Vanity Fair
ITV, 2nd September, 9pm
As summer draws to a close, ITV kicks-off its autumn schedule with a romping adaptation of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, starring Olivia Cooke as Becky Sharpe. Social climber Sharpe can be a hard character to pull off, let alone seem likeable, but Cooke’s interpretation lends her an immensely watchable flair. With plenty of acidic put-downs, Fleabag-esque looks to camera and a stellar supporting cast, this is a brilliantly camp take on the often dreary period drama genre.
Angela Carter: Of Wolves & Women
BBC iPlayer, until 3rd September
Speaking of acidic put-downs, the BBC’s documentary on Angela Carter is teeming with them. In one piece of footage from 1992, she snaps at an interviewer: “OK, I write overblown, purple, self-indulgent prose. So fucking what?” Narrated by Sally Phillips, this hour-long documentary paints an extraordinary portrait of an underrated, unconventional writer, and features commentary from Salman Rushdie and Jeanette Winterson. Illustrations and prose extracts are also scattered throughout, demonstrating the strangeness and complexity of her work.
Maniac
Netflix, 21st September
This high-budget 10-piece series stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as patients taking part in a three-day medical trial. Their doctor (Justin Theroux) claims he has created a pill which solves any possible problems with the brain. What could possibly go wrong? Though Netflix are marketing this as a comedy, it’s more in the vein of Black Mirror than The Good Place—and all the better for it.
ITV, 2nd September, 9pm
As summer draws to a close, ITV kicks-off its autumn schedule with a romping adaptation of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, starring Olivia Cooke as Becky Sharpe. Social climber Sharpe can be a hard character to pull off, let alone seem likeable, but Cooke’s interpretation lends her an immensely watchable flair. With plenty of acidic put-downs, Fleabag-esque looks to camera and a stellar supporting cast, this is a brilliantly camp take on the often dreary period drama genre.
Angela Carter: Of Wolves & Women
BBC iPlayer, until 3rd September
Speaking of acidic put-downs, the BBC’s documentary on Angela Carter is teeming with them. In one piece of footage from 1992, she snaps at an interviewer: “OK, I write overblown, purple, self-indulgent prose. So fucking what?” Narrated by Sally Phillips, this hour-long documentary paints an extraordinary portrait of an underrated, unconventional writer, and features commentary from Salman Rushdie and Jeanette Winterson. Illustrations and prose extracts are also scattered throughout, demonstrating the strangeness and complexity of her work.
Maniac
Netflix, 21st September
This high-budget 10-piece series stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill as patients taking part in a three-day medical trial. Their doctor (Justin Theroux) claims he has created a pill which solves any possible problems with the brain. What could possibly go wrong? Though Netflix are marketing this as a comedy, it’s more in the vein of Black Mirror than The Good Place—and all the better for it.
