10 TV and streaming highlights for October: Faithless, Victoria Beckham, The Iris Affair...
October's TV includes Victoria Beckham, Graham Norton and The Iris Affair
It’s the second episode of the new series and Norton is rolling out the big guns, including his fellow Corkman Cillian Murphy. Taylor Swift is also on the couch, and Lewis Capaldi provides the music.
Ryan Murphy continues his parade through America’s darkest nightmares with Gein is the killer who inspired Norman Bates, Leatherface and every horror villain with a mother complex. Charlie Hunnam, nearly unrecognisable, plays the sadistic loner in this eight-parter. It’s grisly, voyeuristic stuff, but exactly the sort of true-crime detour that Murphy can turn into guilty-pleasure TV.
Speaking of Murphys. Cillian Murphy could have cashed in after his Oscar win, slipping into spandex or wielding a lightsaber. Instead, the Corkman insists on smaller, knottier roles. Steve casts him as a frazzled teacher juggling classroom chaos with his own unraveling mental health. It’s a quiet, intimate drama that asks more of him than Oppenheimer did — and he answers. A film that reminds us why Murphy isn't one for taking the easy road.
Baz Ashmawy returns with his soulful comedy-drama about a single dad raising three kids. Season two dives further into the mix of poignancy and hilarity that made the first run so affecting. It’s less about perfect parenting than about resilience — the fumbling, funny attempts to keep a family stitched together.
Posh finally gets her own platform. This three-part doc tries to peer behind the smoky sunglasses, tracing her journey from Spice Girl to fashion mogul. Expect the familiar flashbulbs — football, frocks, tabloid feuds — but the promise here is intimacy, an attempt to sketch the woman who endured decades of media obsession without crumbling. This lets her have the last word.
Martin Beanz Ward is back, wandering the world with a new line-up of guests — Samantha Mumba, Neil Delamere, Norma Sheahan and more. The premise is lofty: chew over the planet’s biggest problems. The reality: banter, awkward tangents and the occasional nugget of wisdom. It’s half chat show, half travelogue, and wholly unpredictable.
The darkly comic Irish drama returns for a second season with Elvira, still processing grief in her own murderous fashion. But this time, someone beats her to the kill. With Detective Rose breathing down her neck, Elvira decides to solve the case herself — a macabre inversion of the amateur sleuth. Twisted, witty and proudly Irish in its bleak sense of humour.
Florence is the backdrop for this glossy thriller starring Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander. The Irish actress plays a maths genius lured into unlocking a dangerous piece of technology, only to bolt with the codes and spark a chase through sunlit piazzas. Glamorous, breathless, and likely the most scenic high-stakes thriller you’ll see this year.
Pennywise the clown is back to scare us out of our boots once more. This prequel series rewinds to the 1960s to chart the demon’s earlier reign. Bill Skarsgård smears on the greasepaint again, as the series explores how Derry in Maine became a breeding ground for ritualistic terror. For anyone who thought clowns couldn’t get creepier, this may prove you wrong.
Geralt of Rivia might look a little different in season 4, and fans may need time to adjust. Liam Hemsworth steps into Henry Cavill’s boots, wig and all. Will it work? Hard to say. But the monsters, the swords and the hair-flipping drama remain. At worst, it’s a fascinating experiment in fan loyalty; at best, Hemsworth makes the role his own. Either way, it’s a gamble worth watching unfold.
