Essential watching: Our guide to your TV addictions in 2015
Put on your PJs, grab a snack and settle down in front of the box because this year promises some stellar viewing on the small screen.
Picture Editing: Sandra Waibl
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BBCPartners In Crime
You’ve heard of Poirot and Miss Marble but have you heard of Tommy and Tuppence? To celebrate her 125th year, the BBC is set to bring Agatha Christie’s lesser-known detective pair back into the public imagination with this six-part series, starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine. The husband-and-wife duo will investigate a Cold War conspiracy, murder cases and the world of undercover agents.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, TBC
RexLady Chatterley’s Lover
Holliday Grainger stars as the eponymous tragi-heroine in this new adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s raunchy epic novel. She’ll be joined by Cinderella co-star Richard Madden as Oliver Mellors, the gamekeeper she falls for, and James Norton will play her cuckolded, wheelchair-bound husband Sir Clifford. The 90-minute adaptation is part of a series by the BBC, which will include bringing three other novels, The Go-Between, An Inspector Calls and Cider With Rosie, onto the small screen.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, TBC
PA PhotosWar & Peace
We’re expecting big things from this Tolstoy adaptation – nah, epic! Fans of Russian literature will know the book follows the impact of the French invasion on Russia and Napoleon on five Russian aristocratic families. The latest adaptation includes a star-studded cast, with Lily James, Greta Scacchi, Paul Dano and Grantchester’s James Norton, and will condense the four-volume novel into six, one-hour episodes.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, TBC
GettyPeep Show
One thing to know about the ninth (!!) and final series of Peep Show is that there aren’t any plans to kill off Mark and Jeremy. But it’s been decided that the unlikely pair of “El Dude” brothers need to move on. We’re going to miss Jeremy’s “life coaching advice”, Mark’s “banter” and Super Hans’ drug-fuelled music musings but, before they go, we’ve been promised six final episodes so enjoy!
Where & when to watch: Channel 4, End of 2015.
2014 E! Entertainment TelevisionThe Royals
As anyone who’s ever turned on the news knows, even royal families have their fair share of private drama – they just have to have it in the public eye. That’s the basic concept behind The Royals, a look at a fictional royal family, headed up by Elizabeth Hurley as Queen Helena Henstridge. Joan Collins stars as Helena’s mother, and William Moseley – you’ll recognise him from The Chronicles Of Narnia - is the family’s son and heir, Prince Liam Henstridge. The show was commissioned for a second series two months before its debut so we’re expecting big things!
Where & when to watch: E!, On now
BBCSherlock In Victorian London
Yes, the rumours are true – Sherlock is coming back to his roots in Victorian London. There’s been no details released about the plot of this one-off special (the next three episodes of Sherlock aren’t due till next year) but the show’s creator Steven Moffat is “very pleased” with the result of this Sherlock’s time-travelling endeavours. He certainly rocks a top hat very well.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, TBC
GettyHoff The Record
David Hasselhoff’s semi-improvised comedy series will either be a massive hit or a complete flop. The series follows the Baywatch star as he moves to the UK to kick-start his career and “make sense of his increasingly surreal life”. The tongue-in-cheek comedy blurs the lines between real life and performance and with The Hoff’s past (five divorces, misguided career moves and addiction issues), there’s plenty of material to be getting on with.
Where & when to watch: Dave, TBC
BBCJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
It’s the beginning of the 19th century and Britain is in the full flow of the Industrial Revolution. While technology is developing at a faster and faster rate, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell become entwined with the world of magic and work towards making it more acceptable. This fantasy is set in seven parts and stars War Horse’s Eddie Marsan, Bertie Carvel, Samuel West and Charlotte Riley.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, TBC
ITVThunderbirds Are Go!
If there’s one reason to watch this, it’s to hear Rosamund Pike take on the voice of the chauffeur-loving Lady Penelope. The Gone Girl star will be joined by Love Actually’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster as two of the Tracy brothers but there will also be new characters, including a woman named Colonel Casey. Instead of the stunted, wooden puppets, the new TV show will use slick CGI and live-action model sets.
Where & when to watch: ITV, TBC
NetflixUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tina Fey is back with a new show – and it’s a corker. Starring Ellie Semper (Bridesmaids, The American Office), the show follows Kimmy’s life as she adjusts to living in New York after her rescue from an Indiana doomsday cult, which saw her held by the Reverend for 15 years. The show has already got the thumbs-up from critics and we expect it to clean-up come awards time.
Where & when to watch: Netflix, On now
HBO/AMCMad Men
Will Don Draper die in a drunken stupor as his past finally catches up with him? Will Peggy become everyone’s boss? Will Joan and Roger finally get together for good? So many unanswered questions and only a few episodes left to answer them. All we know is that the finale is simultaneously “surprising” and “makes sense” when looking at the characters.
Where & when to watch: AMC, 5 April 2015
HBOGame of Thrones
The fifth series of the show is based on the fourth and fifth novels of the A Song of Ice And Fire book series. The two books run concurrently but follow different sets of characters and there’s a few new faces this series, including Jonathan Pryce as High Sparrow and Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell.
Where & when to watch: HBO, April 2015
HBO/AMCBetter Call Saul
If ever a TV show was eagerly anticipated, it was the spin-off to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul. Following this antics of small-time lawyer Jimmy McGill, this prequel set the record for the highest-rated scripted series premiere in cable history, with 4.m viewers tuning in. Unsurprisingly, a second series has already been commissioned and is due in early 2016.
Where & when to watch: Netflix, On now
NetflixBloodline
Created by the team behind Damages, Bloodline sees a family’s secrets slowly emerge when the black sheep oldest son of their family returns home to the Florida Keys. Like the legal drama, the plot is revealed through twisting family relationships and flashes forward and back. It makes for addictive viewing and with a cast which includes Sissy Spacek and Chloe Sevigny, the acting is top-knotch too.
Where & when to watch: Netflix, On now
BBCThe Ark
Russell Crowe did it and now Shameless’ David Threlfall is taking on the role of Noah in the BBC’s new adaptation, The Ark. The actor is set to be joined by Joanne Whalley as his wife Emmie, Nico Mirallegro as Kenan and Ashley Walters as The Angel. The one-off is set to focus on the family impact of Noah’s ark-building.
Where & when to watch: BBC1, 30 March 2015
Getty/ABCAgent Carter
As if there wasn’t enough to keep Avengers fans happy at the moment (there’s another film out this summer), Peggy Carter is getting her own spin-off show. Hayley Atwell will be reprising her role as the secret agent, who balances administrative work with espionage, while James D’Arcy is butler Edwin Jarvis and One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray is Jack Thompson.
Where & when to watch: ABC, TBC
BBCLondon Spy
Meet Danny, he’s a hopeless romantic who spends his time out clubbing and generally being hedonistic. This comes to an abrupt halt when he falls for the enigmatic and mysterious Alex. But just as they are finding happiness together, Alex is found dead. In an attempt to find out the truth behind the tragedy, Danny finds himself entering the world of espionage – question is, is he up to it? Ben Whishaw, Charlotte Rampling and Jim Broadbent star in this new thriller, which is set for five, one-hour episodes.
Where & when to watch: BBC2, TBC
MarvelDaredevil
Charlie Cox has been somewhat overlooked in the entertainment world despite stellar performances in Stardust and The Theory of Everything. That’s all about to change with his new TV show, Daredevil. The actor plays a blind lawyer who uses his other super-heightened senses to fight crime in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood. Rosario Dawson also makes an appearance as Claire Temple, a nurse who works nights and helps Daredevil out.
Where & when to watch: Netflix, 10 April 2015
SkyCritical
Critical is a British medical drama with a difference. Set in a trauma centre, each episode is based on one patient and how the doctors have one hour to save their life. The drama highlights the high pressure which doctors work under and also how the decisions they make in the first hour of the patient’s treatment tip the balance as to whether they live or die. The Walking Dead’s Lennie James and Fresh Meat’s Kimberley Nixon star.
Where & when to watch: Sky 1, On now
NetflixOrange Is The New Black
Some sad news for fans of Orange Is The New Black - Jason Biggs isn’t coming back for the third series. BUT Australian actress Ruby Rose has joined the cast as a potential love interest for Piper and Alex. It’s back this summer so get watching.
Where & when to watch: Netflix, 12 June 2015
