Upstart Crow (2016–)

Upstart Crow (2016–)

18 episodes, approx 29 mins each + 3 Christmas Specials, approx 49 mins each.

In the simplest terms, if you like Shakespeare and enjoyed the format of the Blackadder TV series, then Upstart Crow is probably for you.

Written by comedian Ben Elton, it portrays the bard as a playwright struggling for inspiration and unappreciated by his family and friends.

David Mitchell is wonderful in the title role, as is Liza Tarbuck as his wife Anne Hathaway, the only one of his group that truly understands him.

To get the most from the series you'll need some pretty sizeable knowledge of Shakespeare's written works and of events in his personal life, including that of his contemporaries (e.g. Kit Marlowe and Robert Greene) and be aware of the various theories regarding authorship.

That's an unusually high level of prerequisite for a sitcom to ask of its audience, but if you have it, then you're going to have a lot more fun.

Lucifer: Volume 04 (2003)

The Divine Comedy (2003)

Author: Mike Carey | Illustrators: Peter Gross / Ryan Kelly / Dean Ormston | Page Count: 190

"Grace and perfection and eternity were her heritage. […] And a soul so bright it could be seen from Hell."

Volume 04 of 11 in the Lucifer series. The many consequences of things unseen would be a simple way to describe the book. To elaborate on that will be hard to do without giving anything away because almost everyone of any significance in the previous books is gathered in Carey's playground (nestled still within a fractured part of Gaiman's wider Sandman universe).

It's a five pointed star with all the points pointing inwards. No one is safe when everyone wants the same thing and most of them are prepared to do anything to obtain it. It's as powerful as a series finale, and yet it's not even close to the end. Nevertheless, not everyone is lucky enough to make it out unscathed.

Dredd (2012)

Dredd (2012)

Dir. Pete Travis / Alex Garland (uncredited)

The Dredd film deserved more success than it got. It drew comparisons to Dir. Gareth Evans' The Raid (2011), with both films set inside of a single tower block, but I've not seen The Raid, so for me Dredd felt fresh and interesting.

The filmmakers made some minor changes to the comic's aesthetic, (e.g. the Lawmaster, Lawgiver, and iconic Judge costume each got a slight redesign, mostly for practical purposes), but crucially it remained faithful to the essence and core values of its esteemed comic source.

Even the poster art (pic right) takes inspiration from the page - recreating the stance of a towering Judge statue, a symbolic reminder for the citizens of Mega-City One that Judges are the ultimate law, perhaps most notably used to that effect in the classic America (2008) story.

Stargate SG-1: Season 04 (2000-01)

SG-1: Season 04 (2000-01)

Dirs. Various | 22 episodes, approx 44 minutes each.

Unlike the first female soldier that we saw in the SG-1 series (in the pilot episode), who single-handedly reinforced the blonde stereotype, Major Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) is the most comprehensively educated member of the team, with a range of unsurprisingly handy skills.

Not characterised as non-feminine, Sam still has compassion and a motherly instinct (kind of like Jack's paternal one), but it's not to the detriment of her role as a respected authority figure.

Now seems like a good time to mention my respect for the show's only other regular female cast member, Dr. Janet Fraiser (Teryl Rothery). When the teams get battered, bruised, or taken over by an alien intelligence, etc, it's the quick response of Dr. Fraiser that more often than not saves the day - ofttimes working alongside Sam.