The Sunday Times • 28th October 2023

The 20 best literary TV adaptations ranked — by an expert jury

What’s the best TV literary adaptation of all time? We’ve gathered a jury of experts to compile a list of 15 of the best.

On the panel are Andrew Davies, the acclaimed scriptwriter and king of costume drama; Jack Thorne, writer behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the BBC’s His Dark Materials; Heidi Thomas, screenwriter, Call the Midwife; Daisy Goodwin, novelist and creator of the hit show Victoria; Mark Gatiss, co-creator of Sherlock and star of The Motive and the Cue at the Noël Cowar

The Sunday Times • 28th October 2023

The best scary TV shows to watch this Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner, and while it’s true that horror films tend to take centre stage at this time of year, television does a decent line in spooky series too.

To get you in the mood for things that go bump in the night we have collected some of our critics’ favourite scary shows to watch this Halloween.

So that there’s something for everyone, we’ve split them by age classification with a handful aimed at younger people, plus a larger selection rated 12+, 15+ and 18+.

What are

The Sunday Times • 14th October 2023

The 40 best shows to stream on Channel 4

What was once called All4 is now called Channel 4, which is a confusing name for a streaming service as it’s the same as the broadcast channel. However, Channel 4 (streaming) has a fantastic collection of television shows for you to enjoy — and what’s more, it’s free to use.

As well as the usual catch-up services you might expect from a broadcaster’s online presence (ie you can watch last night’s Grand Designs at the touch of a button), Channel 4 has three strengths in its armoury as a streamer

The Sunday Times • 14th October 2023

The top 20 Disney animated movies ranked

On October 16, 1923, two brothers set up a company that changed the world. The Walt Disney Company, then known as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, was founded in the back of a small office occupied by Holly-Vermont Realty in Los Angeles.

From that small office, a global empire was born of princesses, elephants, lions, dwarfs — and mice. The studios have produced more than 60 films, won over 100 Oscars and made billions at the box office.

To celebrate the studio’s birthday, we’ve ranked its

The Sunday Times • 7th October 2023

The 30 best free shows and series on ITVX

In 2022 ITVX replaced ITV Hub as the broadcaster’s free streaming service, and not only offers the catch-up TV from all the ITV channels that you would expect, but also an impressive selection of classic and acquired content.

Our selection of the best content includes some of the best shows from the past year as well as drama and comedy from the archive, which we think are worth your time. It only includes content that is available free of charge for users of ITVX and not the premium content (£

The Sunday Times • 30th September 2023

The best celebrity documentaries to watch now

Documentary film-makers are often drawn to celebrities as their subjects. Whether from the world of music, film, politics or sport, there is always a desire to understand more about their private lives, their motivations and the drive behind famous faces.

And although in the age of streaming it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the sheer number of profiles of celebrities, throughout the years there have been some truly magnificent films that probe the lives of some of the most famous celebrities

The Times • 28th September 2023

The 16 best films to see at London Film Festival

Every October, the capital rolls out the red carpet for some of the hottest films, stars and directors. Now in its 67th year, the London Film Festival offers a jam-packed schedule of premieres and debut features — with films starring Julianne Moore, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Jodie Comer and Anthony Hopkins all on this year’s menu.

But the festival is no longer exclusive to the capital. Nine cinemas in cities from Newcastle to Birmingham are hosting some of the year’s hottest films.

So what a

The Sunday Times • 23rd September 2023

15 true crime dramas to watch right now

True crime has long been a subject that has attracted TV producers for its fascinating stories and dark questions about the motivations of humans to lie, cheat and kill.

In recent years there has been a boom in the genre driven by more channels and streaming services than ever looking for stories that will stand out and grab the attention of potential audiences.

With ITV releasing The Long Shadow, a drama telling the story of the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, here we collate some more of the

The Sunday Times • 20th September 2023

The 40 best shows to watch on Sky and Now

Whether you have a satellite dish on your wall and the full Sky package or use the streaming platform Now to access your content, there is a wealth of box sets here.

Beyond its well-known live sport and movies offering, Sky is especially good for British TV fans who want exclusive access to HBO shows such as The Last of Us, Succession and House of the Dragon and other big-name buy-ins from premium cable providers in the US. Alongside the American acquisitions, Sky is beginning to build a good b

The Sunday Times • 16th September 2023

The 40 best shows to watch on Sky and Now

Whether you have a satellite dish on your wall and the full Sky package or use the streaming platform Now to access your content, there is a wealth of box sets here.

Beyond its well-known live sport and movies offering, Sky is especially good for British TV fans who want exclusive access to HBO shows such as The Last of Us, Succession and House of the Dragon and other big-name buy-ins from premium cable providers in the US. Alongside the American acquisitions, Sky is beginning to build a good b

The Sunday Times • 9th September 2023

The 50 best BBC iPlayer TV shows and series

There are so many streaming services these days competing for our business that it is sometimes easy to forget what a goldmine of television is available on BBC iPlayer at no extra cost.

Although once a relatively short-term repository of the latest broadcast shows for catch-up, the streaming service has over the past few years grown into a seriously impressive archive of the best of the BBC past and present.

Although not every classic BBC drama and comedy is available on iPlayer (for many you

The Sunday Times • 26th August 2023

The 17 best fantasy shows to watch now

Once you have immersed yourself in the second season of the epic drama The Wheel of Time, starring Rosamund Pike, out from September 1 on Prime Video, where next for your fantasy fix?

Here we highlight 17 of the best fantasy TV shows for your next big adventure. What’s your favourite fantasy show? What have we missed? Let us know in the comments below.

Love TV? Discover the best Prime Video TV shows, the best Disney+ shows plus the best TV shows still to come in 2023. Don’t forget to try our h

The Sunday Times • 16th August 2023

The best Star Wars films and TV shows ranked — and the worst

It would take almost six days — about 140 hours — to watch every Star Wars film and television series made since the original space opera began 45 years ago.

Here are the best 18 Star Wars shows and films ranked, from worst to best (all available to watch on Disney+).

This movie is special effects in overdrive with almost every shot filmed on a green screen. But not even whizzing spaceships can make up for the clanking dialogue (“I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating — and it

The Sunday Times • 12th August 2023

The 36 best TV costume dramas — ranked

Costume dramas have been a mainstay of television for generations, and among their number are some of the most well-loved and memorable programmes.

From adaptations of Dickens novels to new creations such as Downton Abbey, there are certainly plenty of gems to choose from, all skilfully bringing alive past eras.

But which is the best television show set in the past? Which show provides the perfect blend of brilliant storyline, excellent acting and absorbing attention to detail in costumes and

The Sunday Times • 5th August 2023

The 25 best Apple TV+ shows and series

Apple TV+ had a slow start in the streaming wars, launching in the UK in 2019 with a fairly mediocre offering of originals and a relatively small catalogue of television series and movies compared with rivals such as Netflix and Prime Video. However, since then the streamer has worked with some of the biggest talent in the TV industry to build on early hype around shows including The Morning Show and Ted Lasso to create an impressive collection of drama, sci-fi and comedy.

Unlike most streaming

The Sunday Times • 5th August 2023

The 50 best hip-hop tracks ranked

As hip-hop turns 50 this summer, we pick the songs that define a music genre that changed the world. Our expert panel includes Romesh Ranganathan, comedian; Nick Grimshaw, radio presenter; rapper Stefflon Don; Kenny Allstar, host of the Radio 1 Rap Show; M1llionz, Birmingham rapper; Big Narstie, British MC and more.

Drake (2011)

We weren’t to know it at the time but this track essentially mapped out Drake’s career: mumbled vocals, a nagging hook and lyrics dealing with the drawbacks of fame. I

The Sunday Times • 29th July 2023

40 best Disney+ TV shows and series

When Disney joined the streaming revolution in the UK in 2020 many consumers may have sighed and asked themselves: “How many times can I really watch The Lion King?” Although the platform is home to all of the animated and live action films you’d expect from the 100-year-old House of Mouse, perhaps the biggest surprise is the strength and depth of the TV catalogue on show.

Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios (and a determination to get their money’s worth) has meant the platfor

The Sunday Times • 22nd July 2023

The best Margot Robbie movies — ranked

Barbie, the big-budget doll story now in cinemas, couldn’t have had a more bankable lead actress than Margot Robbie. She looks the part and has shown serious talent while becoming one of the best-known stars of her generation.

Born and raised in Queensland, Australia, Robbie got her acting break on TV in the soap opera Neighbours, becoming well known to British audiences as Donna Freedman between 2008 and 2011. However, after moving to America and landing a starring role in the short-lived ABC

The Sunday Times • 22nd July 2023

The 35 best Prime Video TV shows and series

It’s a river, a rainforest and, to many 21st-century consumers, an overgrown online bookshop. But Amazon as a video streaming platform has never quite had the same memeable cool and cut-through as Netflix or the big franchise appeal of Disney+ with all its Star Wars and Marvel offerings. Perhaps not helped by a number of name changes over the years (it’s now just Prime Video, having dropped the Amazon) it’s struggled to gain a clear edge over rivals. That’s surprising given the money it’s poured

The Sunday Times • 15th July 2023

The 40 best war films of all time — ranked by experts

What’s the best war film of all time? Ahead of the director Christopher Nolan’s epic Oppenheimer, about the dawn of the nuclear age, we asked a team of experts including the defence secretary Ben Wallace and the podcast historian Tom Holland.

From blood and guts in Vietnam to bitter satires and films telling the stories of forgotten victims, our panel picked movies that moved, shocked and mesmerised them. But what came out on top?

Here we rank the Top 40 — but do you agree? Have we missed out

The Sunday Times • 9th July 2023

The 50 best Netflix TV shows and series to watch right now

Overwhelmed by the number of TV shows on Netflix? Finding you spend more time scrolling than you do watching these days? Looking for new TV series that break out of the echo-chamber of algorithmic recommendations? Our list of the 50 best TV shows to watch on Netflix right now may be just what you’ve been looking for.

Below we’ve collected our critics’ pick of some of the best TV shows to help you make the most of your Netflix subscription. Whether you’re looking for gripping dramas and novel en

The Sunday Times • 1st July 2023

Wes Anderson — every movie ranked

Wes Anderson is in a league of his own among film-makers in modern cinema, having carved out a reputation for quirky, eccentric and visually arresting movies often featuring eclectic ensemble casts.

His 11th feature, Asteroid City, is in cinemas now and joins a long line of films that have delighted audiences since his debut Bottle Rocket was championed by the master film-maker Martin Scorsese in 1996. Since then his movies have attracted some of the biggest stars — from Ben Stiller, Edward Nor

The Sunday Times • 24th June 2023

The 11 best Idris Elba TV and film performances

Idris Elba returns to the small screen in the streaming thriller Hijack on June 28 (Apple TV+), the latest in a long line of screen performances on the big and small screens.

His breakthrough role as Russell “Stringer” Bell in the HBO drama The Wire more than two decades ago has led to acclaimed turns in indie flicks and huge franchise blockbusters. But which is Idris Elba’s best screen performance?

Here we celebrate 11 of the very best. From voicing a classic Disney character to portraying a

The Sunday Times • 17th June 2023

The 16 best Marvel TV series — ranked

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continues to expand, with Samuel L Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury in the latest television show from the comic book franchise.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. introduced Marvel to the small screen for the modern era and a number of Netflix series took the franchise onwards and upwards as more time and money began to be invested in the television wing of the Marvel world.

However, it was the launch of Disney+ in 2020 that really gave the MCU on TV an enormous