Screen Babble podcast: Luther, You, and a post-Oscars debrief - episode 17

Screen Babble is your essential guide to everything on television, from the mainstream to the marginal. NationalWorld’s podcast producer Kelly Crichton, our much-missed news and trends expert Steven Ross, and critic Alex Moreland discuss what is – and what isn’t – worth watching. In this week’s episode, Steven is off on holiday, so we’re joined by eCommerce Editor and Oscars specialist Katie Conaglen, who looks back on the highs and lows of the 95th Academy Awards.

As ever, we kick things off by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. With Steven missing this week, we can only speculate about what he’s been watching, though knowing him it’s probably his typical television diet of Love Island and Mrs Brown’s Boys. In his place, Katie tells us all about Netflix’s bingeable serial killer drama You, Alex offers a hot take on Sherlock, and Kelly shares her thoughts on The Last of Us finale.

Next, Katie takes a closer look at the results of the 2023 Oscars. Did the right people win – did the wrong people lose? Is it more interesting if there’s no obvious frontrunner rather than an across-the-board sweep? Who had the best speech? And was Jimmy Kimmel a good host in this strange new post-slap world?

Finally, Alex brings us back to the future with a Luther retrospective. Idris Elba’s BBC One crime drama has been reinvented as a Netflix film – does it lose what made the television series work in the first place, or does it inject it with new momentum? Is it worth going back and watching the show, or can you start with the film? And how does it compare to Sherlock, the other big BBC One crime drama about a genius detective?

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Steven’s Weekend Watch Mini-Babble, previewing all the best TV to watch over the next few days. This week, Steven’s Weekend Watch is presented by Alex – it’s Alex’s Steven’s Weekend Watch! – and previews a new Apple TV+ science fiction anthology, an ITV crime drama, and a Channel 4 reality show from the creators of The Traitors.

Listen to Screen Babble #16 here…

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• You is available now on Netflix, which you can sign up for here.
• Ted Lasso is available on Apple TV+, which you can sign up for here.
• Sherlock, Better, and The Gold are available now on BBC iPlayer.
• Station Eleven is available now on Lionsgate+, which you can sign up for here, or access as an add-on channel via Amazon Prime Video.
• Luther Series 1 – 5 are available now on BBC iPlayer, with the new movie Luther: The Fallen Sun available to stream on Netflix.

Screen Babble: how to follow the show

• Screen Babble is available to download on all podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify
• You can join the conversation on our Screen Babble Facebook group

• If you’ve enjoyed the show or found it useful, we’d love you to give us a rating and review, as it helps us to reach more listeners.

• You can also follow our TV coverage on Twitter @NationalWorldTV - as well as @morelandwriter and @steven_jross and @kelc100
• Do you have a TV question you’d like the Screen Babble team to answer on a future episode, or a recommendation of your own? Send it to [email protected] or [email protected]