Lucy Mangan

Its two stars give exceptional performances as inmate and officer respectively, in a series about the inhumanity of the penal system which lays bare Jimmy McGovern’s genius

Emily Mortimer’s immaculate adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s bestseller about the madcap Radlett family is an instant classic. What a magnificent treat to tuck into

Alongside an able cast, the actor gives a defining performance in this perfectly conjured HBO drama set in a bleak and deprived corner of Pennsylvania

Emily Watson and Denise Gough star in ITV’s compelling whydunnit, which boasts one of the most convincing cat-and-mouse games ever seen on screen

I know I am not alone in feeling that time (temporarily) without one’s other half is not the disaster said other halves often imagine it to be

This ITV adaptation of Peter James’s crime novel is full of immensely satisfying action – plus a star lead performance

The Masterchef presenter is at his loudmouth worst as he despoils the fine city of Barcelona in this noisy, cliche-ridden embarrassment of a programme

Examining the power structures and political intrigue that have shaped our world, the filmmaker’s new BBC documentary series is a dense, ambitious triumph

Credible characters and a compelling plot drive this four-part drama starring Jill Halfpenny as a grieving mother who believes her son may still be alive

Keeley Hawes’s Alice deals with her husband’s death and uncovers sinister secrets in ITV’s uneven new series, which is somewhat saved by the actors playing her parents

Kazuo Ishiguro returns with a novel about an artificial friend, Zadie Smith brings the Wife of Bath bang up to date, Bill Gates takes on the climate crisis ... a literary calendar for the year ahead

Q&A’s big shift is proof it is a failing show; Peter Helliar’s Trump howler  The Australian

Three contestants woo a would-be lover with food in ITV2’s new courtship contest – and it’s so abysmal that even the charming Scarlett Moffatt can’t salvage it

The BBC recently launched the trailer for a new documentary about Oscar Pistorius. Why is it disrespectful?

Russell Tovey and Bertie Carvel star in the latest thriller from Luther writer Neil Cross, complete with dark forests, ghostly apparitions, and mountains of dread

Although it is set in a world not led by Brexit or the pandemic, David Hare’s four-parter is a reminder – as if we needed one – that political ambition is rarely pure

Lisa McGee and Tobias Beer’s Irish drama may not be innovative, but it delivers a satisfying hit of the worst human impulses, with a dash of pre-Normal People Paul Mescal

Boo to historical accuracy. Hooray to the great comedy cast and script, and watching a ruthless young woman coming up on the inside lane

New figures, released in time for World Book Night, suggest literature is helping the UK housebound.

The world is kind of dark right now. If you need a little light, then these feel-good, happy, uplifting books may just be what you’re looking for.