Counter Culture

Two big dramas are out this week: Trigger Point from ITV on Sunday and The Responder on BBC One on Monday so look out for those.

On Netflix Snowpiercer returns from 25 January, 2022. It’s season three of the political thriller which is based on the 2013 film of the same, as well as the novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. Is it possible to survive outside of the train? And can eight people do enough to start a revolution on the train, bringing down Mr. Wilford (played by Sean Bean) once and for all? These are the plot questions that season 3 will be asking. Episodes will be available every Tuesday for 10 weeks after the first episode airs.

Viewers in the U.S. waiting for season 3 to come to Netflix will be disappointed. In America, HBO Max is the streaming home for the new season, with episodes not expected to drop on the platform until January 2023.

Saturday 22 January 2022

Bowie: The Man Who Changed The World Talking Pictures 11:10 pm

2016 documentary remembering and celebrating the life of David Bowie with contributions from those who knew him. You can see the Counter Culture review here.

The Man Who Fell to Earth Talking Pictures 1:05

I love this film. I’m a big Bowie fan and the story is made for him with his obsession with aliens and being the other. Thomas Jerome Newton travels to Earth to get water for his dying planet. He starts a high technology company to get the billions of dollars he needs to build a return spacecraft. Gradually he is first blocked and then corrupted by the world around him.

Sunday January 23 2022

Trigger Point ITV 9 pm (1/6)

Bomb disposal officers Alanna Washington and Joel Napkins are called out to investigate a potential bomb factory on a London housing estate but there is no sign of the bomb makers…

Monday January 24 2022

The Responder BBC One 9 pm

It will be interesting to see which of the two dramas beginning this week proves most popular – Trigger Point or The Responder. The Responder has police officer Chris struggling to keep a grip on his mental health and marriage as he’s offered a path to redemption in the form of young heroin addict.

Citizen Hearst PBS America 8:40 pm (1/2)

From humble beginnings at the San Francisco Examiner in 1887 William Randolph Hearst built his media empire and then political power. He was also the inspiration for Orson Welles Citizen Kane. I must confess that I don’t know that much about Hearst so I’m keen to learn more about this influential figure. PBS America gets the same kind of flack as the BBC does in the UK but this type of programme shows the value of public broadcasting from an educational viewpoint.

Tuesday 25 January 2022

The Decade the Rich Won BBC Two 9 pm (1/2)

Not everyone felt the harsh pinch of austerity following the financial crash of 2008. Some were able to rake it in profiting from taxpayer funded bail outs. How did they do this? This two-part documentary seeks to answer that question.

As you might expect on burns night there is a lot on the bard…

Maya Angelou on Robert  Burns BBC Four 9 pm

Writer and poet Maya Angelou goes on a pilgrimage to Burns country in Scotland. contains

Inside the Mind of Robert Burns 10 pm BBC Four

Explores the complex brain of Robert Burns a poetic genius with contradictory attitudes to women politics and slavery. Includes performances of his work from the Burns Cabaret.

Robert Burns: No Holds Bard Sky Arts 7 pm

A witty documentary exploring the life and Legacy of Robert Burns. Enthusiasts and celebrity fans share their thoughts on the work of the celebrated Scottish poet.

Wednesday January 26 2022

Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story Sky Arts 12 am

This film by John Brewer tells the story of Mick Ronson the influential guitarist behind David Bowie’s (arguably) greatest run of albums.

Looking slightly ahead

Tuesday 1 February 2022 sees the start of Chinese New Year with festivities traditionally lasting for 16 days. It’s a celebration of the new year according to the lunar calendar and is sometimes called the Spring Festival. For those interested this is a Water Tiger year in the Chinese Zodiac with all the fluidity you expect from that element!

Selected by Pat Harrington

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