Screen Babble Podcast #44: Sex Education review, The Lovers, The West Wing and Russell Brand: In Plain Sight

Screen Babble is your essential guide to everything on television, from the mainstream to the marginal. I'm NationalWorld’s podcast producer and joined by news and trends expert Steven Ross, as well as a guest host each week to discuss what is – and what isn’t – worth watching. This week we are joined by Mark Dunford, Editor at the Crawley Observer.

As always, we begin by discussing what we’ve been watching recently. Steven has been balancing the light and the dark this week - the light in the form of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Steven is enjoying the new season much more than the last and we debate whether it would be better for the programme to burn out than fade away. The dark is brought by Dispatches' documentary Russell Brand: In Plain Sight. The team discusses the challenges of making such essential and challenging documentaries.

Mark has been to the cinema a few times this week and tells us about the next instalment of Kenneth Brannagh's third Poirot film, A Haunting in Venice, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Find out why when you listen to the podcast. Kelly has given up on a few programmes that were going nowhere and to her shame started Below Deck - listen as Steven passes out with exasperation.

On the 'deep dive' Steven brings us up to speed with Sex Education as its fourth and final series lands. Having watched the new series it's a big thumbs up from Steven as he explains on this week's episode.

Finally, Mark takes us 'back to the future' with an absolute, all-time classic, The West Wing. Find out what made it so good and why it's still a quality watch nearly 20 years later.

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Steven’s Weekend Watch, previewing all the best TV to watch over the next few days. Plus, join us again next week for episode #44 and a new guest host.

Listen to Screen Babble #44 here:

Where can we watch this week’s shows?

• Sex Education, Below Deck and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia are all on Netflix
• A Haunting in Venice is exclusively in cinemas
• Russell Brand: In Plain Sight is available on Channel 4 online

Screen Babble: how to follow the show

Screen Babble is available to download on all podcast platforms, including Apple and Spotify. You can watch Screen Babble on Freeview Channel 276, Shots!

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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]