In case you’re feeling blue about going into a third lock-down, we come bearing good news! We have handpicked plenty of exciting TV and film releases to see you through the next few weeks. With a variety of new picks across Netflix, Now TV, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, here’s what to add to your January watch list.
Surviving Death, Netflix
Based on best-selling author and journalist Leslie Kean’s book, Surviving Death is an in-depth investigative series exploring the possibility of an afterlife. The six-part series explores existential questions that have been asked over time – what does death mean? Is it the end of our existence? Is there more than one afterlife? Through scientific research and first-hand accounts from those who have been close to – and allegedly even experienced – death and reincarnation, this extraordinary documentary goes above and beyond with compelling evidence and fascinating studies.
The White Tiger, Netflix
Based on the New York Times bestseller and 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning novel, The White Tiger is a story of ambition and success. Balram Halwai (Adarsh Gourav) narrates his epic and darkly humorous rise from poor villager to entrepreneur in modern India. Both cunning and eager for a better way of life, Balram tricks his way into becoming a driver for Ashok (Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who have just returned from America. From humble beginnings, Balram takes on the role of the servant to survive, but after a night of betrayal, he realizes the corrupt lengths his employers will go to trap him and save themselves. Against all odds, Balram transgresses society and rebels an unequal system to rise up and become his own master.
Available to watch on 22nd January
A Teacher, BBC iPlayer
Based on the 2013 film of the same name, A Teacher is a ten-part miniseries created by film director and producer, Hannah Fidell. Claire Wilson (Kate Mara) is a popular English teacher at Westerbrook High School in Texas who begins an inappropriate friendship with one of her students, Eric Walker (Nick Robinson). After revealing she is unhappily married to her husband Matt (Ashley Zuckerman), the relationship between teacher and student turns into a sexual affair, which eventually forces Eric to come to terms with the abusive coercion Claire has forced upon him.
Bridgerton Netflix
Downtown Abbey meets Gossip Girl in this new Netflix drama, which lands on Christmas Day. Inspired by the bestselling novels by Julia Quinn, the eight-part series follows Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family, as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market.
The Serpent, BBC iPlayer
The first episode of the BBC’s latest drama, The Serpent, hit the screens on New Year’s Day, but the whole series is available to watch on iPlayer. In this true-crime thriller, French conman and serial killer Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim) is finally brought to justice after a killing at least 12 Western backpackers across south east Asia with the help of his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman). In this eight-part series, Sobhraj masterfully evades the police and authorities time and again, gaining his notorious title as The Serpent. However, when Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) is made aware of two Dutch backpackers who were brutally murdered in Bangkok, Sobhraj’s sinsiter plan – the ‘Hippie Trail’– is revealed.
