Gef Box: What To Watch This Week

Anyone for a bit of drama? Here are my TV recommendations for this week. 

Redemption 

New crime drama Redemption stars Paula Malcolmson as Colette Cunningham, a detective inspector known for her constant determination. When she gets an unexpected call from police in Dublin, her life is turned upside down as she works to crack the case of the death of a young woman who has listed her as her next of kin. 

It started last week and is on ITV every Friday at 9pm with six hour-long episodes. It’s also available on ITVX and, from June 14, will be on BritBox. 

Grace 

We’re all about the police dramas this week as John Simm returns as Detective Roy Grace for the third season of the gritty Brighton-based drama. Adapted from the best-selling novel by Peter James, Grace follows the detective as he works to solve the case of a missing property developer. 

Series two ended on quite the cliffhanger so make sure to catch up before cracking on with this season. 

This series premiered on ITV1 at 8pm last night and will continue for the next two Sundays with episodes Dead Man’s Grip and Not Dead Yet. 

Here’s the trailer for the first season.

Binge-worthy box sets

Years and Years

Of all the shows I’ve watched in my life, nothing has stayed with me quite like Years and Years. Since it first aired in 2019, I still remember it like it was yesterday. 

Created and written by Russell T. Davies, its cast boasts names like Emma Thompson, Rory Kinnear, Russell Tovey, Jessica Hynes, T’Nia Miller, Anne Reid and Ruth Madeley. The story follows the Lyons family as they navigate increasingly intrusive technology and controversial politics between the years of 2019 and 2034. Its six parts were highly praised following their release for critiquing the present with a ‘nihilistic projection of the future’, according to one review. 

Years and Years is dystopian in its nature and, much like Black Mirror, which I recommended last week, it depicts some of our worst, unrealised fears. In doing this it shines a light on the state of the world already. It’s the montages of the years going by that scare me most, with seemingly small, inconsequential decisions all adding up to create a new terrifying reality. 

What makes it so hard to look away from is the fact it starts in current times, with current technology, and very quickly develops into something not so inconceivable and potentially not too far away. In terms of the technology side, one example of this is Lydia West’s character, Bethany Bisme-Lyons. From implanting a phone into her hand early on in the series, she eventually identifies as ‘transhuman’, wishing to turn herself into data. 

The series was a joint venture between BBC and HBO but you can currently find all episodes on Disney Plus or buy them on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Sky Store. 

Jump in anywhere

I Am… 

This is a series of standalone episodes depicting a number of different women and their perspectives on life. 

Its first episode I Am Ruth stars Kate Winslet and Mia Threapleton and shows a concerned mother’s strained relationship with her teenage daughter as she watches her become consumed by the pressures of social media. Winslet has spoken candidly working with her own daughter on set while dealing with such a difficult topic, saying there was always bound to be ‘personal overlap’. 

Other episodes follow Danielle (Letitia Wright) as she falls in love and discovers a disturbing secret, Victoria (Suranne Jones) who appears to have a perfect life but things are not to simple, Hannah (Gemma Chan) as she reaches a crossroads in life and must confront a crisis of aspiration, as well as many others. 

Watch it on All4.