Well, hello and welcome to Binge Watch, the podcast where we take a look at the hottest
new TV and film releases on streaming television platforms. I'm Hannah Fernando, the group editor
of Woman and Woman at Home magazine. And I'm Ian McEwan, writer on TV and Satellite Week,
TV Times and What's on TV magazines. And today we're looking at the new releases that will
be available from Friday, the 8th of November, 2024, including David Attenborough's landmark
new BBC Chilling true crime drama Until I Kill You, starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Sean
Evans on ITVX. And we'll also be checking out The Hunt for the Wreck of Shackleton's Antarctic
Expeditionship Endurance with Dan Snow on Disney+, and feel-good festive film Meet Me Next Christmas
on Netflix. Oh yes, I cannot wait. But Ian, tell me, what is in the news? Well, Michelle
Monaghan and Mark Wahlberg will star in a sequel to the Apple TV action comedy The Family Plan.
What else is in the news, Hannah? Well, Mrs Davies, the ITVX comedy sci-fi starring Betty
Gilpin will see a nun take on the world's most powerful AI. Yep, it's the same old story.
Well good selection. This week a true crime drama. We've got a couple of documentaries
for you and yes, as mentioned, Christmas starts here with a festive film. So we're going to
start on BBC iPlayer with a new natural history series called Asia. And here's a clip. There's
nowhere else on earth with so many untold stories.
Welcome to Asia. So you might have seen episode one of this on Sunday, the 3rd of November,
but it also dropped as a box set on iPlayer so you can whiz through the whole lot. Narrated
by Sir David Attenborough, who actually was at the screening that I attended. He's in remarkably
good nick. And I was wondering actually, because they've used AI to sort of recreate the voice
of Michael Parkinson, I wonder if they'll do the same thing with Attenborough, because I
for one cannot imagine watching a wildlife series like this in future without his distinctive
narration. Anyway, as the title suggests, this is all about the world's largest continent,
which has very varied range of habitats and it's sort of the episodes are themed by habitat
so you've kind of got deserts mountains grasslands cities and we start Underwater so I watched
episode one. It's got some good stuff in it It's got a lovely sperm whale calf sort of
practicing using its sonar Ecolocation and trying to sleep they sleep vertically in the water
near the surface sperm whales and we see this little calf trying to sleep the way the adults
do. There's also quite an amusing sequence with a mudskipper. Yes, of course, you're going
to get some sharks. There's something called a sea bunny, which is quite an interesting
looking creature. So I guess the thing with these wildlife shows is sometimes you think,
well, is there new stuff for them to film? Because you do occasionally see quite similar sequences.
And I think what's really been a game changer is drone technology. Because using drones,
they can get completely different type of footage. And in this series, I think there's an episode
called Tangled World. And they get amazing footage of the sort of iconic Asian creature, the tiger.
Because these drones are quite quiet now, so they can get in pretty close. And you see the
most amazing. behavior and they managed to capture hunting behavior as well, which you wouldn't
normally be able to see because tigers sort of hunting quite high thick foliage. It's become
a thing now that the end of the episode they show you that the lengths that the crew had
to go to get these incredible pictures. So that's fascinating. Coming in later episodes, there's
lots of good stuff. There are these elephants that have kind of stopped buses on the road
to sort of beg for. food from all the pilgrims who are on the bus. Yeah, there's lots of good
stuff. There are also elephants that go really high up, sort of through the tea plantations
to get to the grasslands, high up in the mountains. Yeah, all sorts of great footage. It looks
amazing. And then it finishes, as again has become quite a regular thing. The final episode
is all about conservation. So yeah, another wonderful landmark BBC Wildlife series. with
the stamp office of David Attenborough all over it. So yeah, absolutely terrific. What do you
think Hannah? I absolutely love stuff like this. And as you know, I've been away for a couple
of weeks and I have to say I felt at times like I was doing a bit for David Attenborough because
we did so, we went on, well, first of all, we went on a safari. So we saw all these animals
really up close and personal. And it's just so. incredible and you know in HD now on the
TV screen like you're watching this it's amazing and then in actual real life it's absolutely
incredible but it's beneath the waves you know into the ocean which I think is absolutely
terrifying for many of us and like you're talking about sperm whale and you think of dolphins
and go they're so lovely you can go and swim with them of course you can't swim with all
of them can you but it's what lurks beneath but you actually tranquil and incredible. And,
you know, we had reef sharks, you know, swimming around us and turtles. I swam with a manta
ray. And it made, it may just made me think of this is what David Attenborough does for
a job and this crew and how incredible it is to get that footage. Cause we were with train
divers, um, who were getting footage for us down there, which is going to be not a patch
on what they're getting, of course, but that's what's really nice about this is learning.
the lengths that they go to, to get this, this footage for us all to watch. And not only enjoy,
but absolutely learn from because wildlife is just so absolutely incredible. And when it's
unspoiled and untouched in the ways that we see it sometimes, it's so sad to think it's
being, it's being ruined by so many. So I absolutely brilliant. I absolutely love things like this.
Over on ITV and ITVX, we have A new true crime drama called Until I Kill You which dropped
at a box set on Sunday the 3rd of November. And here's a clip. Well why do you want me
to store it? I'm going to take such good care of you. He framed you with a gun. Open the
door. Tell the court about the events of 22nd of December 1994. Why is the law allowed to
treat people like this? Yes, Ian. So this stars Anna Maxwell Martin, who of course is having
a real moment at the moment, isn't she? And she plays the part of a woman who survived
at the hands of a killer. But this is set, I think this is what's the scary part of this,
this is set and based on a true story. Now, I don't remember... this new story. But it
was, it's the terrifying ordeal of a nurse called Delia Barmer. And she meets a man she thinks
he's everything and more, he's called John Sweeney, when really he's, you know, absolutely not
what she thought he was. And he admits to killing his previous girlfriend, he's increasingly
controlling in their relationship. And he admits to her that he has dumped her body in this
canal in Amsterdam. Now Delia, who is played by Anna, she is really quite a strong woman.
And I think this is where this does feel quite different in as much as it's not unusual for
us to see, you know, document, well, not just documentaries, but sort of, you know, dramatizations,
I should say, of controlling men over women and them being hurt, sadly. But this is sort
of different because from her perspective, and she's quite a gritty, strong woman, and she
stands up to him, she goes to the police, but the judicial system is just not strong enough,
it's not good enough, and it doesn't protect her. And he attacks her on her doorstep with
an axe, and she survives it. And then you see her going through the process of, you know,
the police then wanting her to give. evidence and information and it's really chilling. It's
the toll that anything like this takes on a human being, no matter how strong you are.
And Anna does a really good job of this. I mean, she turns her hand, doesn't she, a lot to anything
that she does. And she kind of, with this one, she said that the nurse actually did visit
the set while they were filming. I don't think she was there for very long. but she kind of
watched her mannerisms and the way she spoke and the way she was. She wanted to get into
the mind of that person and be true to who she was. And she says that Delia is unlike anyone
that she's ever played before. It is chilling. It's really good. I really enjoyed it. And
I think that Anna was absolutely the right person to play this part. I did enjoy it, albeit.
You never want to think of something like this as a true story. What do you think Ian? I think
we're going to, when we look back at the end of the year on what's been on TV, this will
be one of the outstanding dramas. It's so, so good. I've watched the first two episodes which
were on ITV1 this week. And I mean, Maxwell Martin, she's incredibly versatile, you know,
for it's from, say from Line of Duty, she was brilliant in that, to doing comedy in Motherland.
And she's excellent in this. And as you say, Delia is, she's quite a very unusual character.
She's quite eccentric in many ways. And she's incredibly plain speaking, which does create
some kind of humorous moments in the first episode. Just the way she interacts with people is just
rather surprising. Yeah, Sean Evans, who people may know from Endeavor, the Morse prequel,
he's really good as Sweeney because- He has to make him charismatic enough for Delia to
fall for him. And he does that very effectively. And there's a really excruciating few scenes
where they go up to visit his family in Skelmersdale and they have Christmas meal and it's just
toe curling. But yeah, the whole thing is incredibly well done. It's a shocking story. I mean, of
course the violent treatment is shocking, but equally shocking is how Delia was really failed
by the police and the justice system. And there's also a companion documentary, Until I Kill
You, the real story, which will be shown, well, which was shown, I should say, on Thursday,
the 7th of November on ITV, but will be available on ITVX. And in that, you'll hear not just
Delia's story, but also you'll hear about Sweeney's other known victims. Over on Disney+, arriving
on Saturday the 2nd of November, we have a new feature-length documentary called Endurance.
And here's a clip. In 1914, Shackleton was convinced the greatest Antarctic journey was yet to be
done. Crossing the Antarctic continent from one side to the other. So he dragged his men
on a doomed quest. We tried once before in 2019. search for endurance it felt like my whole
life had been converging upon that moment and then it all went wrong. Well endurance was
the name of Ernest Shackleton's ship and Shackleton famously attempted to cross Antarctica but
the expedition went seriously wrong. His ship was crushed by the
He managed to save his entire crew, but they just went through the most horrific ordeal
before finally being rescued. And that whole story, which is an amazing story, people may
be familiar with it, but it's retold by Dan Snow, who is also on board a modern day expedition
to look for the wreck. And what makes the retelling all the more vivid is that they've used AI,
we've got the old AI. to sort of bring to life the diaries of the crew members. And you've
also got the amazing film footage that was actually shot on the original expedition. They took
a filmmaker with them and it just looks incredible. Then you're also gonna get the story of the
search for the wreck, which equally has its ups and downs. There was a previous attempt,
but the submersible that goes down to look for the wreck. That was lost. So they've got a
new one. Now there's sort of like a false dawn when they think they discovered it. And no,
it's, it's not, it's just a debris field. And then, I mean, you people, it's not really a
spoiler because it's been in all the newspapers that they, they did finally just, they were
running out of time, they found the wreck and the images of it are quite astonishing because
it's very, very well preserved partly because of the very cold water. And you can see, like,
on the deck, you can see these personal effects, like you see someone's boot, you can see a
flare gun. It's astonishing. So both the modern day story of the search for the wreck and the
retelling of Shackleton's incredible journey are intertwined really effectively. And it's
a very, very good watch. And it did actually get a cinema release as well. So yeah, this
is for history buffs. It's really worth a look. What does you think, Hannah? I find things
like this incredibly chilling, you know, when you see, like you say, so everything's so well
preserved really and that boot and, you know, just the gun, it kind of, I don't know, it
just makes you, what went through my head is what people have gone through and, you know,
what was, what secrets are held onto the ocean. I suppose it kind of almost fits into the David
Asimber, doesn't it? What's going on in the ocean. In fact. Again, there are shipwrecks
everywhere, aren't there? And they've got a real eerie, don't know if you have a swan around
any, but they're eerie, there's something about it. And this sort of did, it got to put the
hairs on the back of my neck came up, but really interesting, and also kind of this race against
time to find it. And the fact that they kind of saw a bit, I suppose they counted their
chickens a bit early and they hadn't quite hatched until they did finally find it. So yeah, it's
got a real pace about it. And... If you don't know much about it, you'll learn a lot. And
if you, if you do know about it, then this will absolutely interest you. Well, we're going
to finish on Netflix with a feature film, which is available from Wednesday, the 6th of November.
It's called meet me next Christmas. And here's a clip. Somebody sitting there? No, go for
it. When James and I met, it was like magic and we made a deal. What if we meet next Christmas
at the Pentatonix concert? Shut up. Try a personal concierge service. They can get you anything
you can think of. Hey, I'm Teddy. I've worked with almost every ticket broker in the city.
Listen, Teddy, my entire romantic future might hinge on this ticket. Well, you know my feelings
on Christmas, Ian. Halloween is over, so let's welcome Christmas. Mariah Carey says it's Christmas,
I say it's Christmas too. And brilliantly, we're already talking about our first Christmas film.
This is a romantic comedy. It does what it says on the tin. Don't get too excited. It doesn't
break at the boundaries of anything that's gone before. However, it is a lovely love story.
And it stars R&B star Christina Milian. She's a music fan and it followed basically, she
goes to the airport, she ready for Christmas. Oh, I mean, I've never known an airport at
Christmas so Christmassy as this one, but it really is. It's really lovely. And then across
the board, all the flights are cancelled. And
she meets a... a chap as you do, you know, of course you just start talking to people. I
mean, I'd be in tears on the floor, the fact I couldn't get home or wherever she was off
to. But no, she meets somebody who says, well, I'll see you next year at a concert, which
she then can't get tickets to. So she spends the next year trying to find tickets for a
concert to meet the man of her dreams. But of course, love is not an easy path. And is he
the one? or is somebody else the one who she meets along the way? So yeah, it doesn't really,
as I say, break any boundaries or it's gonna be up for any nominations, but it is a lovely
tale of love. It is very sweet and it is very, very festive. So get your Terry's chocolate
orange ready, a glass of wine, happy days. Ian? Touch of the humbugs. I mean, these Christmas,
especially rom-coms are absolutely churned out. especially by Hallmark. I mean, there are so
many of them.
I mean, I do think the performances are strong. Christina Millian, I think she's great as Layla.
And yes, as you say, there's this meet-cute in the airport and to try and get the tickets,
there's this band called Pentatonix. Did you know about them? Do a lot of close harmony
singing and they appear in the film. They're quite good actually. good performers but yeah
it's a ticket to see them and so she employs this concierge service this guy called Teddy
played by Deval Ellis who claims yeah I can get you whatever you need that's what their
service says whatever you need we can get it for you so that's the quest is to get the tickets
but as you know Hannah sometimes when you're absolutely infatuated with one person the right
person could be right in front of you and you don't even realise it. That's all I'm going
to say. It's obviously, I mean, it's made quite cheaply, I think, looking at it, but I did
think the performances were good. So if you're just ready to just suspend your disbelief and
you just want to feel good, Christmasy movie, yeah, it's got all that. So why not, I say?
I don't want to be too much of a grinch this early on. Well, we've got to that time, Hannah,
where we find out what the hell you've been binge watching. Well, nothing very current,
I'm afraid, Ian, because I spent a long time on an aircraft, but I did watch back-to-back
movies, two of which was a man called Otto, one of the first one, with Tom Hanks, which
if you haven't seen it, is really, really lovely and quite a sad story, but I definitely would
recommend. The second one that I'm gonna mention is A Winter's Tale with Colin Farrell, one
of his early pieces, I think. Not quite so good, but it did keep me amused. What are you watching?
Well, what with the American election going on, I watched a really good documentary on
BBC iPlayer, which is all about the election that Trump lost and the lengths that he went
to try and prove that, in fact, it had been stolen, which of course it hadn't. That is
absolutely chilling. And I also went to the... cinema to see The Apprentice, which is a feature
film about the young Donald Trump and the lawyer who was very much his mentor. And again, that
is utterly terrifying, but worth a look. We've just got time to look ahead to next week's
offerings. So what is on the binge watch menu, Hannah? Hit Western saga Yellowstone draws
to a close on Paramount Plus without its star Kevin Costner. And in season two of the dystopian
Apple TV sci-fi silo, Rebecca Ferguson's Juliet looks for life outside the subterranean sanctuary.
Yes, so we look forward to those and much, much more. But in the meantime, listeners, keep
watching.