April 6, 2024
Catch up on ITVx free streaming with an impressive selection of classic and acquired content.
There is a subscription service (£5.99 a month or £59.99 a year) which includes some classic BBC and ITV series. Our picks are those free from ITVx at the time of publication.
Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Gwyneth Hughes’s four-part series delves into the Post Office scandal, where the organization wrongly accused sub-postmasters of missing money, leading to unjust prosecutions.
There have been only a few TV programmes that throw a searchlight on our society and it’s failings. This is one of them. It is scarcely credible that it has taken so long to bring to light what has happened to so many sub postmasters because of the defective software and it would still be in the shadows were it not for this programme.
The opener introduces Alan (Toby Jones), Jo (Monica Dolan), and Lee (Will Mellor), whose lives are shattered until Alan launches a campaign to fight back. The series evokes the spirit of classic films where underdogs take on powerful adversaries, but unlike those stories where the little guys often lose, Alan’s group lawsuit results in overturned convictions, significant compensation, and a public inquiry.
This is a great example of the power of television to move the dial and the frustration is that there are those still awaiting compensation.
The Winter King
This series, based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles, is set in “Arthurian Britain” during the post-Roman 5th century, portraying a land torn by warring clans with no central ruler.
Similar to The Last Kingdom’s Uhtred, Derfel (portrayed by Jordan Dark, later Stuart Campbell) is rescued by Arthur (played by Iain De Caestecker) and raised by Merlin (Nathaniel Martello-White). Craig Parkinson and Eddie Marsan, notable members of the cast, fittingly portray kings, with Marsan playing Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon. It’s one of those series that slowly draws you in and doesn’t let up.
Breathtaking
The title of this gripping three-part Covid drama, “Breathtaking,” holds multiple interpretations.
It can describe the literal effects of the virus, depict the rapid spread in hospitals and care homes, or imply criticism of those in authority. Created by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio, along with Prasanna Puwanarajah and Rachel Clarke (author of the book inspiring the show), “Breathtaking” focuses on NHS staff experiences, starting 20 days before lockdown. It’s understandable to think “Why should I be reminded of Covid” and it is painful but necessary viewing.
Joanne Froggatt portrays Dr. Henderson, an acute medicine consultant facing the unfolding crisis head-on. What comes across aloud and clear is how ill prepared for the pandemic the Government was and continued to be.
Crime
Okay, this is another police drama and it certainly isn’t as good as the BBC’s Blue Lights but it is superior to others in the genre.
Based on Irvine Welsh’s novel, this Scottish drama follows DI Ray Lennox (played by Dougray Scott) and DS Amanda Drummond (portrayed by Joanna Vanderham) as they delve into serious crimes. Despite its premise as a police procedural, the stellar cast and sharp scripts elevate the series beyond expectations, delivering a captivating and often surprising narrative.
Love & Death
In the HBO Max drama, Elizabeth Olsen takes on the role of Candy Montgomery, a Texan housewife leading an ostensibly ordinary suburban life.
However, her life takes a dark turn when she has an affair and finds herself on trial for the murder of her lover’s wife with an axe. Written by David E. Kelley of Big Little Lies fame, this gripping series also stars Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, and Elizabeth Marvel, promising plenty of unexpected twists and turns.
The Long Shadow
There have been numerous programmes and documentaries about The Yorkshire Ripper and this drama tells the story from a different perspective.
This is a serial killer story with hardly a mention of Peter Sutcliffe who doesn’t appear until episode six. The trail of destruction and the effect it has is told primarily by the women and the failing efforts of the investigation.
Stonehouse
This slyly dark and funny enactment of a bizarre episode from 1970s British politics, is a campy and expertly acted delight.
The draw here is Matthew Macfayden, on loan from Succession and playing John Stonehouse, a Labour MP who fakes his own death to avoid an espionage scandal and flees to Australia. Macfayden lines Stonehouse’s buffoonery with sociopathic cruelty, badly mistreating his wife (Keeley Hawes, who is Macfayden’s actual wife) and doubling down on his bad behaviour along the way to near redemption.
At just three episodes, this is high-minded, briskly effortless entertainment.
Unforgotten
The cast, which is led by actor Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunny Khan, saw a shake-up following the death of DCI Cassie Stuart in season four.
Not many drama series can survive the loss of its principal star as Cassie, played by the always excellent Nicola Walker, helped establish this above the average police drama. Sinead Keenan stepped in as DCI Jessica James and season five was as strong as ever.
If you have a particular choice or a programme you’d like others to be aware, do please let us know.
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