for the out. Just finished on BBC on Saturday nights. And I was saying how odd it is in a way that had a Saturday night slot. But now clearly they've established this as a thing. And so, yeah, this has got now quite a big primetime, you know, nice slot for what is a really good show. If you're not out on Saturday night, watch it. Exactly. Which of us is out on Saturday night? Don't fool yourself. Is it getting hot in here? It might be, because next up we have the triumphant return of Gabriel Basso's The Night Agent on Netflix.

1:08:43Steady yourself, Kay. Steady yourself. The smelling salts are over there. I'm not saying the Kay returning to this podcast and the Night Agent returning to our screens is a coincidence. It is a coincidence. However, I'm also not saying that. But this is, of course, the third season of the show, and it sees Peter Sutherland. He's now a proper, fully qualified Night Agent, and he's on the trail of a rogue Treasury official who's stolen classified material and he's hunkier than ever. Clearly, Kay, we're far too of a fluster to, you know, talk about this objectively. So we turn to Boyd, who is hopefully immune to the Night Agent's sexy charms.

1:09:21I can't even remember. Like, you actually... So let's go back. Let's rewind. Because this has been a running joke. Yeah, exactly. He piggybacked me saying in our first review of it, that I thought he was handsome. but we agreed that maybe it wasn't the best, you know, like highest quality of drama, etc. And then from then on, he was just ragging me for fancy in the sky. So you did say you thought he was handsome at the start. I did at the time and I instantly regretted it. I'm sure you did. He's actually kind of like a bit of a funny looking fella. This is why I regretted it because, and I didn't want to say this, but now that you've gone into it, is that I thought he was handsome for a moment in the thing.

1:09:57I said it stupidly on the pod and then he's been going on for years about it And I've actually changed my mind. Oh, my God. Poor guy. I can't believe both of you are now throwing shade at the objectively handsome Gabriel Basso. No, no, he is. And then I keep on flip-flopping because I was watching this. I was like, oh, maybe. See? She loves him. I told you. Anyway. We're on the clock. That's all right. Anyway, but yeah, he's quite. Let's just say he's not your standard leading man looks. He's got a kind of. Oh, really? Yeah, I don't think so. I think he's kind of leading man. Don't you, James?

1:10:27Oh, yes. Dashing. Dashing. Let's not get hung up about it. Anyway, he is an interesting presence at the centre of this. Frankly, I mean, it's actually better than I remembered it being. It's been quite popular, to be fair. Like, it's a hit. Oh, James, the fact that something's a huge hit on a streaming service like this does not guarantee it's good. No, but I'm just saying... I mean, some of the worst things in history are massive on Netflix. So, you know, yeah, I get it. It's a hit, of course, it's a hit. But it is equally... And partly because it's a hit, I think it is very formulaic and undemanding.

1:11:00etc. But I do think this seems better in terms of quality, in terms of ambition, direction, even the writing isn't quite as I remember it being so generic to start with, I could barely rouse any interest in it. Agreed. Although there is the cheesy line of, in a flashback, what I'd say is very good because it has a recap, which I definitely needed. Yeah. I've got the same, yeah. Yeah. And in the flashback, which, by the way, goes back to 23 years previously, there's a bit... It's a little kiddie. Yeah, the mum says, promise me you'll do the right thing, even when it's hard. Yeah, that flashback was completely ridiculous.

1:11:35And totally unwarranted. And who needed it? It was insane. But I guess they're trying to flesh out his character. Because if he's not there, then it's a kind of like banal nothing at the centre of this show. Wow. No, no, no, he's fine. But they're trying their best to make him... You can't deliver a blow like that and go, no, no, he's fine. Well, they're trying their best to make the character three-dimensional at least and have something. Because he's a bit of a routine. it's just a routine kind of you know so what you're saying is that people like Kate just objectify him and he actually he's a real person beneath his no that's what you're saying no okay he is generic but he's trying to like he's on this quest I think what I helped do is you know kind of flesh out the quest he's on to right the wrongs that he has done in the previous series sure I get it yeah don't get me wrong but what I was pleasantly surprised about was it felt like the scope and ambition of it had been ratcheted up so for example there's a whole sequence out of a football match which I thought they did a brilliant job at because I don't know how they did it They must have filmed some of it at a real match because there was the match going on.

1:12:31And then all kinds of things were happening in the stands. And I just thought that was really cleverly done. There was probably lots of... At one point I wondered if it was an England team playing. It wasn't, was it? No, no, no. Where were they? I love how you're looking at me at this point. I have no idea. It's an Eastern European place where it's set. And that was a game going on. And they just did it really well. That could easily go horribly wrong. It would look awful. But I thought, personally, James would probably chime in and say, the volume was terrible or whatever. But I thought they did that very well, and the action sequences were well-directed.

1:13:03So I think it's kind of one of those Netflix shows that is, as we said, really popular and basically quite well done, if a bit generic, but better than I remembered it being when we reviewed it first time around. I'll be thrilled and delighted to hear. Yeah. I mean, it's wildly generic, isn't it, really? Because this has been on my list. I dismissed it, as I think we all did. when it first came out, I said, I don't need to see any more of this. And then because it's been quite a hit and it's on its third season, which is no small thing on Netflix, I was like, I must go back to that. Listeners, I will not be going back to The Night Agents.

1:13:37I get exclusively reveal. What a shock. Yeah. Sorry. Well, listen, this isn't, you know, no comparison with The Night Manager. It's in a different, this is less finesse, less classy, less everything than that. But what I would say is, because I, like you, didn't go back and watch anymore. for some reason it does it does what it sets out to do right but it and it draws you in that's what I found with this because there were moments when I thought oh you know like the cheesy dialogue or the bits where you know I didn't fully buy into him being this highly skilled agent right because there's so many moments where there's a couple of moments I think he's in Turkey or and like such conspicuous activity like yes he's in Istanbul I got it right I said Eastern Europe before shows how much attention I was paying but he is in Istanbul yes and he's like you know he's got this baseball cap on and like he's doing this he's involved in this chase and you're like this is so this is so not covert what are you doing I would do a better job but then I when I was googling it I realised that actually in the previous season he had a desk job so maybe he's learning on the job oh yeah that's part of the idea isn't it he's gone from desk job clerk to heroic action figure so I was being uncharitable when I was watching it and then I subsequently realised but I do think it draws you in and it is pacey, it's high octane, it's thrilling, it's globe-spanning.

1:14:56So, I mean, it's got a lot of the things, elements that you would want from a thriller like this. So, what I'm saying is, it's not your prestige drama, but there is something very watchable about it. I'm sure there is. Shut up, James. Very watchable. Just to say, the game he goes to, this is a Besiktas game, which is in one of the Turkish, big Turkish football clubs. It's a confusing topic with you, Sunil. And we can either cut it out or could admit my incompetence when I'm reviewing the show. I think you know where we're going to land on that. Yeah, I think I do as well. It makes you more human and authentic.

1:15:30Yeah, it makes you relatable. Thanks, mate. Anyway, that is a good sequence, the Besiktas football sequence. James, oh, you've kind of... I mean, look, I have nothing to do. Listen, dear listener, you're not going to carry on watching it. Do you know what? I'm probably not going to carry on watching it either because I've got too much to watch. Yeah, me too. Absolutely not. Okay, moving hastily on from that, and the last show we have to talk about this week is, of course, the last thing he told me, except it isn't, is it? Because it was embargoed, so we're not going to be able to do that. But as we've said, Jennifer Garner will be on next week and she'll do a much better job.

1:16:00In the meantime, it has been pointed out that we entirely avoided talking about Bridgerton when it returned for its fourth season and that, in fact, we have given short shrift to Bridgerton as a whole on this podcast. Well, to be fair, it was heavily embargoed, so it didn't fit in with our schedule in terms of we couldn't have reviewed it before it went out on Netflix and then it went out and then it was too late and then we reviewed something else on Plus. I'm just explaining that we haven't ignored it deliberately. It's just as an ongoing show, we didn't have time for telling it was embargoed.

1:16:30Well, we have about five minutes left. So Kate, would you like to give us a whistle-down tour of the latest season of Bridgerton? Yeah. Well, I'll just give my verdict, which is that I watched the first half when it first landed and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the focus on the upstairs-downstairs dynamic this time round and this mini-revolution or revolt that's going on amongst the domestic staff. Plus the fact that the older characters, their lives and romances are getting focused on a bit more. So you've got Lady Banbury's bid for freedom and you've got Lady Bridgerton getting back on the horse, so to speak.

1:17:06Which horse? And then at the centre of this, of course, is the cross-class romance between Benedict and Sophie, played by Yeren Ha who is a maid but also she was at the masquerade ball masquerade ball? masquerade? and yeah it's about whether they can transcend the social like the conventions that say they can't be together because she's of a different supposedly a different social class two things so overall I just really enjoyed it I enjoyed it I think more than last series two things it's made me want to go to a ball or a mass ball so if anyone is having one please invite me oh yeah I'm going to throw one you know you're the kind of person who actually would you've got the means are you thinking a bit like Ice World Sharp oh no no I'm just saying in his like I don't know his east wing or whatever he could just have a ball but also I was furious at the fact that I had to wait for the second half I know it's a model of Netflix to split in two but you know the wait has been feels interminable even though it's not that long.

1:18:13And it's been exacerbated by the fact that at the end by Benedict's bellend behaviour towards Sophie which I was furious at. Yeah, he's a bit of a twat, isn't he? Yeah, he is. Am I right in thinking have I got confused? When he was first introduced back in the beginning he was like having sex with men as well. Yeah, yeah. Is that a thing that he's still doing? I think so, yeah because in this series we see yeah, I think is it in this series we see him also maybe having some fun with a man I don't know but yeah so he's officially he's like a bisexual character he's fluid boys don't label him no no no I was just wondering because I was wondering whether they suddenly decided not to address that or you know kind of ignore the fact that that happened ages ago I think it might be referenced in this series but throughout it has been you know he's generally just a rakish character who is having his cake and eating it it certainly is I have questions though is it still as I watched most of the first episode and it's kind of, tonally it's the same as it ever was, but it felt slight, is there more shagging and gratuitous nudity coming up in the, or have they toned that down?

1:19:16The ones that I've seen, I haven't seen a lot of, I don't think. Yeah, it didn't feel, There's a little bit, because as I said, Lady Bridgerton, Yeah. is, yeah, making moves in the bedroom. Okay, making moves in the bedroom. Because, yeah, it's funny, I watched the first episode of this season and it reminds, on the one hand, it reminds you of why people love it, love the show, It's just a fun place to be, Bridgerton. It definitely is aware of its own kind of madness, if you like. Like the whole concoction of this world with the kind of modern songs on the soundtrack and people behaving in a ridiculous way and etc.

1:19:56You could kind of critique it for being ridiculously over the top, but it is fun at the same time. I think the fun factor is there in that first episode I watched. but it did seem it seemed less obsessed with the sex segment which was one of the very famous things when it first started people were like oh this has got a lot of shagging going on almost in a almost in a kind of heated rivalry way people were like oh you know it gets right down to it quite quickly it's definitely less than the first or second but yeah there is sex in it it's just not as there's lots of yearning I think it could be faster I think the pace could be could be yeah it could go a faster pace and it could learn something from heated rivalry and you know there's only so much constant yearning without getting down to it you could take Mushroom Hockey they should bring in I like to see the hockey based version of this show but I do think Heat Arrival will have an impact on this kind of show because it's shows which depend on extending the time before a romance is fulfilled so to speak week by week by week because in Heat Arrival the great thing is they get down to it very quickly within the first 10-20 minutes of the show maybe a change of pace is a good thing because you don't want you know wham bam thank you man no okay maybe anyway I enjoyed it but yeah Again, it's one of those shows.

1:21:06It feels less like must-see viewing than it did to start with. But maybe that's inevitable. What about you, James? Didn't watch it. Anyway, let's wrap up this week's show. That has been locked and loaded in my brain, right? Next time I can't watch something because of a screener issue and he gives me shit, we'll revisit this. Okay. What else is out this week, Pony? What else is out this week? Well, the last thing he told me is out this week. We can't talk about that. Oh, yeah, we can't talk about that. We should talk about, whatever is it, 56 Days. Isn't Ask and an Answer again, Boyd? Yes, 56 Days is on Prime.

1:21:39We're going to be talking about that on Pilot Plus. That drops on Wednesday. Correct. The Lady, you're about to say, comes to ITV on Sunday. Let me talk. I'm not doing it. No, no, no, I'm happy for you. I'm traveling through. No, I like it. No, this is great, yeah. Go on. The Lady with Mia McKenna-Bruce, which is the story of the woman who worked for Ferguson, Fergie, Ferguson? Sarah Ferguson. Sarah Ferguson. Not Alex. Now kind of disgraced Sarah Ferguson. She's still called Sarah Foges. Yeah, I'm just thinking about it. She's an ex-one-time Duchess of Yorker. Yes. So the woman who worked for her ends up being a killer.

1:22:10And that is the intriguing story with Mia McKenna-Bruce as the woman in that. Yes. And so hopefully we'll read that next time. The Rookie new series. Does anyone care? Sky Witness now. On Tuesday the 17th. I mean, I don't know how many series there have been of that. A lot. I think it's like seven. Very popular with Gen Z apparently. Oh, there you go. What is our pick of the week? The Walsh Sisters. Yes, absolutely, no question, everyone should watch it. Hard to disagree. Hard to disagree. Right, that is it for this week's show. If you enjoyed it, please do leave us a review. I hope you've enjoyed the exciting new logo that we have, if you're watching it on YouTube.

1:22:46Isn't it glorious? ZFG, honestly. And obviously we're on social media at various places. Cool, six links. Good, yeah, give it to the point. We'll be back next week with, as we've said, Jennifer Garner. What else is out next week? Paradise returns for season two. That's very, very exciting. Scrubs is coming back. Ooh, yes. That show starts next week as well. Monarch Legacy of Monsters comes back to Apple. Absolutely not. Okay, very excited. Vanished comes to Prime. So there's quite a few things for us to pick. Dirty Business on Channel 4. Yeah. Oh, yes, I'm excited about that. That's the one about the pollution, the water company polluting the rivers.

1:23:20Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. Vanished, did you say that? I did. Prime Vidio, yeah. Okay, good. Fantastic. Well, in this week where we have dubbed The Wolf Sisters, our pick of the week, I look forward to receiving a lovely bouquet of flowers for Marion Keys. pilot out