SKY, BRITBOX, APPLE TV+ & ACORN TV

Dear…

‘Your legacy is every life you've touched,' says Oprah Winfrey during this new biographical series. Inspired by the Dear Apple adverts, in which consumers describe the impact of the company's products on their lives, it profiles a number of public figures while hearing from the fans who have been moved to write to them after being inspired by their work. 






Dear... profiles a number of public figures - from Big Bird to Oprah Winfrey - while hearing from the fans who have been moved to write to them after being inspired by their work


Winfrey is one of those featured, alongside the likes of Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Yara Shahidi, Stevie Wonder, Jane Goodall, Misty Copeland and, our personal favourite, Sesame Street resident Big Bird - we're hoping his best friend Mr Snuffleupagus is among those paying tribute.

Expect tears of joy from the celebrities as they hear about the effect they have had on ordinary people across the globe. Apple TV+, from Friday

 

The Plastic Nile 

Available to stream from World Environment Day, this shocking documentary reveals the horrifying impact of plastic on the River Nile, a vital life source for the thousands of people and animals who live within it or along its banks. Award-winning correspondent Alex Crawford exposes the harm done to food chains and captures on camera fishermen and vets trying to help creatures stricken by accidentally ingesting the stuff. But what really brings the tragedy home is the hideous sight of tons of single-use plastic thoughtlessly disposed of as it clogs this once majestic waterway. Sky/NOW TV, from Friday

 

My Brilliant Friend

Elena Ferrante's ‘Neapolitan novels' - four books about the lifelong friendship between Lila and Elena, daughters of a tough working-class area of Naples - are a phenomenon. 






The big-budget adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel is an extraordinary achievement and covers Lila and Elena's (Margherita Mazzucco, above with Christian Giroso) youth


Published between 2012 and 2015, they were instantly recognised as classics, and the fact that ‘Elena Ferrante' is a nom de plume and the author's identity remains unknown has only deepened fans' obsession. 

This big-budget HBO adaptation of the first novel (there will be a series for each) is an extraordinary achievement, covering Lila and Elena's childhood, adolescence and first romantic relationships. Sky/NOW TV, available now

 

The Miniaturist

Amsterdam, 1686. Eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman (Anya Taylor-Joy) moves into the house of the rich merchant she has just married. Her sister-in-law Marin (Romola Garai) and the servants seem to resent her. As a wedding present, her husband gives her a dolls' house modelled on their own home, but miniatures for the house ordered by Nella appear to reveal family secrets. 






Anya Taylor-Joy stars as newlywed, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman in this three-part adaptation of Jessie Burton's bestseller which is set in 17th Century Amsterdam 


Every scene looks like a painting by a Dutch Old Master in this three-part adaptation of Jessie Burton's bestseller - previously broadcast on BBC1 - which differs from the novel in one important aspect. Acorn TV, from Monday

 

Das Boot

A solid sequel to the brilliant Wolfgang Petersen anti-war drama about the crew of a U-boat that patrols the Atlantic in search of British convoys. It's now autumn 1942, nine months after the events of the original story, and the tide has turned against the Germans in the Battle of the Atlantic. 

The series focuses both on the claustrophobic intensity of life on board a German submarine - the U-boat fleet had the highest casualty rate in the German military - and on the activities of the Resistance in the sub's home base, La Rochelle in occupied France. Sky/NOW TV, available now (ahead of s2, June 9)

 

Screened Out

Today's world of gaming apps, 토렌트 랭킹 Instagram fame and social-media addiction troubles Canadian film-maker Jon Hyatt. With his wife and children, he travels across the world, speaking to doctors, tech insiders, psychologists and marketing experts to explore the harmful effects of our obsession. 

He discovers an alarming link between the way app developers exploit human weaknesses and the psychology behind the success of arcade slot machines. And with echoes of Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me, Hyatt decides to disconnect himself from all social media. The results are eye-opening… Various platforms, from Monday




NETFLIX

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Anthony Bourdain was the closest thing cooking had to a rock star. The self-proclaimed pirate was a tattooed New Yorker who took drugs and drank like a fish through every service in every kitchen he ever cooked in. 






Anthony Bourdain was the closest thing cooking had to a rock star. He was also dynamite in front of a TV camera, which is why these 12 series of his travel/cooking show are so enjoyable


He worked in the best - and worst - restaurants around the world and also blew the lid off the entire industry with his incendiary tell-all book Kitchen Confidential. But alongside the larger-than-life personality was a man who loved food. 

He was also dynamite in front of a TV camera, which is why these 12 series of his travel/cooking show are so enjoyable to watch. That he committed suicide while filming the final series - at the age of 61 - makes them also surprisingly poignant. Series 1-12, from Monday

 

13 Reasons Why

This teen drama initially sparked a backlash because an early episode featured a graphic suicide. The scene in question has since been removed from the show, but it has still faced widespread criticism for its portrayal of bullying, sexual assault and self-harm. 

After discovering the truth about the murder of Bryce Walker (Justin Prentice) at the end of last season, Winston (Deaken Bluman) kicks off series four seeking justice for Monty (Timothy Granaderos), who was killed in prison after being framed for the murder. From Friday













 

Queer Eye

Back for their fifth season, the fab five - Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness - are taking their life makeover skills to Philadelphia. Queer Eye has travelled to Georgia, Missouri, Kansas and Tokyo among other places since first airing in 2018. 

In each episode the lifestyle gurus revamp every area of a willing participant's life, from fashion and grooming to diet, culture and design. If this season is anything like the last, you will definitely be needing a box of tissues by your side. From Friday

 

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

His name has become synonymous with sexual depravity and manipulation, but how did Jeffrey Epstein get away with his crimes for so long? 






This revealing four-part documentary helps to explain how Jeffrey Epstein was able to get away with his systematic abuse of vulnerable women and girls for so long


This revealing four-part documentary explains how he came from humble beginnings before amassing the fortune that bought him access to some of the most powerful and influential people in the world, all while running an international sex-trafficking ring. 

Director Lisa Bryant also examines the secret plea deal Epstein made in 2008 that enabled him to stay out of jail - and to continue his systematic abuse of vulnerable women and girls. Available now

 

Keeping Up With The Kardashians

For the Kardashian and Jenner clans, revisiting 2007 must feel like a trip back to the Victorian era. But that's what Netflix are offering viewers the chance to do as they show the first two seasons of the blockbusting reality show. Especially intriguing is seeing how much Kris, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie have changed since then. From Monday