Emma (dir. by Autumn de Wilde, 2020)
There are many things to appreciate about this fresh take on Austen’s novel, including lively music, stunning cinematography, vivid set decorations, and gorgeous costumes.
Doctor Who – The Haunting of Villa Diodati
Where the episode succeeds in capturing the essence of the novel it seeks to celebrate, it fails to do justice to its author: Mary Shelley.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (French, dir. Céline Sciamma)
A lacework of exquisitely subtle yet blistering passion, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is less an ephemeral flame and more a firebrand on the soul.
In Our Time – Coffee (BBC Radio 4)
A lively and engaging discussion which, unfortunately, neglects to explore the story of coffee beyond the West.
You’re Dead to Me: The History of General Elections
A lively and accessible introduction to political history of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Candide (BBC Radio 4)
Radio 4's adaptation of Voltaire's satire is a triumph.
In Our Time: The Gordon Riots
A fine introduction to one of eighteenth-century Britain's most influential political events.
The Stuarts and The Stuarts in Exile (BBC DVD)
Make Britain Great... And Stuart Again!
The Favourite
A claustrophobic and iconoclastic take on Queen Anne's reign.
Tristram Shandy (Radio 4)
An intelligent and playful adaptation of Sterne's masterpiece.