Let's Hear It For The Boys

More great telly coming your way

I missed the British coming of age comedy series, Ladhood the first time so I’m grateful to my friend Ben for telling me about it. The show started on iPlayer in 2019 and ran for three series, ending in July this year.

Deploying direct to camera address in a successfully non-smug way, the show’s creator Liam Williams stars in an autobiographical account of his own life, growing up in Garforth in Yorkshire in the 90s, traversing his angst-filled teenage years into unfulfilled 30-something adulthood.

Williams looks back at key moments of his adolescence and tries to understand how those formative experiences have shaped and informed his adult life, failures and patterns of behaviour. In the flashbacks, his adult self haunts those scenes, offering commentary on the memories and reflecting on where he went wrong. This show is very funny and that rarest of things - original.

Williams has an emphatic, verbose, booming speaking style which is contrasted brilliantly with the laconic “fook offs” of his teenage self and his gang of mates.

I’m aware that so much of what I consume if female centric. I’m naturally drawn to female authors and and shows that focus on the interior lives of women so this felt refreshing as an interrogation of masculinity, repressed aggression and the challenges of escaping the past.

There are 6 episodes per series which are about 25 minutes long so it’s a joyfully brief and concise viewing experience, no Netflix padding and endless recapping. See what you think.

I felt like I endured the new series of The Crown as opposed to enjoying it. It was so boring and cringey (note that I still watched it all: sucker) and I just didn’t buy so much of it, like when Diana jauntily makes Charles scrambled eggs while the ink dries on their divorce papers. The reality of that period is already so batshit that it actually feels ways less interesting when dramatised.

My friend Anna pointed out how disconcerting it was for handsome Dominic West to portray Charles. I also feel extremely confused about fancying Johnny Lee Miller’s John Major. Let’s leave it at that.

I don’t know why everyone is moaning about White Lotus. I’m really enjoying the second series and would happily spend many hours drinking in the gorgeous Sicilian scenery. I particularly love the foursome of Sutton Brady from The Bold Type, her husband Henry de Tamble from the Time Traveller’s Wife with April Ludgate from Parks & Rec and her husband - sorry, I haven’t seen him in anything else.

David Baddiel’s documentary, Jews Don’t Count based on his brilliant book aired on Channel 4 this week. I implore everyone to watch it. Baddiel’s argument that identity politics excludes Jewish people who aren’t considered to be a real minority is enlightening and important.

See you next time!

Hannah