Pat Fitzpatrick: Motherland, Happy Valley... here’s what I’ll be watching this Christmas
Motherland's Christmas special is a must in our house
(December 23, 9:30, BBC One) is a must in our house. I’m not sure if you need to have kids to appreciate this comedy about a gang of mostly middle-class Moms and one Dad in London. As kids hardly feature, probably not.
With a fourth series in the offing, this episode throws open their houses as they deal with divorce, alcohol, anxiety, and the odd bit of love.
If nothing else, you’ll love that Irish Mom, Anne, is beside herself with excitement that she’s hosting Mammy and 29 cousins. I’m tuning in just to see if she says ‘Jesus tonight’ when things go wrong.
(BBC One, January 1, 9:30pm) is back for a third season and I couldn’t be happier. Never mind that Sarah Lancashire, James Norton and Siobhan Finneran are outlandishly good actors, or that series creator Sally Wainwright knows how to tell a tale; it’s the location I love, the Calder Valley in Halifax, a weird mix of idyllic brick houses, grim-up-north industry, edge of town countryside and say what you see Yorkshire people.
It makes Emmerdale look stupid, and it’s about time. The town sets the tone for a dark vs light, as Lancashire’s cop, Catherine, takes on Norton’s bad-un, Royce, one more time.
As this is the last series, here’s hoping it goes out with a bang.
(ITVX) is on ITV’s new streaming site, ITVX, which is available on my laptop as I write, without a VPN (I’m told some people can’t get it, so may have to wait for the show to air on UTV in 2023, available on satellite). It’s the story of Kim Philby, the toff and
Soviet double-agent who operated at British intelligence upper levels.
It’s real life John Le Carré stuff and the story is based on the book by Ben McIntyre, who is peerless at tales of real-life espionage.
Add in Guy Pearce as Philby, and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliot, the man he betrays, and this is telly catnip for me over Christmas. It dropped on ITVX in early December, the only problem now is to make sure I don’t devour it like those four boxes of Celebrations you polished off last weekend.
And finally, the annual debate about (RTÉ One and BBC One). Viewers are outraged that it got another two Christmas specials, it says here on the-yorkshireman.com, and who am I do disagree?
But Mrs Brown’s Boys is basically a joke in a Christmas cracker. Any other time of the year, you’d make a face. But here you are, in a scorching hot front room with a bunch of people who get on your nerves after a big feed. Finding something familiar to put a smile on everyone’s face is the only way to go.
I like groaning at the bad jokes as well — someone should tell the-yorkshireman.com that it’s Christmas, open a Curly Wurly there and have a laugh.
