TV and Culture Guide: What to Watch, Read and Listen to this April

Wish

Wednesday 3rd April
Disney+
One for the kids (or big kids!) if you missed it in cinemas, Disney’s Wish is an animated musical-comedy where Asha makes a wish so powerful that it’s answered by a cosmic force called Star. Asha and Star must confront the ruler of Rosas to save her community.

Taskmaster

Thursdays
Channel 4
Our all-time favourite game show is back and five new contestants are competing in a series of totally ludicrous challenges set by Greg Davies, the Taskmaster – but who will be crowned champion this time? Irish stand-up comedian Joanne McNally, hilarious radio presenter John Robins, Leeds-born comedy icon Nick Mohammed, award-winning writer and comedian Sophie Willan, or Benidorm favourite Steve Pemberton?

Ripley

Thursday 4th April
Netflix
An adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr Ripley, this new series is entirely in black and white and stars All of Us Strangers actor Andrew Scott. A grifter is drawn into a world of wealth after taking a unique job in Italy, but he must build a web of lies to maintain the life he strives for. All eight episodes will be released on 4th April – so it’s perfect for springtime bingeing.

The Regime

Monday 8th April
Sky and NOW
Kate Winslet stars as The Chancellor of an autocratic regime in this new political drama / satire. It tells the story of one year within the walls of a fictional palace where things unravel. Rumour has it that Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant were spotted at Wentworth Woodhouse whilst filming for this series.

Race Across The World

Wednesday 10th April
BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Race Across The World is returning for its fourth season as a new set of contestants race across the world in pairs, choosing any route they like but with no flights or phones. We eagerly await the announcement of this year’s locations.

We Loved

MIDNIGHT IN CHERNOBYL
Adam Higginbotham
You may ask yourself how a disaster that happened in a matter of minutes could fill a 500-page book successfully, but the author’s brilliant pacing and attention to detail will have your heart in your mouth from page one. Higginbotham masterfully takes the reader through the intricacies of what led to one of the worst disasters of the 20th century in a way that both fascinates and terrifies – and by the final pages you will be questioning whether you picked up non-fiction, or a horror story.

DATE WITH JUSTICE
Julia Chapman
Guilty or innocent? When Delilah’s brother Will is implicated in the murder of an ecologist, it looks from the outside to be an open and shut case – but Delilah won’t accept it and neither will Detective Samson O’Brien. With the Dales Detective Agency on the cusp of collapse and their personal relationship on the rocks, the pressure is on for Delilah and Samson to prove Will’s innocence. But will they uncover more than they bargained for? Get ready for the ninth instalment of the beloved Dales Detective series from local author Julia Chapman.

PENANCE
Eliza Clark
Eliza Clark’s second novel, Penance, is a must-read for anyone who loves a true crime doc. Although the murder it centres on (and the young girls who are accused) are fictional, its cleverly layered structure asks uncomfortable questions about the popularity of the genre, the real people it exploits and what it says about those of us that consume it. If this all sounds a bit sanctimonious, rest assured that it is not. Clark does all of these things without ever compromising on the intrigue and intensity that make the genre so addictive in the first place.

Read More: Six Great New Reads From Female Authors

Three Podcasts to Take You Back In Time

YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS
Karina Longworth
This podcast takes a look at the first 100 years of Hollywood, from the exaggerated performances of silent film stars to the glitz and glam of Marilyn Monroe and the infamous unravelling of film producer Howard Hughes. Episode eight is particularly good, with the host being joined by comedian John Mulaney as they discuss the iconic Charlie Chaplin.

THE REST IS HISTORY
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook
Hosted by two acclaimed historians, this podcast covers everything, from Julius Caesar and the Library of Alexandria to JFK and J. Robert Oppenheimer. For an easy introduction, start with episode 314 on the legend and legacy of Atlantis.

EMPIRE
Anita Anand and William Dalrymple
Go on a winding journey through the meteoric rise and devastating fall of empires throughout human history. Prepare for detail-driven analysis as each series does a deep-dive on a specific empire, with past topics covering the British in India and the Ottoman Empire. Most recently, the podcast takes a look at one of the largest empires to ever exist, Russia.