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Today marks 9 years since the premiere of Decline & Fall, the BBC’s adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic comic novel.
Starring Jack Whitehall as the unfortunate Paul Pennyfeather, the series follows his absurd misadventures after an unjust expulsion from Oxford sends him tumbling into a series of increasingly chaotic situations - from a dubious teaching post to high society scandals.
With a cast including David Suchet, Eva Longoria, Stephen Graham, and Douglas Hodge, it added a modern edge to Waugh’s satire without going too over the top like a lot of modern adaptations of classics. In the US, you can stream it on Acorn TV.
What we’re…
Watching: Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen Behind Closed Doors - This is an older special, but with all the Austen productions that came out recently for Austen’s 250th birthday celebrations, I wanted to re-watch it - and honestly, Lucy Worsley is such an entertaining presenter that I’d happily sit through a documentary on the Lloyds Bank coprolite if she was hosting.
Reading: Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd - This one’s on sale today, and it’s about a former nun who goes to a seaside hotel in 1950s Kent to investigate what happened to her missing pen pal, only to find herself in the middle of a string of murders among the other guests, all of whom seem to be hiding something. So far, it’s a fairly light mystery with good characters and voice - a little deeper than the standard cozy.'
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First launched in 2018, Intrepid’s Women’s Expedition range is designed to break down barriers, foster discussion and create meaningful connections for travellers and locals alike.
THIS WEEK IN BRITISH TV
On BritBox, the 27th brought The Wrong Mans, a comedy about two office workers pulled into a criminal nightmare by accident. On April 3rd, they’ll be adding several Jane Austen-related films: Pride & Prejudice (2005), Emma (1996), Becoming Jane (2007), and Austenland (2013). On the 7th, A Taste for Murder premieres.
On Acorn TV, new episodes of season 19 of Murdoch Mysteries air weekly on Mondays. The 23rd brought season 2 of Mystery Road Origin and season 6 of Canal Boat Diaries. On the 30th, look for the neighborhood thriller The Feud on Shelbury Drive. They’ll also be adding the 2003 TV movie The Return that day. All episodes of The Family Next Door are available as of the 30th (just in case you were waiting to binge).
On PBS Masterpiece, The Forsytes premiered on March 22nd, and new episodes continue weekly on Sundays.
On Hulu, the US remake of Doc Martin, Best Medicine, continues weekly on Tuesdays. It’s also available with a FOX One subscription via Amazon. April 1st brings Atomic, an action thriller about two men who form a friendship while caught up in uranium cartels in Africa.
On Netflix, the comedy special Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer will be added on April 1st. If you’re not familiar with her, she’s a middle-aged woman from Vera country (South Shields) - so she offers something a bit different from most. You can watch one of her shows for free on her YouTube channel HERE if you’re curious.
On Starz, season 8 of Outlander premiered on March 6th. New episodes air weekly on Thursdays.
On PBS Documentaries and PBS.org, April 7th brings the first episode of Lucy Worsley Investigates: The American Revolution as part of the PBS American @ 250 programming lineup this year.
“Am I wrong in thinking that all little girls are hard-bitten thugs of the worst description?”
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