Funboys Returns with Steve Coogan Cameo
The brilliantly daft Northern Irish comedy Funboys returns to BBC iPlayer, featuring a major cameo from Steve Coogan. The show follows twentysomething friends from a fictional Northern Irish town. Guardian reviewer Rachel Aroesti praised the series, stating, "This level of silliness belies some serious comic architecture. These boys may be idiots, but the men behind them are nothing of the sort."
Olivia Rodrigo's New Album Earns Rave Reviews
Olivia Rodrigo's latest album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love," is out now. The pop star pivots away from bratty pop-punk to embrace 80s new wave, delivering a witty and intelligent record. Alexis Petridis of the Guardian called it "a spectacularly accomplished pop album whoever it is about."
Effi o Blaenau: A Blistering Welsh-Language Film
In cinemas now, Effi o Blaenau stars Leisa Gwenllian as a force of nature in this big-screen adaptation of Gary Owen's one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott. Peter Bradshaw described it as "a tremendous performance from Gwenllian as Effi," highlighting her regression to a childlike state when confronting authority.
Other Notable TV and Film Reviews
Queen James on BBC iPlayer offers a look at the male lovers of Britain's first king, with historian Gareth Russell. Reviewer Jack Seale said, "Russell definitely has the gift." Should I Marry a Murderer? on Netflix tells the astonishing tale of a woman who helped police investigate her killer fiancé, only to be let down. Lucy Mangan noted the series highlights "how misogynists and the patriarchy have set up this world to hurt, humiliate and destroy us." OnlyFans: Inside the Machine on BBC iPlayer examines the sex platform's sleazy nightmare, with Stuart Heritage praising its positioning "in the crosshairs of the wider social moment."
Virginia Woolf's Night and Day, adapted by Tina Gharavi, features Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders. Peter Bradshaw called it "a wayward, unworldly fantasia." Cactus Pears, a directorial debut from Rohan Kanawade, tells a subtle story of forbidden love in India. Killing Anna documents Syrian academic Annsar Shahoud's hunt for a suspected war criminal, with Phil Hoad noting the "courageous, haunted and psychologically smudgy nature of this work." Hokum on Prime Video stars Adam Scott in a wry Irish horror film, described by Bradshaw as an "amusing and gruesome premise."
Book Reviews: From Motherhood to Longevity Pseudoscience
Lisa Owens' Natural Disaster, reviewed by Diana Evans, explores a woman's last day of maternity leave with humour and serious issues about modern womanhood. Rowan Hooper's Togetherness is a brilliant study of cooperation in nature, according to Philip Ball. Saul Justin Newman's Morbid debunks longevity pseudoscience, with Rachel Clarke noting the case of a mummified supercentenarian. Cassandra Neyenesch's A Little Bit Bad is a tragicomic murder mystery, and David Turner's Disability offers a revelatory history of disabled rights, with Lucy Webster highlighting disabled suffragette May Billinghurst. Alice Jolly's The Matchbox Girl, winner of the Walter Scott prize, explores fascism through a mute autistic girl treated by Dr Hans Asperger.
Album Reviews: Brahms, Ibeyi, and Joe Lovano
James Ehnes and Andrew Armstrong bring assurance to Brahms' Violin Sonatas, with Clive Paget praising their "effortless rightness." Ibeyi's Offering fuses Cuban and Parisian influences with strong melodies and soaring vocals. Joe Lovano's Paramount Quartet is a late-career triumph, according to John Fordham. Lily Allen's West End Girl tour continues, with Dave Simpson calling it "compelling stuff" as a discourse on power in relationships.
