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 Women

and Women in Home magazine. And I'm Ian McEwan, writer on TV Satellite Week, TV Times and What's

on TV magazines. And today we're looking at the new releases that will be available on

Friday, the 31st of January 2025. Finally, January is nearly over, including Channel 4 drama Brian

and Maggie starring Steve Coogan and Harriet Walter as broadcaster, Brian Walden and former

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. And, sorry about that, the Apple TV documentary series,

Vietnam, The War That Changed America, looks back at the controversial conflict.

Yes and we'll also be checking out none other than Alison Hammond's new Florida travelogue

on BBC iPlayer and high stakes thriller Paradise on Disney Plus. But first Ian, what is in the

news? Production has begun on the farewell series of the critically acclaimed Sky original comedy

Brassic, starring Joe Gilgan. What else is in the news Hannah? Well for the second successive

year. ITV1 and ITVX will be the exclusive UK home of the prestigious Oscars with Jonathan

Ross hosting coverage on Sunday, the 2nd of March. Oh, any Oscar predictions that you want

to share? Do you know what? I just keep thinking everything's going to be cancelled. This award

season just seems to be kind of, you know, fated, doesn't it? So we'll have to see. Well, we've

got, I think, quite a broad selection. We've got a real life political drama. We've got

a high stakes thriller. We've got a war documentary series and a travelogue. Come on, what's not

to like? We're going to start on Channel 4 streaming with a new drama, which arrived on Wednesday,

the 29th of January as a box set. It's called Brian and Maggie. And here's a clip. When you

think of the news, how it sounds, does it sound like me? You sound like our audience. Your

first guest should be someone quite loud. Draw in some press.

Here we are. I enjoyed that. Well then we should do it again sometime. He's a journalist at

the end of the day These people must always be kept at arm's length. Are we all ready to

face the lens of history? Well, this has a lot to recommend it Hannah It stars Steve Coogan

who is playing journalist Brian Walden and of course, he's previously

stars out to some extent as an impressionist so he's well qualified to impersonate a real

person. And you've got Harriet Walter as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It's written

by the brilliant James Graham who he wrote Sherwood but he's done a lot of plays including one

that was in the houses of parliament in sort of the days of Harold Wilson, just as Thatcher

was about to come to power. So this is very much in his wheelhouse, though it was kind

of Kugen that kind of got the project going. Anyway, long story short, it's sort of, it's

the story of the relationship between Walden, who I didn't realize had actually been a Labour

MP before he became sort of political pundit and interviewer on television. and Maggie Thatcher

and it's sort of leading up to this particularly important interview that was sort of seen as

the beginning of the end of Thatcher. It was after her Chancellor, Nigel Lawson, had resigned.

So yeah, it's a very interesting look back at a particular moment in time. I mean, interestingly,

they were actually quite friendly. Alden and Thatcher up until that point I should add.

Coogan is great as Walden and I think, I mean, the people we've had previously playing the

Iron Lady, well you've had Meryl Streep, you've had Gillian Anderson, I think Harriet Walter

does a really, really good job. Impressive. So I mean, I remember Brian from his days on

the telly. And I remember this interview actually. And you're gonna see quite a few other real

life characters including, well Nigel Lawson is played by Ivan Kay. You've got Bernard Ingham,

who was Thatcher's press secretary played by Paul Clayton of Peep Show fame. Jeffrey Howe,

of course, a Thatcher ally played by Paul Higgins. So yeah, if you're interested in British politics,

this is really good. What did you think? I thought it was good actually, I agree with you, but

I was particularly interested in Harriet's role, as you say, as the Iron Lady, because it's

quite a role, isn't it, in terms of the amount of amazing people that have done it previously

and who have done well. And it's really easy to kind of pull them apart and say that, you

know, Gillian Anderson, she overplayed it slightly, when actually, really, when you watched it,

you just totally bought into it, that it was Margaret Thatcher. And I think Harriet did

a really good job and I watched an interview with her just the other day and they showed

kind of the before and after and obviously she was sat there talking as her and then her as

Margaret Thatcher. And you've done a really, really good job, haven't they, with the makeup

and absolutely everything that goes with it. So there's kind of like an immediate buy-in

in terms of how she looks. But also she was saying that she approached this character.

in the same way she approaches any character that she plays, which is just to kind of get

inside their head, to try and become that person, and to try and really understand, you know,

their mannerisms and absolutely everything. And I think that's why this is so credible,

because I think she's done a really good job in that research piece ahead of time, because

as I say, I think taking on a part like this after so many others, it is really tricky,

and kind of, if you don't do it well. you're going to come under some criticism for it.

And I certainly don't think she will and she certainly hasn't from what I've seen. So I

think it is interesting because it is a bit of a political love story. It is telling us

stuff that this is before my time, but it's taught me a lot of what was going on there

and the intricacies of that relationship. So yeah, I think people will really enjoy it no

matter your political values. We move across to Disney Plus for another new drama series.

which arrived on Tuesday the 28th of January. It's called Paradise, and here's a clip. For

the record, your name is Xavier Collins, correct? Yes. You have two children, James and Presley.

Yes. When did you last see Cal Bradford alive? I walked the president to his room when he

turned in at 2204. Yes, so this has eight parts and it's a pretty high-stake thriller, but

you will, so I started to watch it and I didn't realize who was playing the main character,

Xavier. And of course it's the guy that was in This Is Us, Sterling K. Brown, and I absolutely

loved him in that. I really did. It took me a little while to kind of get my head out of

that as who he was. So yeah, so this is a pretty it's pretty thrilling. But it's this place

they live is Paradise. It's pretty aptly named. It's an amazing place. And then this murder

shakes up the whole community. But. He works with the president, he works for the president,

his security for the president, and he finds the president dead on the floor. and you see

all the authorities as they would in the situations of just descend upon the crime scene and asking

questions and he was the last person to be with the president and they had and what's interesting

about this is it's not just kind of like a whodunit I mean of course you know ultimately that that's

what you're going to find out but this is about the relationship that he had with the president

because um the president seemed to be quite a um a character didn't have many friends you

know, sort of quite awkward. And yet they struck up a friendship that sort of filled a gap for

him. So it was quite sort of nuanced friendship. And the finger is pointed at him, you know,

did he do it, didn't he do it? And for me, it was, I mean, it's exciting for a start, from

what I've seen of it so far, I'm pretty... it keeps you going, like as in you've got to kind

of, you're into it immediately, it's pretty pacy. So also there's a sort of this real power

craze woman called Samantha Redmond and she kind of mixes the whole thing up as well because

she's.

I think that strong female character in this in what otherwise would be quite a male dominated

area. She's kind of putting a two penny worth in. It kind of, I feel like at first when I

started to watch it, I thought, do you know what? This is just going to be literally a

whodunit. We're gonna find out and that's the end of it. But it's not, it's really intricate

and it really keeps you watching. It's interesting. I absolutely love him so much. And I think

he's just as brilliant in this. He plays a really strong character but with a really sensitive

side too. Ian, is it one for you? It's kind of quite, it's quite a difficult one to kind

of explain, but I think Disney Plus have done a done a good job with this. It is a difficult

one to preview because you don't want to give too much away. But let me just say that at

the end of episode one, there are developments that sort of change everything about the whole

story and your understanding of what's going on. And That's as much as I'm going to say,

watch it and you'll be like, Oh my, what the heck? But yeah, it's great. It's a brilliant

twist. I love it. The place, Paradise, the community, when I first saw it, it sort of looks like

this perfect sort of American suburbia and it looks very like the town of Celebration in

Florida, which was actually built by the Disney Corporation and it's just looks like a picture

perfect. small town America. Anyway, yes, I actually say at the heart of it is this relationship

between Xavier, the security guy and President Cal Bradford played by James Marsden. And yeah,

the yeah, the sort of jumping off point. Well, a bit of a way into the episode is the president's

death, but it's could have jumps between timelines. So you keep flashing back to like, how did

he get the job? What was his relationship like with the president? Also, he's got a, yeah,

his private life. He's bringing up two kids, but he's a widower. So you learn a little bit

about that. I have to admit, initially, I found the dialogue a bit cringy. Like, first off,

he engages in some very over the top banter with one of his colleagues who he kind of meets

while he's out jogging. And then they kind of, the chat with the kids. at home I didn't find

very convincing and then these sort of intense conversations with the president late at night,

like the president likes to have a drink late at night and wants him to go come and have

a drink with me and tries to get to know him a bit better. It didn't really ring true with

me but he is, Sterling K Brown is great in the lead role, he's just got this kind of steely,

very cool detached persona and conspiracy element well if it is a conspiracy we don't know who

killed the president because also as you said he was the last person to see him alive so

he's under suspicion so what happened there and then yep as I say by the end of the app

everything changes absolutely massive plot twist which is terrific so yeah I did enjoy episode

one over on Apple TV plus Arriving on Friday the 31st of January, we have a new documentary

series called Vietnam, The War That Changed America. And here's a clip.

You may have seen movies about Vietnam, but this is the real story told only by those who

were there. We were brothers. The camaraderie is so strong. You know he's willing to die

for you, and he knows I'm willing to die for him. Six episodes to this one, Hannah. And

there have been some pretty exhaustive... and very good documentary series about the Vietnam

War. And it is a conflict that absolutely fascinates me, I must admit. I mean, for starters, what

the hell was America doing, getting involved? And it was because of this sort of absolute

panic about the spread of communism, wasn't it? But, and America just, I mean, so many

lives were sacrificed on both sides. And the war dragged on and successive presidents just

continued to prosecute the war. So this, what makes this a bit different is, it's actually

to mark the anniversary of the fall of Saigon. In this, we're getting testimony from people

who served in Vietnam and they're using, I mean, Vietnam was, had sort of the most TV and film

coverage of any conflict that had come before. So, you know, they sent a lot of camera crews

out there. So you're getting that kind of boots on the ground action that was shot at the time.

And you're hearing from these veterans about, you know, what it was like, because, you know,

a lot of these people were teenagers. It's very moving, actually, because, you know, there

are two guys who feature, who became kind of best buddies, like one of them was a big bruiser.

And the other one was kind of quite shy and nervous. So they kind of teamed up and then

one of them stood on a mine and survived. But you know, in episode one, they're kind of recalling

that. So it's a slight, it's looking at it through a slightly different lens. And interestingly,

one of the people who features went on to write the Tom Hanks movie Castaway. and also to get

an Oscar nomination for his work on another Tom Hanks film, Apollo 13. So yeah, this is

very much up my alley because I still watch The World at War, which I've seen countless

times. I am fascinated by war documentaries and Vietnam is just such a fascinating conflict

and in episode one as well, these two guys that I mentioned. They talk about the fact that

they were the guys who got sent down when they started discovering these networks of tunnels

beneath the sort of Vietnam jungle, they were the guys who went down into the tunnels and

what they found down there was remarkable, like these huge chambers where, you know, the Viet

Cong could, you know, they had like an operating theaters down there and they, they would eat

and drink down there and sleep down there and they were kind of, they connected different

villages. So. Yes. I think it's a new look at the war very much from the viewpoint of the

people who took part and with the footage that was shot, you know, in and among the action.

So, yeah, I really liked it and I will watch the rest. What did you think, Hannah? Yeah,

I really liked it too, although I always find these things, you know, dreadfully upsetting,

just that we don't seem to learn anything ever. And I think just hearing in this documentary

style from the people who lived through the war on both sides of the conflict is what's

harrowing and what's so upsetting. And particularly a pivotal moment in all of our lives right

now. It's just, it feels ever more pertinent, I suppose. I didn't know. If I'm honest with

you, a huge amount about this war, as in sort of the reasons and how it started and what

have you, and you come away learning an awful lot. But I remember doing war poetry for A-level

and do you know what, it just, it upset me so much at the time, it left me, and I actually

find things like this quite harrowing, but it's so interesting and you learn so much. And as

I say, at a time when it's so pertinent and so kind of in our lives. It's every reason

to understand why no one's really a winner in any of these things. Over on BBC iPlayer, it

arrived as a box set on Monday, the 27th of January. We have the new travelogue, Alison

Hammond's Florida Unpacked. And here's a clip. The Hammonds are here. I'm hitting the Florida

highways with my son Aidan. Let's go. We're on a mission to prove you don't need big bucks

to have big fun babs. Bye bye winter blues, sunshine stay here we come. Yes so everyone

will know Alison Hammond from This Morning and she does an awful lot of other stuff as well.

She seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment. But her and her son Aidan, this is

kind of a travelogue I suppose of her and her son showing us all, us mere mortals, how to

have an epic holiday. on a budget and I suppose if you do go to Florida, I mean you know you're

going to have to dig deep don't you, the pockets need to be quite deep to afford luxury like

that and to do it well. If you're going that far away you want to do it well. And you see

her and her son, she does talk about Aidan a little bit, particularly with regards to relationships,

but this is kind of the first time, he's been pictured on the red carpet with her, but this

is kind of the first time. he's really surfaced on TV as such and sort of become someone in

his own right, I suppose. And the two of them embark on this adventure across America Sunshine

State. It's ten episodes. They go off the beaten track. They don't do all the... They don't

do everything that you think they do, but they also do visit the gems. But they're always

looking for best deals, whether it comes to food or drink, accommodation. travel, those

once in a lifetime experiences. So I think, to be honest with you, a lot of people will

watch this and you know, it's a bit like watching Martin Lewis who gives you tips. You know,

I'm not suggesting she's any Martin Lewis by any stretch, but what I mean is, is that somebody

giving you tips and tricks and ideas of how to find something that you really want to do

on a bit of a budget, you know, is really helpful to a lot of people. I mean, it has been bashed

a lot. People are saying, that she's just done it and she's got a free holiday herself by

doing this. But it's a bit mean because actually, do you know what? To you are going to come,

there are some takeaways from this. Is it something that I think that you, is it a must watch?

No. But if you do fancy visiting Florida, if you do fancy getting away, you like Alison

Hammond, yeah, crack on. Well, I visited Florida quite a few times. So I was interested. see

this. I do think it's an interesting part of the United States, but we have said before,

Hannah, haven't we, that there are way too many celebrity travelogues. And as if to prove the

point, arriving on the same day and also available as a box set on BBC iPlayer, you have Wyn and

Joanna all at sea with the singer Wyn Evans and Gavin and Stacey's Joanna Page exploring

the So I have to say, I was looking forward to Florida Unpacked, but I think it's pretty

ropey. I have to say I was not impressed. Good things. I quite liked seeing Alison's relationship

with her son, Aiden, who seems like a nice lad. However, I mean, as you say, 10 episodes, they've

stretched it thin. Oh my God. In episode one, all that happens in episode one, I kid you

not, is they hire an RV, recreational vehicle or motorhome. Uh, and then they go to sort

of stay in this big sort of national park where they can, where they can, you know, camp as

it were, and they go in on a canoe trip. That's it. That's the, oh, they go shopping as well.

They go, they buy some food. That is it. I mean, come on. Yeah. That is not enough. And I mean,

yeah, I enjoy watching Alison, uh, on things like Bake Off. I think she's good value, but

I mean, it's not, you know, Obviously she didn't plan the itinerary and she hasn't kind of written

loosely the script of what's going to happen. So she makes a decent enough fist of it, but

really I thought it was pretty poor. I have to say, and I will not be watching any more

episodes. It's just, no, it's a no from me. I sometimes wish that they would get people

that are authored in that subject to do it. You know, it just seems like random just to

get, because they're a celebrity. Oh yes, that'll work. I think you're right. It just doesn't...

Ten episodes Ian! Come on! Just a few more new arrivals to flag up for you this week. On Netflix,

arrived on Wednesday the 29th of January, a new series of six nations full contact. The

behind the scenes series to coincide with the return of the International Rugby Tournament

this Friday. Over on Prime Video, this arrived on Thursday 30th January. You're Cordially

Invited is a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon about two bridal parties

struggling to share a small destination venue which is accidentally double booked. Yes. On

Netflix, also arriving on Thursday 30th, Season 2 of The Recruit. which is a CIA adventure

starring Noah Chintanio. And finally, on You as a Box Set, we have Guy Martin, Proper Jobs,

in which the self-confessed speed freak explores four so-called proper jobs, starting with work

as a deckhand on a fishing trawler in Devon. Well, we got to that time. I don't know, where

we find out- What the hell you've been binge watching this week. Well, let me tell you that

to be honest with you, I've kind of been at a loss now because the traitors has finished.

That traitors finale was absolutely brilliant. Although not necessarily who I wanted to win,

but that's what I've been binging on. Now I need to find a new binge. And I did watch,

oh, to declare or not to declare. We watched with the children the other night. That was

quite funny. How about you? Well, I've been watching my old favorites, new episodes and

old episodes, 24 hours in police custody, which is just super true crime documentary. Junior

Bake Off, of course, which is better than adult Bake Off, in my opinion. I mean, Harry Hill,

the amount of effort he puts into presenting that sketches, jokes, props, it's just not

to mention the argyle pattern tank tops. And of course. Pottery Throwdown, which I absolutely

love. Now we've just got time, before we say goodbye, to look ahead to next week's offering.

So what is on the binge watch menu, Hannah? Well BBC iPayers star-studded drama Miss Austin

explores a mystery in the life of the famous author. Oooh. And Caitlin Deaver plays a real-life

scammer, remember this, who faked a terminal illness in the Netflix drama apple cider vinegar.

So we look forward to those and much more but in the meantime listeners.