Channel 4, Saturday 12 June at 9pm

There has long been a fascination with Hollywood actresses, none more so than Grace Kelly. With special permission from the Grimaldi family, which Kelly married into, this feature examines the personal life of the actress and princess. It includes interviews with those closest to her, including Kelly’s son and Monaco’s current sovereign Prince Albert II.

Brian Cox’s Adventures in Space and Time

BBC Two, Sunday 13 June at 9pm

Brian Cox’s continues to look back on a decade of discovery. In this episode, the physicist will take a fresh look at the concept of gravity, revealing that it is far more than a force that makes objects fall to the ground. Watch Professor Cox on Reaction’s Answer Time here.

Peter Taylor: Ireland After Partition

BBC Two, Monday 14 June at 9pm

To mark the centenary of the partition of Ireland in 1921, Peter Taylor, award-winning journalist and documentary-maker, invites audiences to join him on a personal journey. He revisits the films he has made over the past 50 years reflecting the issues surrounding a united Ireland and reveals how his own understanding of these issues has been challenged and evolved over the years. 

Unsettled: Citizens, Migrants, Refugees

The National Archives, Tuesday 15 June at 6pm

Join the University of Washington’s Jordanna Bailkin to learn how Britain’s refugee camps have shaped the multicultural present. She analyses the linguistic separations between “migrant” and “citizen” and looks at the conflicts that caused migration. As Europe once again becomes the focal point of the refugee crisis, Bailkin presents her concerns from a liberal democracy’s recent past. You can book tickets for this online event here. 

Vivienne Westwood: Catwalk

V&A Museum, Wednesday 16 June at 7pm

In celebration of her 80th birthday, Vivienne Westwood Catwalk follows 40 years of Westwood catwalk collections, from her 1981 debut to the spring/summer 2021 collection by Westwood creative director Andreas Kronthaler. Join Westwood, Kronthaler and Alexander Fury, author of Vivienne Westwood Catwalk, as they discuss some of the most influential pieces and how fashion constantly changes and challenges contemporary culture. You can book tickets to this online event here. 

Together

BBC Two, Thursday 17 June at 9pm

Starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan, Together follows a husband and wife forced to re-evaluate their relationship over lockdown. She is the coordinator for Europe at a refugee charity, the daughter of a dentist and “an old socialist mother”. He is a successful self-made man who runs a boutique consultancy company and has been forced to furlough staff and take up growing vegetables. Artie, their 10-year-old son, has kept their relationship together – until now. 

British Ballet Charity Gala

The Royal Opera House, Friday 18 June at 7pm

Hosted by Darcey Bussell, this gala event brings together eight of the UK’s leading dance companies for the very first time in a powerful celebration of dance, unity and joy. Companies involved include the Ballet Black, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet and The Royal Ballet. Ticket purchase and streaming access can be found here. 

A Pandemic Poem: Where Did the World Go?

BBC Two, Friday 18 June at 9pm

There has been great amounts of debate on the pandemic, but few in the form of poetry. Using a poem written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, this programme follows the progression of Covid-19 from its rumoured start in Wuhan to the vaccine rollout and the easing of lockdown. Expect a unique reflection on the pandemic.

BBC One, Sunday 6 June

Hosted in the BBC’s Television Centre in West London, Richard Ayoade hosts the annual awards ceremony celebrating the best of British and international television talent. The Crown, I Hate Suzie, Gangs of London and Save Me Too are all in the running for Best Drama Series. Other nominees feature some of the industry’s big names, including Ant & Dec and Graham Norton and newcomers Josh O’Connor and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

Time

BBC One, Sunday 6 June at 9pm

Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones) and Stephen Graham (Line of Duty and This is England) have joined forces for Jimmy McGovern’s new drama. The series looks into the UK prison system and the people inside it. With a gritty 40-second trailer promising some turbulent scenes from Bean, critics anticipate this as a story of penance and punishment. 

Our Cilla: The One and Only

Channel 5, Sunday 6 June at 9pm

This is the story of the British singer and TV star, Cilla Black. She rose from working-class roots in Liverpool to become one of the country’s most successful and best-loved singers, presenters and all-around entertainers. Now, in never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews, the programme delves into what made the singer the woman she was. 

Tragic Jungle

Netflix, Wednesday 9 June

To escape an arranged marriage, a woman flees into the depths of the Mayan jungle. Soon, she discovers the untamed and rabid nature of the jungle may cause her greater problems than the forced martial union she fought to desert. Directed by Yulene Olaizola, the independent film raked in awards at the Viennale and Venice Film Festival last year. 

Reflections of Alan Turing

The National Archives, Wednesday 9 June at 7:30pm

Everyone knows the story of pioneering computer scientist and code-breaker Alan Turing. At least, we thought we did. Until now, our knowledge of Turing has been obscured by decades of misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Join Dermot Turing, Alan Turing’s nephew, in discussing his life, suicide and pardon as he uncovers a new legacy. You can register for this free event here. 

The Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol

BBC Two, Thursday 10 June at 9pm

On Sunday 7 June 2020, Black Lives Matter protestors tore down the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbour. Caught in the middle of the events was Marvin Rees, Bristol’s Mayor and the first directly elected mayor of Black African heritage of a major European city. Born and bred in Bristol and a descendant of enslaved people, this programme examines how he held a city together in the face of rising tensions that threatened to instigate violent confrontation.

Great Paintings of the World with Andrew Marr

Channel 5, Friday 11 June at 9pm

Andrew Marr returns for a second series to examine more famous works of art, beginning with Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series. His journey takes him to Paris to discover the extraordinary story behind the flower paintings, revealing a tale of personal tragedy, a violent war, and a man tormented by an unrelenting obsession.

Lupin (Part Two)

Netflix, Friday 11 June

The gentleman burglar isn’t finished just yet… Lupin (Part One) was released in January this year and was embraced by audiences and critics alike. Now, Part Two hopes to gain the same response. In this new series, Assane Diop (Omar Sy) seeks revenge for his father, who was framed for a crime he did not commit by wealthy Hubert Pellegrini (Hervé Pierre), two decades ago. Claiming the spot as France’s most-watched show and climbing to second place in the UK, its arrival is highly anticipated. 

Balanchine and Robbins

The Royal Opera House, Friday 11 June 

The rich history of American ballet is brought to life and celebrated in classic works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, two of the great choreographers of the 20th century. The ballet will be plotless, but its intimacy creates a powerful sense of community that promises to resonate with audiences as the performance is available to stream as lockdown slowly eases. You can find information on how to stream the ballet here.

He is Hollywood’s answer to Marmite – you either love his writing, or you hate it. Sorkin’s scriptwriting technique has never relented or altered over the years: ultimately, he loves a hero. Whether it is an underdog presidential candidate or a group of activists set to go to prison, he brings the hero to life on screen. 

Turning 60 is a milestone, but Sorkin is no stranger to a celebration. From 2000-2003, he won an Emmy every year for The West Wing and an Oscar for Best Writing in 2011 for The Social Network. As the American Great embarks on the next decade of his life, here is a starter guide to his best work:

A Few Good Men 

Upon hearing the title, A Few Good Men, the mind most likely turns to Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise’s heated courtroom scene, resulting in Nicholson’s character’s famous outburst of “You can’t handle the truth!” But, the American military legal drama started its time on stage, written by Sorkin and first produced on Broadway by David Brown in 1989.

Set in the summer of 1986, the plot follows events after the death of US Marine Private Santiago after a poorly advised extrajudicial punishment called a “Code Red” on the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay. Private Downey and Lance Corporal Dawson are put on trial for the murder of Santiago, and US Navy Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend the two men.

The American President

In a concept that feels somewhat foreign to a contemporary audience, The American President involves the widowed President, Andrew Shepherd’s (Michael Douglas), pursuing a relationship with environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening). All the while trying to pass a crime control bill during a re-election year. Martin Sheen also joins this cast as A.J. MacInerney, White House Chief of Staff.

It is not the last time Sheen and Sorkin will pair up in the Oval Office. Curiously, in a scene where The President enters a meeting, undetected by all but MacInerney, he slightly waves his fingers down, silently instructing him not to say a word. This gesture was then adopted by Sheen when he took on the role of President four years later in The West Wing.  

The West Wing

In 1999, viewers whose appetite had already been whet by The American President and A Few Good Men were about to be treated to seven seasons of Sorkin’s writing. The series follows Democratic President Josiah Barlett (Martin Sheen) and his administration as they attempt to run the country, tackling events from a presidential censure to a challenging re-election campaign and a terrorist attack. The show boasts a star-studded ensemble-style cast with the industry’s brightest stars, including Rob Lowe, Allison Janney and Stockard Channing.

Exquisite screenwriting is in no short supply across the 156 episodes (and a special one-off reunion episode that aired last year to encourage voting). Notable mentions go to the episode Two Cathedrals, where a Catholic President Barlett, grief-stricken by the sudden death of his secretary and life-long friend, tells God to go to hell before putting out a cigarette on the Cathedral floor.

Five series later, in Requiem, characters gather for the funeral of Leo McGarry, played by John Spencer, who passed away in real life – no acting was required. However, claiming first prize is a scene in Christmas special In Excelsis Deo, where a speechwriter uses the President’s name to organise a military funeral for a homeless veteran. The President reprimands him explaining everyone will soon require the same treatment, and the staffer’s response was simple: “We can only hope, Sir.” 

Charlie Wilson’s War

“Why does Congress say one thing and do nothing?” asks socialite Joanne Herring. “Well, it’s tradition mostly,” responds Congressman Charlie Wilson. In 2007, Sorkin returned to the big screen to write Wilson as a nonchalant partying congressman who was doing nothing to change the system he benefited from (until he met Herring, that is). Becoming a fast friend and romantic interest, she persuades him to help the Afghan people and persuades him to visit Pakistani leaders.

In his efforts, he also befriends Gust Avrakotos (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a maverick CIA operative. For Sorkin, the feature marked a turning point in his writing career; accustomed to bringing stories to life, he now had the added pressure of tackling a plot based on a true story. He used this approach in Molly’s Game and The Social Network.

Moneyball

Moneyball is Sorkin’s cinematic take on Michael Lewis’ book of the same title (read our review of Lewis’ latest book The Premonition). Starring Brad Pitt, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill, the American biographical sports drama focuses on the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane’s (Brad Pitt) attempts to assemble a competitive team.

Columbia Pictures bought the rights to Lewis’ book in 2004. But it wasn’t until 2009 that last-minute creative differences meant Sorkin was brought in for rewrites. Despite the late entrance, tell-tale signs of Sorkin’s thinking are prominent throughout, including emotive scenes between Beane and his daughter in a guitar shop after he fears he leaves her for life on the road too often.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Sorkin’s latest project brought to life the story of the Chicago Seven, a group of anti–Vietnam War protesters who were charged with conspiracy and crossing state lines with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The first screenplay was written in 2007, with the intent that Steven Speilberg would direct the production. However, when Spielberg dropped out after the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and budget concerns, Sorkin stepped up.

Sorkin concludes the feature in a courtroom, just as he did in A Few Good Men. The judge tells Tom Hayden (played by Eddie Redmayne) he will look favourably on their sentence if he makes his statement respectful, remorseful and brief. Instead, he decided to read out the list of the victims’ name and ages who have died in the war since the trial took place. Sorkin captures the moment perfectly, and with eight nominations at the 2021 Oscars, clearly, the Academy agreed. 

The furore follows a report in the Telegraph which revealed that Stonewall has advised organisations to replace the term mother with “parent who has given birth” to help boost their ranking on an equality leaderboard, which hundreds of organisations were hoping to get on as part of their attempts to show they are forward-looking places to work. Journalist Andrew Pierce has called the advice a “death wish” for Stonewall and a sign of “insanity”.

The controversial LGBT charity, named after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village, advised employers seeking to gain a place on their Workplace Equality Index to remove all gendered language. The charity also stated they must allow all those who self-identify as female to use female toilets and changing rooms.

The list was sought-after, bringing in 500 applications in the last year. Ranking in fifth place on this list, The Ministry of Justice has revealed that its own HR policies have been updated in the last few years to include non-gendered language with the term ‘mother’ and ‘father’ removed from some internal documents. The Welsh Government, placing ninth on the list, deleted the term ‘mother’ from its maternity policy in 2019, while the term ‘father’ still appears once. They also seem to be an enthusiastic adapter of Stonewall’s guidance, referencing their use of the word “chestfeeding” and news of their updated pronoun policy in their application to the list.

The Home Office, the Department for International Trade and MI6 also feature on this list. But, it is reported that the British Army and DfIT still use “gendered language” in their policies. Those employers who reach the coveted Top 100 spot are then able to use the ‘Top 100 Employers logo’ to advertise their achievement.

Earlier this week Lizz Truss, Equalities Minister, announced the government will quit a diversity scheme run by Stonewall amid a row over trans rights. Truss is said to be encouraging departments to follow the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and Acas in dropping the Diversity Champions scheme over concerns that it does not provide value for money.

Membership to the scheme starts at £2,500 which according to the charity’s website provides employers with access to expert advice and resources on how to make their workplace inclusive. Stonewall claims there are over 850 organisations, including 250 government departments, local councils and NHS trusts, signed up as ‘diversity champions’.

Royal Opera House, available to stream until Sunday 20 June 

For the first time since 2002, The Royal Opera performs La clemenza di Tito (The Mercy of Titus) – Mozart’s operatic depiction of a society threatened by change, control and mystery. In this production by Richard Jones, expect a reinterpretation of the classic fit for a contemporary audience. You can purchase tickets here. 

Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In

Amazon Prime, Saturday 29 May

After premiering in cinemas on Thursday, this documentary is now available to stream online. It examines the life and legend of former Scotland, Aberdeen and Manchester United football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

The Diana Interview: Truth Behind the Scandal

Channel 4, Saturday 29 May at 8:30 pm

The documentary production team, whose work led to the BBC Diana scandal inquiry, are back with an exclusive look inside the latest explosive revelations surrounding the interview. 

Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: Sir Keir Starmer

ITV, Tuesday 1 June at 9:30 pm

In an unusual instalment of the talk show series, Piers Morgan sits down with the Labour Party leader. Sir Keir Starmer will discuss his childhood in Surrey, his mother’s battle with illness and pivotal moments in his political career. The dynamic between Piers and Keir might make for a memorable watch.

The Anti-Vax Conspiracy

Channel 4, Tuesday 1 June at 9 pm

A deep dig into the anti-vaccination movement, investigating the myth that vaccines are a mechanism for the government to inject people with dangerous substances. The film will speak to people who have profited from the sale of fake Coronavirus cures and to Piers Corbyn, brother of the former Labour leader, who previously compared the vaccine rollout to experiments in wartime concentration camps.

Building Britain’s Biggest Nuclear Power Station

BBC Two, Wednesday 2 June at 9 pm

This documentary follows the challenges of building the Hinkley Point C in the remote Somerset countryside, Britain’s first nuclear power station in a generation. Engineers, technicians and behind the scenes staff all try to keep the project on track amidst numerous obstacles. 

Romantics & Classics: Style in the English Country House

V&A Museum, Thursday 3 June at 4 pm

English country houses today redefine traditional styles in a contemporary way. To mark the publication of their new book, Jeremy Musson and Hugo Rittson-Thomas discuss how English style can, and should, be updated while still respecting tradition. You can purchase tickets here. 

Sinéad O’Connor in conversation: Rememberings

Penguin Video via Vimeo, Tuesday 1 June at 7 pm

Her shaved head, her cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U and her political statements made globally-renowned musician Sinéad O’Connor a living legend by her early 20s. Now, in live conversation, to celebrate the publication of her memoir, she recounts her early time in Dublin, how she fell in love with motherhood and her passion for music. You can purchase tickets, which includes a copy of O’Connor’s new memoir, Rememberings, here. 

Breaking Boundaries: The Science of our Planet

Netflix, Friday 4 June

Sir David Attenborough joins forces with Johan Rockström, Swedish professor and scientist, to examine the Earth’s biodiversity collapse and how the crisis can still be averted. In true Attenborough style, it promises to be a captivating watch. In fact, “you may never look at the world in the same way again,” promises the short trailer.

For those, who can’t wait to sit in a darkened theatre – regardless of the compulsory masks and sanitiser – here is a guide to what London has to offer this summer:

The Mousetrap

Where: St Martin’s Theatre
When: 17th May 2021 – 30th January 2022

Okay, it’s The Mousetrap but Agatha Christie’s play is the world’s longest-running production and the West End version of the genre-defining classic has become as famous as Big Ben or Buckingham Palace. The show starts with the news of a murder sweeping through 1950s London as seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a stately home in the countryside. When a police sergeant arrives, they discover – to their horror – that the killer is among them. For 70 years Christie’s classic has kept audiences guessing until the final scene and now St Martin’s Theatre welcomes us back to try our luck at cracking the case. Cassidy Janson, Danny Mac and Alexander Wolfe star. 

Amélie The Musical

Where: Criterion Theatre
When: 25 May – 25 September 2021

Following a critically acclaimed sell-out tour in 2019, a Grammy nomination and 3 Olivier Award nominations, Amélie The Musical arrives in the heart of the West End. The five-time Oscar-nominated film is brought to life on stage with a critically acclaimed cast. Amélie (played by Audrey Brisson) secretly improvises small but admirable acts of kindness as she aims to bring happiness to all whom she encounters. When the chance of love comes her way, she realises that to find contentment she must put everything at risk and reveal what is truly in her heart.

The Death of a Black Man

Where: Hampstead Theatre
When: 28th May – 10th July 2021

In 1975, at the Hampstead Theatre, Alfred Fagon’s Black British classic was performed for the first time. Now, after the unfortunate delay caused by Covid-19 restrictions, it returns for a revival as part of the venue’s ‘Classics’ section. Directed by Dawn Walton, this witty satire on post-colonial attitudes in Britain follows friends Shakie and Stumpie as they embark on their numerous money-making schemes in the heart of fashionable London. Nickcolia King-N’da, Natalie Simpson and Toyin Omari-Kinch star.

Current, Rising

Where: Linbury Theatre
When: Until 10th June 2021

The Royal Opera House presents a historic first in producing a 15-minute hyperreality operatic experience. Combining virtual reality with a multisensory set and historic stagecraft, it invites audiences to view opera in a radically new way. Inspired by the liberation of Ariel at the end of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, it takes four people at a time in a magical new universe as they journey through the night discussing ideas of connection and isolation. 

A Russian Doll

Where The Barn Theatre & Arcola Theatre
When: Until 12th June 2021

The Barn Theatre in Cirencester and Arcola Theatre in London come together for an unlikely collaboration to co-produce the world premiere of Cat Goscovitch’s new play, A Russian Doll. Based on a true story, it follows the life of 20-something year old Masha who becomes entangled in the world of data, deceit and misinformation as a part of the Russian disinformation campaign around the time of the EU referendum. 

Walden

Where: Harold Pinter theatre 
When: Until 12th June 2021

Starring Gemma Arterton and Lydia Wilson, this debut play from Amy Berryman sees Cassie (Wilson), a NASA botanist, return from a year-long Moon mission. She then finds herself in a remote cabin with her sister Stella (Arterton), a former NASA architect, who has found a new life with climate activist Bill. Soon, bigger issues than space and climate change are at play and old wounds resurface when they pick up the rivalry that tore them apart where they left off. 

Under Milk Wood

Where: National Theatre
When: 16th June 2021 – 24th July 2021

The National Theatre has reopened twice and closed again three times during the pandemic. Hopefully, it’s third reopening will prove the charm as Lyndsey Turner directs a large cast spear-headed by ‘lockdown legend’, Michael Sheen. He stars in a stage adaptation of Dylan Thomas’s radio drama about the weird and wonderful inhabitants of a fictional Welsh village, Llareggub. Only 500 socially distanced seats will be available per performance for this anticipated watch, so book tickets pronto.

Constellations

Where: Vaudeville Theatre
When: 18th June – 12th September 2021

In 2012, The Royal Court scored a big hit with Constellations, Nick Payne’s sad yet witty drama about a couple’s relationship. Now, Michael Longhurst revives Payne’s cosmic tragicomedy with four different, yet equally impressive casts: Sheila Atim and Ivanno Jeremiah, Peter Capaldi and Zoë Wanamaker, Omari Douglas and Russell Tovey, and Anna Maxwell Martin and Chris O’Dowd.

Hairspray

Where: London Coliseum
When: 21st June – 29 September 2021

Set in Baltimore, 1962, Tracey Turnblad is a big girl with big hair and even bigger dreams. Can she make it as a dancer on the local TV show, win the affections of Link Larkin and bring a community together in the process? As Tracey discovers, sometimes to make a change you have to ruffle a few feathers – or even a few hairs. As lockdown lifts, spirits are equally in need of a boost. What better to do just that than a performance of the smash-hit musical, with Michael Ball returning for his Olivier Award-winning performance of Edna Turnblad?

Bach & Sons

Where: Bridge Theatre
When: 23rd June – 11th September 2021

Johann Sebastian Bach, a turbulent man and creative genius, wrote music that gave pleasure to the aristocrats and shed light on his deep faith and connection to the church. In Nina Raine’s beautiful and humorous reimagining of his life, he was also a touchy and rude individual with impossibly high standards. Music is the family business, with sons Wilhelm and Carl each possessing musical skill sets of their own. As the years pass, rifts emerge between the boys as they aim to answer one question: why do they play? Is it for pleasure or to offer some divine meaning of life? Audiences are invited to watch Raine’s profound interpretation of how Bach and his sons resolve this existential conundrum. 

Cinderella

Where: Gillian Lynee Theatre
When: 25th June – 13th February 2022

Welcome to Belleville, the most aggressively picturesque town in the world, full of inhabitants who will stop at nothing to achieve ultimate perfection. All, that is, except one – Cinderella (played by Carrie Hope Fletcher). The infamous protagonist wants to escape and with the help of Prince Sebastian, Prince’s Charming’s younger and often overlooked brother, she might do just that. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber it is a reinterpretation of the traditional fairy tale set to become a classic in its own right. But, written by Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve and Promising Young Woman), it will likely be more gritty than the usual children’s story.

UK law states that abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, but in Northern Ireland doctors and lawmakers have long skirted around this. Three Families is the story of the campaign to change this, following legal efforts from 2013 to 2019. As the name suggests, the programme follows three families affected by aboriton, or rather the lack of, as they each discover their limited options if they wish to terminate a pregnancy. 

Each storyline is based on the experience of a real woman in Northern Ireland, though the names have been changed. Fifteen-year-old Orla (Lola Petticrew) falls pregnant from her abusive boyfriend and her Catholic mother Theresa (Sinéad Keenan) orders some pills from the internet, which leads to a legal case being brought against her. Eager young mother-to-be Hannah (Amy James-Kelly) is heartbroken after learning her child will be stillborn, but that she is not permitted to terminate. Hannah’s experience is mirrored in the story of 40-year-old Rosie (Genevieve O’Reilly); battling mental health issues and severe migraines, she is told her baby has a limited chance of survival. In each woman’s story, Hughes presents a masterclass in honest storytelling. 

The programme’s rawness has the ability to catch you off guard. In one scene, Rosie’s husband half-cradles and half-carries her to the taxi outside their home in Belfast to get a flight to England to have an abortion, on the driveway Rosie is sick from an excruciating migraine and she stifles back sobs. My heart broke. It broke again when we learned the outcome of the legal case lodged against Theresa in a phone call from her lawyer. 

The women are not the only characters and Hughes strikes a good balance in sharing their stories and interweaving a male perspective. Orla’s step father, who is at first kept out of the loop, joins her in a meeting with Theresa’s lawyer where Orla candidly repeats threats her abusive boyfriend made against her. After listening to Orla, he touchingly expresses his pride in her strength, calling the two women “his girls”. Hannah’s husband, a character you fall in love with in the first three minutes, is also given the chance to express his grief. A keen runner, he is seen running off down the seaside street they live on numerous times. As the series progresses, these become quiet moments for him to shed a tear away from Hannah, so as not to distress her. 

Eager to show the two sides to every story, Hughes also includes characters like Louise, a friend of Theresa’s ignorant to Orla’s situation. Louise makes numerous remarks about her objections to abortion while they work together in a salon. Appalled at first, viewers slowly understand her beliefs as they spend more time watching the absolutist neighbourhood she grew up in. 

Hughes’ series ends in 2019. However, text appears on screen before the closing credits making it clear the story is far from over. “All women in Northern Ireland can have a termination up to 12 weeks,” it reads. As this fades two more words appear in isolation: “in theory”. The new law still faces significant opposition and many women have no choice but to travel to England for an abortion. At the end, you feel conflicted as a watcher, Hughes’ mastery leaves you wanting more but further episodes mean a continued struggle for the women of Northern Ireland. Hughes brings a taboo topic out of the shadows and onto primetime television with remarkable style and sensitivity. 

Three Families is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.

Channel 4, Monday 24 May at 9 pm

This documentary examines the personal stories of Brits during lockdown. The feature will include an interview with the nurse who treated Boris Johnson when he was in intensive care. Scientists, and a mother whose son went missing just as the country first went into lockdown, also feature.

The Black American Fight for Freedom

BBC Two, Wednesday 26 May at 9 pm

Fifty years on from the promise of equality and the Civil Rights Act, this programme puts America’s failed moments in the movement for equality under the microscope. It features interviews with those at the front of the fight for fair housing, equal education and a representative criminal justice system. Investigating specific rulings and policies, it asks why the effort to bridge the gap has taken so long? 

Nail Bomber: Manhunt

Netflix, Wednesday 26 May

This documentary looks at the devastating 1999 London bombings that targeted Black, Bangladeshi and gay communities. From his first attack to his trial, the documentary follows the manhunt for far-right extremist David Copeland and tells the story of communities putting grief and fear aside to put Copeland in prison for his crimes.

Food and femininity in 19th-century France

The National Gallery, Thursday 27 May at 1 pm

Why were impressionist paintings likened to melting ice cream? Dr Allison Deutsch, a fellow at the University of London and an art historian, hosts this online discussion to explore why impressionist artists, including Monet and Pissarro, faced allegations that they used food products to create their works of art instead of paint, from melting ice-cream to butter. Some female artists were even told their work resembled that of rotting meat from a butcher. Now, Dr Deutsch offers a fresh perspective on those contemporary critiques. Register for this free online talk here. 

The £50 note: old and new

Bank of England, Thursday 27 May at 6 pm

Kirsty Parsons, Bank of England museum curator, takes the audience on a journey exploring the history of the £50 note. This will be followed by Sarah John, chief cashier, discussing the Bank’s newest note, featuring the father of modern computer science, Alan Turing. Register for this free online talk here. 

The Road to Partition

BBC One, Thursday 27 May at 9 pm

On 22 June 1921, King George V and Queen Mary arrived in Belfast for the official opening of the first Northern Ireland parliament. Fearful for their lives, they had entered a city consumed by bitter sectarian conflict. This timely two-part documentary explores the political brinkmanship and bitter violence that led to the partition of Ireland 100 years on. 

Blue Miracle

Netflix, Thursday 27 May 

Based on a true story, Foster Dad Omar and his fostered kids enter a lucrative fishing competition for a cash prize after a hurricane devastates their home and threatens their orphanage with bankruptcy. He and three of his ‘least annoying orphans’ team up with a ‘washed-up’ boat captain (played by Dennis Quaid) to claim first place. 

8bit

Royal Opera House, Available to stream until Sunday 30 May

Eight newly-commissioned experimental experiences will all be available to stream online. They feature eight short ‘bits’ of digital opera, as five innovative contemporary composers join forces for five films, including a piece entitled Heal You, which offers a raw commentary on Covid-19 vaccinations. Expect a well-loved repertory, delivered in a way unseen before. Stream the online performance on-demand here.

The UK’s cybersecurity agency has taken down more scams this year than the last three years combined. A recurring tactic used by fraudsters is NHS or Coronavirus-themed messages in order to trick the public into handing over financial information. Alongside NHS scams, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been the most copied brand used, appearing in over 4,000 campaigns, closely followed by government’s gov.uk website, and TV Licensing. Texts from fraudsters claiming to be HSBC informing customers of a new payment and from the 2021 Census team warning of a £1000 fine to households which haven’t filled in their information have also been used. 

Figures released by the City of London police, which coordinates efforts to combat fraud, disclosed that this has resulted in over 150 fraud related arrests and over 2,000 fraudulent websites, phone numbers and email addresses being taken down with a total of 416,000 reports of cyber crime made. Criminal activity peaked between April and May 2020 and again from January 2021, when lockdown was in full force with people in their 20s most likely to fall victim to the scams. 

According to a recent report by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) a 15-fold rise in the removal of online campaigns was seen compared with 2019, including 43 fake NHS apps hosted outside of official app stores that have been taken down. 

Yet the NCSC says the increase in scams removed was a result of expanding the coverage of the NCSC Takedown Service, not because there was a corresponding 15-fold increase in scams. The NCSC’s Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme continues to tackle the threat from online scams and the Takedown Service is there to prevent more cyber attacks harming the UK.

In 2020, it expanded coverage to include new scam categories including fake “celebrity-endorsed” investment schemes, fake shops and those using COVID-19 as a theme.

Dr Ian Levy, technical director of the NCSC, says, “The ACD programme is truly a collaborative effort, and it’s thanks to our joint efforts with partners both at home and internationally that we’ve been able to significantly ramp up our efforts to protect the UK. This has never been more important than in the last year, where it was vital for us to do everything we could to protect our most critical services and the wider public during the pandemic.”

He adds: “The bold defensive approach taken by the ACD programme continues to ensure our national resilience and so I urge public bodies, companies and the general public to sign up to the services available to help everyone stay safe online.”

The NCSC is also now aware of a new spyware called Flubot, affecting Android phones and devices across the UK. It is installed when a victim receives a text message asking them to download a tracking app due to a missed delivery, which is in fact spyware that then steals passwords and other sensitive data from the device. 

Royal Mail has also issued a warning after scammers targeted millions of customers with phishing emails and texts. One of the texts read: “Your Royal Mail parcel is waiting for delivery. Please confirm the settlement of 2.99 (GBP) via a link”, with fraudulent emails reading “Your package could not be delivered on 07/12/2020” (or other dates) coming from apparently legitimate Royal Mail Ltd email addresses including press.office@royalmail.com. 

Another email states the courier was unable to deliver the item, giving a notification number and asks people to confirm the parcel is theirs. In any scenario, Royal Mail has issued a statement advising not to click on these links or input personal details. 

“Celebrity-endorsed” investment schemes represent a new breed of scam. Impersonators of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk have stolen at least $2 million from crypto currency investors in fake giveaway scams, reports the Federal Trade Commission. It is part of a tactic where con artists pose as celebrities, in this case the self proclaimed “technoking”, promising to multiply investors’ funds, but pocket the money instead. 

Ireland’s health system is also still struggling to recover after a cyber attack forced its entire IT system to shut down. Thousands of diagnostic appointments, cancer treatment clinics and surgeries have been canceled or delayed since the ransomware attack on Friday. Authorities have said it could be weeks until services resume to normal. 

With seemingly legitimate domain names and addresses, these scams are convincing. But Which has some advice for consumers to spot them. Customers are advised to never reveal their four-digit pin to a caller, even if they claim to be with law enforcement. When it comes to emails, they tell people to check the address the message came from. In cases where this looks legitimate, such as Royal Mail scams, a key indicator it is not to be trusted is how the text starts. If it begins with “hi” with no name or followed by email addresses then this is a tell-tale sign of fraudulent activity. 

On Newsbeat, Joe Tidy, cyber reporter for BBC News, advises consumers to “slow down. It may sound obvious, but a lot of these scams are being run really well and look so good”, which encourages the public to rush into purchases from fake websites, especially when they are being endorsed and advertised by influencers from social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram.

Masks have been recommended in schools since pupils returned to the classroom on 8 March. The decision to scrap the advice follows widespread concerns that they hinder children’s learning, communication and health.

Legal pressure has also helped to sway the government’s decision. On 23 April, legal action was taken on behalf of a 12 year-old pupil against Tapton School Academy Trust, which runs four secondary schools in the Sheffield area. The court case was lodged by her father, who has remained anonymous alongside his daughter and the school in question, and was taken on by laworfiction, a legal advice website. 

On 5 May, the court ruled that “no child in any school can be forced to wear a mask. No medical exemption is required”. The child, remaining anonymous, gave evidence explaining “like one of my friends said to me ‘I feel as though wearing it is harming me, but I feel like we have to because I don’t want to get told off.’ Those were the words she was using.”

She also explained that: “Teachers take it in turns, some of them seeming to enjoy it, wandering corridors and checking through the windows in classes to make sure everyone’s wearing masks. Three bad-behaviour points and you get excluded. It’s not done quietly but in front of everyone.”

At this stage, however, the court was not required to pass judgment on school policy but made it clear that the child in question would not be required to wear a mask. The court also noted that neither the school nor the government had conducted a full risk assessment on the physical and psychological effects of wearing a face mask throughout the course of the school day, including in classrooms, corridors and on public transport. 

On the 7 May, laworfiction said it was pleased by the good news that masks would no longer be encouraged in classrooms from the 17 May and that this was, in part, due to the pressure the case was able to bring, assisted by donors who helped highlight the harm masks were causing to children’s education. 

In light of the court’s ruling and government’s decision, Stephen Jackson, principal at Jackson Osborne Solicitors, who represented the child, said “While not making assessment of the evidence at this stage, the judge noted that the expert reports ‘certainly appear to be inconsistent with the government’s advisers’ views as reflected in the guidance issued by the government.’ This is right and indicates that the judge would expect the advisers’ views on the harms to have been obtained and to be reflected in the guidance. The outrage occurring, however, is that the government has chosen not to ask its advisers on SAGE what harm the masks may cause, and SAGE has chosen to be silent on the issue, citing the excuse that it is not in their remit.”

This was not the only legal challenge the government faced on the issue of masks in schools. Campaign group UsForThem penned an open letter to the Prime Minister, first ministers of the four nations and secretaries of state for education calling for them to discontinue the use of face masks in school settings, for both children and adults. The group claimed that “masks should play no part in the life of healthy children.”

Written by Matafeo, who also stars, BBC Three’s Starstruck follows the typical boy meets girl rom-com trope, with a crucial twist. The ‘boy’ in question, Tom (Nikesh Patel) is a famous actor, unbeknown to the ‘girl’, Jessie (Matafeo). With Google and Instagram a mere click away, the likelihood of Jessie not recognising Tom feels a little unbelievable. Still, her, oblivion only lasts eight minutes and 15 seconds into the first episode, and it’s funny enough to forgive.

The unlikely duo meet on New Year’s Eve in the men’s bathroom of a nightclub before ending up, many drinks later, back at Tom’s apartment. Jessie’s foggy head is quickly cleared the following day by the sudden revelation that she has slept with a celebrity. A modern courtship blossoms from numerous chance encounters but, even for celebrities, the course of true love never did run smooth. When Tom first visits Jessie’s flat, her housemate, Kate, excitably demands to know the “vibe” and if she should prepare glasses of whisky or bowls of ice cream, scaring Tom off. Then, Jessie’s co-worker Joe (who also has feelings for her) tries his hand as a saboteur when he lies to Tom at a dinner party, telling him that Jessie had gotten back together with her ex-boyfriend, Dan.  

Unexpectedly joining the efforts to inadvertently detract from the couple’s relationship is Kath, played by Minnie Driver, Tom’s unyielding agent. Alongside securing Tom’s roles (she fails to contain her excitement at the prospect of him becoming Rachel McAdams’ love interest as an unlucky-in-love optometrist), she warns him against falling in love with “civilians” and the consumption of carbohydrates. After their working lunch in a restaurant, her parting words to Tom are expressed with deep emotional concern, “if you think about eating bread, call me, and I’ll talk you down”. There is something amusing about an actor being cast as a high-maintenance agent.

Matafeo’s writing is consistently funny throughout the series. The second episode begins with a musical sequence as Jessie leaves a houseboat after a one-night-stand. She dances down the riverside to Mark Morrison’s Return of the Mac, high-fiving runners and cafe-goers. It’s a glorious rebellion against the typical “walk of shame” narrative. 

But Starstruck has its raw moments too. As her personal and work life both slip away from her, Jessie confides in Joe about her insecurities and homesickness. Matafeo takes the time to portray being a young-single-woman in London as lonely at times, especially when your family is thousands of miles away. She is careful not to over-romanticise the idea of living in the capital, as many rom-coms do. The authenticity of Jessie and her candidly chaotic love life brings about parallels with Phoebe Waller-Bridges Fleabag.

The series has been dubbed a millennial love story by critics. “Millennial” may be cutting it fine as Jessie, and her friends are fast approaching 30, but “love story” is undoubtedly apt. It’s a contemporary nod to Bridget Jones and Notting Hill, if Mark Darcy swapped his white barrister wigs for red carpet attire, or if Anna Scott had a Kiwi accent. Sweet, honest and witty, Matafeo is the real star of the show.

Starstruck airs on BBC on Mondays at 10:45pm, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. 

When a young brewery boss is found dead, four employees, Anna, Nancy, Louie and Cat, find themselves bound together by a life-changing secret. Breaking Bad’s Laura Fraser, Ray Donovan’s Eddie Marsan and Coronation Street’s Hayley Cropper all star. 

Innocent
ITV, Monday 17 May at 9pm

The police crime drama returns to screens for its second series. DCI Mike Braithwaite will reinvestigate the murder of Mathew Taylor, a 16-year-old schoolboy. Originally, a teacher is convicted of his murder, but is later found not guilty in an appeal and released from prison.

Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir
Netflix, Tuesday 18 May 

An intimate portrait of Amy Tan, the groundbreaking American author known for The Joy Luck Club which was adapted into a film of the same name in 1993. Using a combination of archival footage (including home movies and personal photographs), interviews and animation it tells the story of Tan’s life and career. 

Eurovision Song Contest 2021
BBC Four, Tuesday 18 May and Thursday 20 May at 8pm

Held in Rotterdam, the semi-finals of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest commence. Graham Norton returns to host the live event, while Scott Mills, Rylan Clark-Neal and Chelcee Grimes present from London. Sixteen acts will battle it out, including the UK’s entry, singer-songwriter James Newman, with his single Embers, for a place in the Grand Finale on Saturday. 

Museums of the Future
Jesus College Cambridge University, Wednesday 19 May at 7:30pm

What are museums for? What will they be like in decades to come, and has the Covid-19 pandemic changed their future? Join Gus Casely-Hayford, curator, broadcaster, cultural historian and director of V&A East, to discuss the future of the physical exhibit after the world went digital. Tickets for this free online event can be found here. 

The Psychedelic Drug Trial
BBC Two, Wednesday 19 May at 9pm

This documentary chronicles the groundbreaking trial at Imperial College London. Filmed over 16 months, it follows scientists and psychotherapists as they compare the effects of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, against an antidepressant on a small group of participants with clinical depression. Read Reaction’s interview with Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, the head of the Centre for Psychedelics Research at Imperial, here. 

The Last Days
Netflix, Wednesday 19 May

The classic Oscar-winning documentary from Steven Spielgberg will be made available to stream on Netflix. In late 1944, despite defeat looming, the Nazis put enormous amounts of resources into killing and deporting over 425,000 Jews in the ‘cleansing’ of Hungary. This award-winning feature focuses on the struggle of five Hungarian Jews who survived brutal imprisonment at Auschwitz. 

National Theatre: Life in Stages
National Theatre’s YouTube channel, Thursday 20 May at 7pm

The National Theatre has announced three new episodes of its Life in Stages interview series. This instalment will feature a conversation between Dominic Cooke, award-winning associate director, and Sophie Okonedo CBE, award-winning actress. Find the National Theatre’s YouTube channel here. 

Subnormal: A British Scandal
BBC One, Thursday 20 May at 9pm

In the 1960s, West Indian migrants coming to the UK hoped to provide better lives for their children. But according to the theories of psychologists Hans Eysenck and Arthur Jensen, their children were labelled as “stupid, difficult and disruptive”, before they ever had a chance to further themselves academically. This feature explores one of the biggest scandals in the history of British education.  

ROH Unmasked
Royal Opera House, available to stream until Sunday 23 May

The Jette Parker Young Artists, the Royal Opera Chorus and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House have joined forces to breathe new life into Royal Opera Houses that have been empty over the course of the past year. Featuring beloved pieces from Mozart, Wagner and Puccini, ROH unmasked offers an unconventional take on the traditional music, including behind the scenes footage. Streaming access can be found here. 

Solos
Amazon Prime, Friday 21st May

A star-studded cast, including Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren, join forces for this series on what it means to be human. Episodes revolve around seven different characters and their stories, each taking part at a different moment in time. Inspired by lockdown, it seeks to explain human connection in moments of isolation and promises to be a beautiful watch.

British Director, Isabelle Kettle, and artist, Jette Parker, reimagine Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s satirical operas, making contemporary comments on gender and politics. It will begin with The Seven Deadly Sins, a witty ballet chanté (sung ballet) which tells the story of Anna, a woman who reveals a new sin every day. It will then move onto Mahagonny Songspiel which focuses on the rise and fall of decadence in a fictional city that Weill and Brecht then made into a full-length opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Tickets are available for purchase here. 

The Pursuit of Love
BBC One, Sunday 9 May at 9pm

Lily James, Dominic West and Andrew Scott star in this adaption of Nancy Mitfords’s 1945 novel, The Pursuit of Love. Set in the inter-war period, it follows aristocratic heroine Linda Radlett’s quest to find love at any cost. Her mission takes her from her home in Oxfordshire to the Pyrenees, at the height of the Spanish Civil War, and then Paris, throwing caution, and ‘respectable’ choices, to the wind. 

Three Families
BBC One, Monday 10 May at 9pm

From the makers of Three Girls, this new two-part mini series explores the campaign trying to relax abortion laws in Northern Ireland, from the perspective of three families who find themselves coming into conflict with the law. It follows the trials and tribulations of a newly-wed couple who discover their unborn baby will not survive, a mother risking imprisonment to help her teenage daughter get an abortion and a first-time older mother who is told there are no remedies to the complications of her pregnancy. 

Inside No 9
BBC Two, Monday 10 May at 9:30pm

This BBC dark-comedy returns for its sixth season. The first episode, Wuthering Heist, sees Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith tackle a diamond robbery. For the rest of the series, they are joined by impressive guest stars including Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar and Fleabag’s Sian Clifford.

Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies
BBC Four, Tuesday 11 May at 9pm

Ben Macintyre brings his best selling book to Britain’s television screens, regaling the stories of five double agents that enabled the success of D-Day. Alongside being a victory of arms and a tactical coup, the historical event was a triumph for espionage.

The BRIT Awards 2021
ITV, Tuesday 11 May at 9pm

In the first major music event to welcome back a live audience, Jack Whitehall hosts the annual star-studded ceremony in the O2 arena, to an audience of the nation’s key workers. The evening will feature performances from some of the industry’s biggest names including Dua Lipa, Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk with the NHS Choir.

Money, Explained
Netflix, Tuesday 11 May

Americans spend, borrow and save, but can they really explain why? Narrated by Tiffany Haddish and Jane Lynch, this docu-series talks money and its minefields from, credit cards to casinos. 

Caring for the Poor in the Highlands: The Role of the GP
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Wednesday 12 May 

In 1845, the Scottish Poor Law created a funded medical service for the registered poor. But by 1852, the Physicians’ Enquiry concluded that care in the remote Highlands was still inadequate. Join Dr Patrica Whatley, senior lecturer in History and Information Studies at the University of Dundee, as she explores the changing issues faced by GPs in the second half of the 19th century in the remote and isolated Highlands. This online talk will be made available to stream here. 

Trevor McDonald & Charlene White: Has George Floyd Changed Britain?
ITV, Wednesday 12 May at 9pm

Approaching the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Trevor McDonald and Charlene White investigate the impact Floyd’s death had on Britain. They discover the real consequences of the tragedy in communities and in conversation. 

Dance of the Forty One
Netflix, Wednesday 12 May 

Based on a true story of societal scandal in early 20th century Mexico, a gay congressman weds the Mexican President’s daughter, but still cavorts with a young man at a secret club. In 1901, an illegal police raid on a private residence found a group of men dressed in women’s clothing, including the president’s son-in-law. It became the first time homosexuality was reported openly by the press and left a lasting impact on Mexican culture.

Own It: Diane von Furstenberg and Jourdan Dunn
V&A Museum, Thursday 13 May at 7pm

Two icons of the fashion world, Diane von Furstenberg and Jourdun Dunn, have teamed up for an evening of inspiring discussion. The two will share their thoughts on making it in the industry and how professional growth is possible at any age, in celebration of von Furstenberg’s new book, Own It: The Secret to Life. You can book tickets for the event here.

The Underground Railroad
Amazon Prime, Friday 14 May

Moonlight director, Barry Jenkins, directs an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Underground Railroad. The story rests on the premise that, in an alternate history, the 19th century Underground Railroad was a literal passage which American slaves could use to flee and find freedom in the south.

In the company’s latest attempt to make commercial space travel possible, Michael T. Alsbury and Peter Siebold were piloting a test flight of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo. Reaching an airspeed of Mach 0.8, hitting the transonic zone, the spaceship’s flight was going exactly to plan. Suddenly, Alsbury did something that experts still struggle to explain; he reached for the lever that controlled the “feather”. This was an innovation by aerospace engineer Bert Rutan that allowed the ship’s tail booms to rotate vertically to allow for a smooth reentry. On this occasion, Alsbury unlocked too early, which led to the ship shredding apart in midair. Miraculously, Siebold survived with a broken back and dislocated shoulder, but tragically Alsbury lost his life in the accident. 

Nicholas Schmidle read the news report and, drawn to the bizarreness of the story, emailed his editor at the New Yorker asking if he could investigate. “The notion that there was a company in the middle of the desert in California, that was test flying winged spaceships, not unmanned tubular rockets, felt retro, zany and harkened back to the days of The Right Stuff,” Schmidle says. Two weeks later, he arrived at the Mojave hangar. It quickly became apparent to Schmidle that the story would require more than an 8,000-word piece. After four years and 15 trips to Mojave, Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut is the end result of that investigation. 

Schmidle was permitted to write about the company’s efforts for an extended period on the agreement that he would stay until Virgin Galactic flew the fifth powered flight (Siebold’s and Alsbury’s fatal crash was the fourth). He felt it was important to follow the ascending drama of Virgin Galactic, entering their journey at their lowest point, with the ambition to follow them through to their highest. “Richard Branson is a master marketer. I didn’t want the story to end, as it had many times previously for the company, with a Branson quote along the lines of ‘hopefully tomorrow’,” Schmidle says, “we wanted a sense of closure and finality.”

Test Gods was never going to be a book solely about space: “Space’s infinity makes it hard to write a tight narrative, so I needed to get it grounded as much as possible,” the author says. He achieved this by structuring the book into three personal sections entitled; Brothers, Fathers and Sons. The sections were apt as the book unwittingly became a way for Schmidle to write about his father.

Struggling to get comments from pilots one day, the “larger than life” test pilot and former marine, Mark Stucky, offered to meet him for a drink. Immediately, Stucky said that Schmidle reminded him of a rule-breaking fighter pilot who had instructed him 30 years ago – it was Schmidle’s father. “I had only known him for five minutes, and I instinctively understood him in a way that bridged a trust gap quickly,” says Schmidle. In writing about Stucky, he could weave the relationship with his father into the narrative in a way that “readers wouldn’t see coming”.

In crafting the book there was one more relationship Schmidle needed to concern himself with; the one between journalist and subject. The kind of embedment Schmidle was granted was “frankly unheard of”. He explains how Neil Armstrong was known to have warned his team to keep a particular journalist away from him before calling the man a “ghoul”. Needless to say, Schmidle was eager to avoid a similar nickname. 

The book is full of poignant anecdotes, one of which played out at a more banal location. After Stucky and his co-pilot C.J Sturckow’s successful test flight of SpaceShipTwo and some celebratory whisky at the hangar, a member of the team suggested they head to the American diner Denny’s. Several hours previously, the two test pilots were 51 miles above the Earth, and now they had both feet firmly on the ground, ordering burgers. Meanwhile, in the corner, Dave Mackay, chief pilot and a Scot, and Michael Masucci, co-pilot and avid Trump supporter, were arguing about Brexit. Space travel, it seemed, put a lot of things into perspective, but not all. 

“This ability that pilots have to compartmentalise, shut the world out and wall off a part of their brain” was something Schmidle was careful to introduce as a running theme throughout the book. He asked Stucky how he could do it; the test pilot shrugged and said, “there were no ‘compartmentalise days’ at work; we just did the job.” 

Schmidle spent four years on the ground with the team, watching Virgin Galactic’s miraculous ascension into space end in victory and disaster alike. He learnt intimate details of test pilots’ lives, such as Stucky’s complicated relationship with his son, Dillion. He also learnt the one song that got Stucky in the correct headspace to soar into the Earth’s atmosphere (rather aptly, this was Elton John’s Rocketman). 

In another lifetime, if Schmidle had chosen a path similar to that of his father and Stucky, he would listen to a band he enjoys to a “geekish and religious level” called the Disco Biscuits. Once up in space, playing classical music sounds like “the most transcendent experience,” he says.

To the great advantage of readers, Schmidle did not choose the life of test pilot, but one of a journalist, making Test Gods possible. It is a remarkable read about relationships; between father and son, journalist and subject and, most of all, man and space.

Test Gods: Tragedy and Triumph in the New Space Race by Nicholas Schmidle is published by Hutchinson. RRP. £20.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s results will come in later than usual to allow counters to abide by social distancing rules. Here is a guide to the races and when the results can be expected.

Local elections

Local elections are taking place for 143 councillors to decide who will run local services such as schools, libraries and bin collections.

Nineteen races are expected to be counted overnight with results due early on Friday. These are Colchester, Derby, Dudley, Gateshead, Harlow, Knowsley, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Oldham, Redditch, Rochdale, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, South Tyneside, Stevenage, Stockport, Sunderland and Thurrock.

The majority of the councils, 78 in all, are understood to be counting during the day on the Friday, with most results expected in the afternoon and evening. Thirty-four are expected to count on Saturday, with most results in the afternoon and evening while 10 are expected to be declared on Sunday evening.

Scottish Parliament

Voters will cast two ballots under the additional member system which will elect a combined total of 129 regional and constituency MSPs. Votes for the individual candidates in the 73 constituencies will be counted first. Around two thirds of these results are expected by Friday afternoon, and the remaining third by Saturday afternoon.

The 56 regional MSPs – split over eight regions – will then be counted. They are elected using a formula that aims to ensure that the number of seats a party gets in a region reflects its vote share. Results from the eight regional seats are expected later on Saturday night.

Welsh Parliament

Wales will elect 40 constituencies and 20 regional members. Counting is due to take place Friday daytime, with results from constituency seats expected from about 3pm, with the peak results time expected to be around 5pm. Results from the regional seats are expected later on Friday evening.

Hartlepool by-election

Hartlepool voters will elect their new MP in a crucial by-election. Results are expected to be declared at 4am Friday morning at the earliest. 

London Mayor

Londoners will also elect their next mayor using the supplementary vote system. Voters pick a first and a second preference for the job. If a candidate receives more than half of all the first choice votes then they are elected. If not, the two candidates with the most first choice votes go on to a second round, with second preferences from the eliminated candidates then taken into account.

They will also elect 25 London Assembly Members using a system similar to Scotland and Wales. Results are expected to come in late Saturday evening, but could also be delayed until Sunday lunchtime.

English mayors

Regional mayors will be elected for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West Midlands Combined Authority, West of England and – for the first time – West Yorkshire.

Five local mayors will also be elected for the local authorities of Bristol, Doncaster, Liverpool, North Tyneside and Salford. 

Like the London Mayor elections, the supplementary vote system is used. 

The Doncaster and Liverpool local mayor results are expected to come in around Friday lunchtime. All other results are expected to come in around Saturday lunchtime apart from the Bristol and West of England results which are expected in the evening and West Yorkshire which is expected on Sunday.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections

PCCs will be elected across all areas of England apart from London, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, where these powers will be held directly by the Mayor. Thirty-nine commissioners will be elected across England and Wales using the supplementary vote system.  

Four results are expected as early as Friday afternoon; Cleveland, Staffordshire (both 2pm), Avon & Somerset and Bedfordshire (5pm).

On Saturday, 13 counts are due to take place during the day, with results from lunchtime into the evening.

Three of the four Welsh PCC counts are expected to be during the day on Sunday and 15 counts are due during the day on Monday, with results to follow in the afternoon and evening. 

In the first episode of this eight part series, Tessa Dunlop and Neil Oliver present the ultimate guide to the Cornish coast, from the River Tamar to Tintagel Castle, telling the stories that make this stretch so unique.

Puccini’s La Rondine
The Metropolitan Opera website, Sunday 2 May at 7.30pm

Puccini’s achingly beautiful score charmingly conveys the plight of Magda (the “swallow” of the title) who unexpectedly finds true love with the handsome young Ruggero. Nicholas Joël’s 2008 production, is being streamed on The Metropolitan Opera website. Buy tickets here.

Selena: The Series
Netflix, Tuesday 4 May

The next installment of the two-part series on the American singer-songwriter has arrived. The nine new episodes will see Selena juggle family life, her career and her love life while featuring her classic hits such as Dame Un Beso and Dulce Amor. The trailer shows a reporter asking Selena, “When you’re gone, how do you want to be remembered?” She replies: “As somebody who gave it their all.” 

Makeup: A Glamorous History
BBC Two, Tuesday 4 May at 9pm

This glossy docu-series concludes this week. In the final installment, make-up artist Lisa Eldridge explores her favourite era for beauty and glamour – Britain in the 1920s. She visits the British Film Institute archives to look at the impact Hollywood film had on classic British looks before meeting with pharmacist Szu Cheng Wong to recreate iconic looks from the period. 

The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness
Netflix, Wednesday 5 May

One of 1970s America’s most  notorious serial murderers David Berkowitz is largely forgotten. This programme examines one of his most infamous killings, which journalist and Ultimate Evil author Maury Terry was convinced was connected to a satanic cult. Filmmaker Joshua Zeman uses new archival footage and testimony to bring watchers down into this complex rabbit hole. 

The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship
BBC Two, Wednesday 5 May at 9pm

Pop star Britney Spears has been under a controversial conservatorship for the last thirteen years. Journalist Mobeen Azhar attempts to understand the inner workings of the relationship she has with her father. He delves into one of the most passionate fan bases in celebrity culture by embedding himself into the Free Britney movement. 

Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping
Channel 4, Wednesday 5 May at 10pm

Staycations and glamping are on the rise in Britain. Some are converting their old vehicles into boutique hotels on wheels. This new documentary follows comedian Johnny Vegas on his quest to repurpose a vehicle and create a camping site to trump them all. 

Ian Wright: Home Truths
BBC One, Thursday 6 May at 9pm

The famous footballer-turned-broadcaster investigates what it is like for a child to grow up in an abusive environment, including psychological trauma and violence. He meets social workers to find out how they have coped under the stains of the pandemic and adults who have been affected by growing up suffering abuse. It is also a personal mission for Wright, as he shares a complex relationship with his stepfather which shaped his formative years. 

The Abduction of Milly Dowler
Channel 5, Thursday 6 May at 9pm

This true crime documentary on the case of Milly Dowler looks in detail at the role of the media, the police investigation into her disappearance and the impact they had on convicting her killer Levi Bellfield. It seeks to resolve long-unanswered questions, including why the police neglected Bellfield as a suspect for so long? And, what was the real motivation behind the tabloids’ hacking of Dowler’s phone?

Monster
Netflix, Friday 7 May 

Starring Jeffery Wright and Jennifer Hudson, Monster tells the story of 17-year-old student and aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon. He gets good grades, respects his family and loves his girlfriend. Unfortunately, his life is turned upside down when he gets involved in a robbery which results in a murder and he is accused of being an accomplice. Now on trial and painted as another young black criminal – a monster – Harmon must battle the legal system that failed him in the first place.

After graduating from Exeter University and receiving a Masters from King’s College London, Ryan went into bookselling and then on into export sales. “I travelled the world selling books to bookshops,” she says. Her travels took her all the way to the Maldives, where she worked in a pop-up bookshop in a resort as ‘a barefoot bookseller’, in partnership with Ultimate Library. 

Upon returning to London, Ryan noticed something. “People in their late 20s, early 30s were making a real effort to shop from smaller businesses. It was making a big comeback.” However, this wasn’t so much the case when it came to purchasing books. “Through conversations I learnt that sometimes bookshops feel a bit exclusive or customers didn’t know where to even start when they walk in,” Ryan says. Readers would stick to what they knew, purchasing the latest bestsellers from Waterstones or Amazon. With lockdown closing bookshops for most of the year, almost everyone was at the mercy of algorithms, suggesting novels based on keywords and previous purchases. “I thought that there has got to be a way to reach these people,” she says, with 2020 book sales surpassing 200 million for the first time in eight years. As it happens, she was right. How better to coax the British public into the world of independent bookshops than with the chance of a tipple? 

In June 2020, after many years of dreaming about it, Ryan founded BookBar, a hybrid bookshop-wine bar. Starting with a soft launch during lockdown, they began selling Ryan’s ‘Shelf Medicate’ prescription packages.The bundles vary from “The Armchair Traveller” collection, for those in need of a bit of escapism, to the “The Gin and Tonic for the Soul” collection, made up of pick me ups for readers in a literary funk. The bundles can either consist of three or six books, and are hand-selected by Ryan. Whether the reader wants “to feel edified, if they want to escape, need comfort or perhaps all of the above,” she is prepared for all requests. The way she chooses the books is individual; all customers need to do is select their prescription and the package size on the website and add in any special requests. Ryan will do the rest.

“I see it as an antithesis to the algorithm,” she says, explaining that algorithms lack an emotional understanding to match literature. “The algorithm would see a consumer purchased Gone Girl, for example, and would offer up a plethora of options using the key words of ‘dark’ ‘thriller’ and ‘suspense’,” she says, “but what it doesn’t ask is how the book made readers feel, did they like the imagery and what about the writing style?” These are all enquiries Ryan has up her sleeve when consulting with the customer. “It’s like having a literary matchmaker on speed dial,” she says.

In February, BookBar took it’s next step, opening it’s magenta doors to click and collect orders and they now have over 6,000 followers on Instagram. “Great for a bookshop, let alone a new bookshop,” Ryan says.

At last, 12 April rolled around and the wine could flow for loyal customers, finally stepping through BookBar’s doors. Customers are welcome to browse and purchase from the shelves, before ordering a glass of wine, or even bottle, to sit outside at one of BookBar’s tables. Come 17 May, tables inside will be ready and waiting, dotted in and around the shelves, complete with a larger room downstairs to host book events. But, for now, Ryan is in her element offering her bespoke advice to the community she has built online. “I want the shop to be this social space to bring out the emotional side of reading,” she says. “My favourite thing is when two customers are having a chat and then the next thing you know someone else has jumped in saying ‘oh I loved that!’ It’s exactly what I want BookBar to be.”

There are a few famous faces in her budding community of bookworms too. Critically acclaimed author David Nicholls is an avid supporter of Ryan’s initiative. “In the first week of doing click and collect he offered to come and sign books,” Ryan says. “He’s a lovely man and a champion of the Islington community.”

Over lockdown, Ryan created a virtual book club that now has over 150 subscribers, and often sells forty extra tickets as one off purchases. The book club tickets include the book in their cost, so publishers know they can guarantee at least 150 sales. As a result, she has been able to book impressive authors such as The Vanishing Half’s Britt Bennett. The virtual book club evenings will soon be able to take place in BookBar’s store, much to the excitement of Ryan. “I really want to do book and wine pairing evenings next,” Ryan says. But for now, they are working to launch a wine of the month, to accompany their book of the month. 

With industry monopolisation by Amazon and the rise of Kindle and other e-readers, book shops are having to adapt to the 21st century and BookBar is leading the way. So take note from Ryan, crack open a book and a bottle of wine, and try to find your perfect pairing.

You can find BookBar at 166 Blackstock Road in Islington or online here.

Recent figures suggest that more than one in 10 workers left the industry last year. This is partly due to the uncertainty that Covid-19 restrictions caused. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said that the government should “confirm the route map,” to ease concerns, to allow for the confirmation of staff hours and to remove the “element of uncertainty around choosing hospitality careers”.

Chains are already trying to coax workers back. Pizza Express is hiring for 1,000 new positions after cutting 2,400 roles last year. The company, which has already reopened 118 restaurants, has posted these roles in anticipation of a rush of customers when restrictions end in June.

Other industry experts suggest a perfect storm has brewed with both Brexit and the pandemic meaning furloughed hospitality workers have found work elsewhere and migrant workers have returned home. 

Pre-Brexit, migrant workers made up 20 per cent of the UK hospitality industry’s workforce. When the pandemic left them out of work they returned home and their positions remain unfilled. A study by the UK’s Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence found that there has been an “unprecedented exodus” of migrants with as many as 1.3 million people born outside the UK leaving in the past 12 months.

And so, despite venues opening their doors, restaurateurs are among those struggling to find the staff. Chris Williams, owner of Spanish tapas restaurants Pintxo De Bath and Pintxo De Fowey, is experiencing this first hand. In Pintxo De Bath, while he had not found sourcing staff “too difficult,” he did find himself bringing “on a whole new crew,” after part of his team who were from Spain went home and decided not to return.

Yet at his Cornwall restaurant it is a very different picture. “As it is more rural it has been very difficult,” says Williams, who normally recruits most of the venue’s staff from Europe and has found they aren’t making, or rather can’t make, the journey over. Both venues are currently open for al fresco dining and have enough staff to operate under current restrictions, but Williams is “endlessly trying” to recruit more to gear up for their busy eight-week period during July and August. 

Patrick Powell, head chef at London’s Allegra, has a similar tale to tell. “It’s been challenging. I have had people lined up for trials who have backed out at the last minute,” says Powell, who is trying to recruit staff in roles from front of house to junior chefs. He has also had staff quit, which he puts down to lifestyle reasons as the transition out of furlough proved more difficult than expected for some. “In the first lockdown, many staff left the city and are now hesitant to return as they want a better work/life balance”. When it comes to front of house, he explains that Spanish and Italian workers are the “backbone of the industry who bring such passion and energy to their work,” but there are now fewer available. Everyone he knows in the industry is facing the same problem. 

Migrant workers must now secure a “suitable job” and earn at least £26,500 a year before entering the UK. Even if this is achieved, the move is “no longer an attractive prospect,” says Powell. “Ten to 15 years ago, it was really exciting to begin working as a chef in London, but this is not the case anymore”. Still, he is hopeful: “Such is London. Bad times come and go.”

The court case was lodged on April 23 by the 12-year-old girl’s father, both of whom are remaining anonymous along with the school in question. The action is being taken by laworfiction, a legal advice website, and leading lawyers involved in other cases against the government’s response to Covid-19. They want the school to stop promoting the wearing of masks and putting measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 ahead of the health and education of children.

They believe the case will be a test for all schools in the UK, as it is the first chance the courts have had to consider if the evidence supporting mask-wearing outweighs harmful consequences. 

Stephen Jackson, principal at Jackson Osborne Solicitors, who is representing the child, explained that “challenges to government policy have to be brought through judicial review, a process in which the government can pretty much avoid any scrutiny of the fact-based evidence for its policies. Facts, for example, that children are more likely to struck down by lightning than suffer coronavirus; that many of the masks provided to children shed fibres that risk the most terrible lung disease; that the restriction of oxygen is at a level that is illegal for adults in a work environment; that they are causing serious harm to mental health.”

Jackson added: “In this case we are not challenging the government, but the school directly for failing to take responsibility for its actions, for slavishly following government guidance without putting risks into perspective.”

“The courts have for centuries exercised their common law power to order an end to behaviour that poses immediate risk of serious harm. That is what the child in this case is hoping for, that the court will intervene to stop the school subjecting the children to an extremely harmful, unscientific, government-sponsored experiment in behaviour control that is also severely disrupting education. Is that really too much to ask?”  

So far, crowdfunding for the case has reached £39,060.

The cost of mask-wearing on children

Since schools re-opened on 8 March, secondary school pupils have had to wear masks in classrooms during lessons. In primary schools, children aren’t required to wear masks but teachers are. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends mask wearing for all children over 12 years old, while stating that in some circumstances masks should be considered for six to 11-year-olds. This government guidance is set to remain in place until at least 17 May as a “precautionary measure” and will be confirmed a week prior to this date.

But debate is ongoing over the cost mask-wearing is having on children. Research by Manfred Spitzer published in August last year explains that, while masks are effective against the spread of the virus, they have a detrimental effect on the relationship between student and teacher as they “block emotional signaling”. He continues to explain that “learning is facilitated by emotions,” and face masks play havoc with this in not being able to see the bottom half of a person’s face.

He explains that there are two types of smile. A Duchenne smile (or a genuine smile) which involves full use of the facial muscles and a Non-Duchenne smile (a dishonest smile), which involves only the upward turning of the corners of the mouth. Face masks make it harder for children to differentiate the two and understand which social cue they should take from the behaviour. In sum, he found that emotions such as happiness or disgust are recognised less frequently.

Effects of this are now being measured. A recent report by the the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) suggests the measures taken to combat the pandemic have left the youngest groups of children without the social interactions and experiences necessary for the development of their vocabulary.

The research showed that with social distancing, fewer play dates and “the wearing of face coverings in public,” children have been less exposed to natural conversation, which has a hindrance on their development.

Fifty eight primary schools were surveyed across England, 76 per cent of which said children who started school in September last year needed more support with communication than in previous years. Ninety six per cent said they were concerned about their pupils’ speech and language development.

The wearing of face masks in schools has also had a disproportionately adverse effect on deaf children, who rely heavily on being able to see someone’s face for lip-reading. The National Deaf Children’s Society has suggested alternative forms of communication, such as writing things down, dictation apps and wearing face masks that have a clear panel so that pupils can read people’s lips. 

The newly acclaimed series starring Kate Winslet continues this week. Winslet takes on the role of small town Pennsylvania detective Mare Sheehan who glumly goes about solving the community’s issues. Sheenan is still grieving her son’s suicide and a lot of the towns inhabitants are hostile towards her after she failed to find a missing girl last year. When another teenager turns up dead, questions arise as connections are identified between the two cases.

Starstruck
BBC Three, Sunday 25 April 

In this new drama Kiwi comedian, Rose Matafeo, plays Jessie, an East London millennial who’s struggling to make ends meet. In a drunken New Year’s Eve encounter, she meets Nick (played by Nikesh Patel) and fails to recognise that he is a famous actor. Opposites clearly attract as the pair cannot stay away from each other.

The 93rd Academy Awards
Sky Cinema: Oscars, Monday 26 April from 12am  

The world’s biggest film awards ceremony returns. Due to the pandemic, the awards were pushed from their usually scheduled time of February and conducting the ceremony under current restrictions has been anticipated to be tricky. However, with Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland receiving six nominations and David Fincher’s Hollywood biopic Mank leading with ten nominations, the spectacle promises to be as memorable as ever. Read our full breakdown of the Best Picture nominations here.

Viewpoint
ITV, Monday 26 April at 9pm

ITV serves up another of its classic police crime dramas. In this new series, Manchester primary school teacher Gemma Hillman goes missing and it is up to DCs Martin Young and Stella Beckett to put her boyfriend, the prime suspect, under surveillance. Doctor Who and Bulletproof’s Noel Clarke stars in this new fast paced thriller. 

Fatma
Netflix, Tuesday 27 April 

Burcu Biricik stars as Fatma Yilmaz, a cleaning lady who discovers a unique and hidden talent; murder. She learns that as people constantly underestimate her, she is never even considered when suspicions arise. This new programme puts a unique spin on the ‘how to get away with murder’ trope.

Is Uni Racist?
BBC One, Wednesday 28 April at 10:45pm

Britain’s universities are some of the most prestigious in the world. However, are they safe for students of colour? In this timely documentary, Linda Adey investigates the experiences of black and ethnic minority students and what happens when they become victims of racist abuse, and want to report this to the administration. 

Being Mr Wickham
Original Theatre Online, Friday 30 April at 7:30pm 

Adrian Lukis, who starred in BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, returns to  the role of Mr Wickham. Join the literary classic’s most crafty character on stage on the eve of his 60th birthday to learn exactly what happened 30 years after readers left him. How did he really feel about Lizzie? What occurred at Waterloo? And, what happened to Darcy? Live from the magnificent Regency Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, Mr Wickham delivers his version of famous literary events. Tickets for this online production need to be purchased in advance and are available here.  

This Time with Alan Partridge
BBC One, Friday 30 April at 9:30pm

The media-based comedy returns for its second series. Steve Coogan becomes Alan Partridge once again, now as the main man on BBC magazine show ‘This Time’, as he relishes his career after an Indian summer. Fearful of being left in the shadow of his co-star Jennie, played by Susannah Fielding, he grows ever more anxious over how to make it in the big time.