TV and Culture Guide: What to Watch, Read and Listen to in October
Sally Wainwright's new BBC series, Perrie Edwards's new album, and the return of a Netflix favourite…
At Home
Married at First Sight
Deep into the experiment now, more strangers have been matched to each other with the help of expert analysis based on their personalities, likes and dislikes – and, let’s be honest, for our entertainment. Those who’ve married at first sight this year include Rebecca, an aesthetics nurse from Liverpool, Nelly, a cosmetic dentist from Manchester, Anita, an operations manager from Durham, Maeve, an aesthetics practitioner from Newcastle and Joe, a personal trainer from Huddersfield.
Channel 4
Big Brother
If you’re willing to dedicate every night of autumn to it, Big Brother is back. In a bid to keep things interesting, one contestant was given the boot on their first night in the house. Sam, a zumba instructor from Skipton, and Marcus, a mechanical engineer from Manchester, are just two of this year's contestants hoping to win the cash prize.
ITV
Nobody Wants This
Ironically, given its name, everybody has been wanting this series to return since they binge-watched the first season. A unique Los Angeles-set love story, Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf) will join Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in new episodes coming to Netflix on 23rd October.
Netflix
Riot Women
Yorkshire writer Sally Wainwright (best known for Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack) is back with a very different series this October that we’re sure will have you hooked. Set and filmed in Hebden Bridge, it follows a star-studded cast playing five menopausal women who form a punk rock band to take part in a local talent contest, and find they have more in common, and more to shout about, than they had ever imagined.
BBC
The Celebrity Traitors
If seeing her on Strictly each weekend isn’t enough, Claudia Winkleman returns to The Traitors castle on 8th October – but this time with an all-star cast including Stephen Fry, Lucy Beaumont, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and Tom Daley. Who can they trust, and who will backstab their way to the cash prize of up to £100,000 for charity.
BBC
In Cinemas
Tron: Ares
The third instalment in the Tron series and a sequel to Tron: Legacy, Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto. Ares is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission.
10th October
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
This new biographical musical explores the making of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 Nebraska album, and it’s based on the 2023 book Deliver Me from Nowhere. Jeremy Allen White (Shameless star, but probably best known for The Bear) plays Springsteen.
24th October
Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical
If you didn’t manage to catch it whilst it was touring, Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical will rock cinemas this autumn. This musical is partly based on the Bat Out of Hell album by Meat Loaf, and you can read our review here.
30th October
We Loved
THE ROAD
Cormac McCarthy
Bleak from beginning to end, the concept behind this book is simple enough – a father and son are travelling alone through a post-apocalyptic country that has been torn apart by a mysterious disaster. Despite how dystopian this read is, and how dangerous every stranger they encounter is, it’s still a hopeful story of devotion and how far we’re willing to go for our loved ones. My favourite detail was Cormac’s choice to remove the speech marks, which left what little dialogue there was feeling stripped back and raw, with no space for anything except honesty. I’d recommend taking this read slowly, or the gloominess of the book can start to feel overwhelming.
Neave Herridge, Food Editor
ELPHIE
Gregory Maguire
Will the Wicked hype ever end? Certainly not ’til after Wicked: For Good hits cinemas this November. So of course Gregory Maguire had to release another wicked instalment in the meantime: this time, a prequel. Elphie offers fans a better insight into Elphaba’s childhood, adolescence and what eventually led her to Shiz. Whilst it’s been met with mixed reviews, I found it much easier to read than Wicked (likely due to the fact it’s been written 30 years later). As origin stories go, Elphie allows readers to feel more sympathetic towards Elphaba (something the musical adaption does well), but Elphie could easily be read as a stand-alone for fans of both the musical and film. In between inevitable heartache there are some beautiful moments of early friendship, hope and a touch of magic.
Faye Dixon, Arts Editor
On Our To-Read List
UNSCHOOLED
Caro Giles
Written with unflinching honesty, this eye-opening memoir from Caro Giles charts the realities of being a single parent, carer and at-home educator for two of her daughters who don’t fit the mould for traditional education. It’s a celebration of the spontaneous, and the possibility of thriving outside of the norm in a more open world that recognises and supports true difference. Mum of four Caro is based in Northumberland, and draws inspiration from her own life and the local landscape. Her other works include Twelve Moons, which tracks her life across the lunar calendar.
HURTMOOR
Tim Prescott
After decades without any contact, Greg Whitehead attends a funeral in North Yorkshire and meets some old school friends, including Andy, who had bullied him, and Sarah, who he’d loved and lost. Sarah moved south after university, to live her life at Hurtmoor Farm, but now she is desperate to escape her coercively controlling husband. Meanwhile, Andy is looking for redemption, and Greg just wants a quiet life. Their reunion triggers a series of unanticipated events, with simmering tensions which lead to a dramatic climax – only one shot is fired, but all their lives are changed. Author of gritty psychological thriller Who Cares Who Wins, Tim Prescott lives and writes on the North Yorkshire coast, using the local area for inspiration.
New Music
Perrie
Perrie Edwards
The second of Little Mix’s Geordies has released her debut album. This one’s self titled, features her debut solo single Forget About Us, and was released on 26th September. On 1st October, she attracted crowds to Newcastle’s HMV to sign copies.
Out Now
The Life of a Showgirl
Taylor Swift
Possibly the most anticipated album on our list, Taylor Swift is back! She created this album during the European leg of the Eras Tour last year.
3rd October
From The Pyre
The Last Dinner Party
From the Pyre is the upcoming second studio album by the British rock band the Last Dinner Party. We’re excited to hear their new music.
17th October
Everybody Scream
Florence + The Machine
A Halloween treat, Florence + The Machine’s sixth studio album will arrive on 31st October. We already love the title track so we can’t wait to hear the rest.
31st October
