Screen Babble podcast: Stonehouse, Our Flag Means Death, Staged, and Hold the Front Page - episode 7

Screen Babble is your essential guide to everything on television, from the mainstream to the marginal. NationalWorld’s podcast producer Kelly Crichton, news and trends expert Steven Ross, and critic Alex Moreland discuss what is – and what isn’t – worth watching. This week, we’re also joined by eCommerce editor and Antipodean correspondent Katrina Conaglen, who helps us take a closer look at a hit US show that’s finally making its UK debut.

As ever, we begin by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. Kelly and Katrina have been watching – and loving – the new series of Happy Valley, while Steven checked out Sky’s new journalism comedy Hold the Front Page. Alex, meanwhile, spent Christmas recovering from a debilitating major minor cold, so he’s mostly been watching old episodes of The Good Wife – but he did catch the first episode of Stonehouse, which he and Kelly discuss here.

Next, Katrina tells us all about Our Flag Means Death, explaining why the Rhys Darby/Taika Waititi pirate comedy gained such a dedicated fanbase on its US broadcast last year. It’s finally arrived in the UK, with every episode available now on BBC iPlayer – and according to Katrina, it’s well-worth your time.

Steven brings us Back to the Future with a look at Staged, David Tennant and Michael Sheen’s lockdown comedy (it’s a little more recent than some of our Back to the Future features, but it feels like it’s from another era entirely). Which series is best? Who is the most impressive celebrity cameo? Does the meta-narrative ever get too complex? And how does the recent third series live up to its predecessors?

Finally, we herald the start of 2023 with some TV-themed New Year’s Resolutions. Katie is planning to watch through the Sight & Sound Top 100 Films list, and Kelly is planning to watch more TV full-stop. Meanwhile, Alex and Steven have – unexpectedly enough – made the exact same resolution. Do you have a TV-themed New Year’s Resolution?

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.

Listen to this week’s Screen Babble

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