We’re back with another list of TV recommendations for you to peruse.
This week features a wide range of brilliant Black British talent that we are excited to share with you. The talented Ashley Walters features prominently on this list with his directorial debut Boys and the return of police series Bulletproof: South Africa which he stars alongside Noel Clarke.
Bamous – 19th January, 10.45 BBC One
In this satirical new pilot for BBC Three, award-winning comedian Dane Baptiste and his assembled cast will try and figure out how the NASBLAQ works and how black talent can get to the top of it with an avalanche of comedy sketches, stunts, funny archive, interviews, social campaigns and much more, promising to reflect Britain at its most true, most provocative and most current.
Bulletproof: South Africa – Wednesday 20 Jan 9pm (Sky One and NOW TV)
Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters reprise their roles as cops Pike and Bishop in this South African based three part special. The London cop duo’s latest outing takes place in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa – but things do not go as planned. Intending to have a relaxing holiday with Pike’s family, they instead get caught up in a kidnap plot.
The Boys – Wednesday 20 Jan 10pm (Sky Arts and NOW TV)
Boys, the directorial debut from Ashley Walters (Bulletproof), is set against the grey but beautiful backdrop of East London’s skyscrapers and estates and follows two best friends, Noah (Hector Abbott) and Lewis (Jude Chinchen), as they embark on a journey into manhood, set in motion by a promise that must be fulfilled.
It’s a Sin – Friday 22 Jan 9pm (Channel 4)
The series is created by Years and Years creator Russell T Davies and will explore the lives of three young gay men affected by the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. The five-part drama starring Omari Douglas as Roscoe Babatunde and Lydia West as Jill Baxter focuses on a group of 18-year-olds who move to London in 1981 and rent a flat together (dubbed the ‘Pink Palace’). As the AIDS crisis looms, they each have differing attitudes to the then-rumoured virus, drawing stark parallels with the start of the current coronavirus pandemic.
Fate: The Winx Saga – Friday 22 Jan (Netflix)
A live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s Winx Club (2004) starring Precious Mustapha (The Stranger) as Aisha. The series follows fairy students of Alfea College in the Otherworld. It focuses particularly on Bloom (Abigail Cowen – ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’) as she attempts to uncover the secret behind where she really comes from.
Call My Agent (Series 4) – Thursday 21 January (Netflix)
The acclaimed French comedy series about an A-List talent agency returns to Netflix this week for its fourth season. Expect cameos from French stars such as Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sigourney Weaver in this show where the talent agents will go to any lengths to keep a famous client as they try to stop the demise of their agency. Stéfi Celma stars as Sofia Leprince an aspiring actress and receptionist at the agency balancing the two as she deals with some of the worst people in the French entertainment industry.
This is Us (season 5) – new episodes on Tuesdays (Amazon Prime)
The popular and highly emotive This is Us is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime. The American romantic family drama follows the lives of the Pearson family across time frames as they navigate life. There has been a heavy focus on Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown) and his mission to find out about his biological family. There have been many a tear shed as Randall, supported by his wife Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson) uncover the truth surrounding his biological mother.
Outside the Wire – Available now (Netflix)
Set in the future, Harp (Damson Idris), a drone pilot, is sent into a deadly militarised zone where he finds himself working for Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer, tasked to locate a doomsday device before the insurgents do. Outside the Wire is directed by Mikael Håfström.
Lupin – Available now (Netflix)
Award-winning French actor Omar Sy leads the cast as Assane Diop in Lupin a highly entertaining Netflix original series. As a teenager, Assane Diop’s life was turned upside down when his father died after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. 25 years later, Assane will use “Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar” as his inspiration to avenge his father.