Autumn iPlayer Recommendations Part 2

Hello friends and welcome back to my new fave kind of post which pretty much consists of me gushing about the TV I've been bingeing lately. 

If you haven't already, check out my previous posts 4 Must-Watch iPlayer Recommendations Autumn 2020 and 5 TV Shows You Should Watch on BBC iPlayer.

By the way, it has dawned on me - now I'm 3 posts deep in iPlayer recommendations - that you may be getting concerned that I don't know other channels or streaming services exist. To be honest, I just really like the fact there's no adverts and it's free. No shame in my game.

The Bridge

From the show's premise, this is the last thing I'd expect to be obsessed with. It's a subtitled police drama based between Sweden and Denmark. When a body is found on the bridge, one half in Sweden and one half in Denmark, two police officers, Saga and Martin, have to work together to figure out why.

4 Must-Watch iPlayer Recommendations Autumn 2020

Looking for some thrilling dramas to sink you're teeth into this autumn? Look no further. 

Since my previous post, 5 TV Shows You Should Watch on BBC iPlayer, I've been searching for even more great content. And let me tell you, I've found it. So much so that this is actually going to be a 2 part post. Expect another 4 incredible recommendations next week. I'm mixing it up a bit too so whether you're looking for dozens of episodes to keep you going or just a one-off fix, I've got you covered.

I've worked my way through the good, the bad and - let's face it - the awful, to find the absolute gems on BBC iPlayer. I'm talking truly mindblowing tele you can't turn off. Because as the evenings draw in and restrictions tighten again, one thing I really look forward to is sitting down to an episode of my current fave programme every night with some tasty treats. 

Also, since iPlayer is free, I find more people tend to be watching the same thing at the same time. That means even more enjoyment because you can talk about it and gasp at the same parts.

I May Destroy You

Without a word of exaggeration, this is the best TV show of 2020. 

Millennial writer Arabella pulls an all nighter to finish a creative project she's working on. She breaks to get something to eat and meet friends. Then blank. She comes to, back at her desk writing, with no idea what just happened. The series follows Arabella as she pieces together the horror of sexual assault, and how she begins to deal with it. 

The show deals with issues of consent from multiple angles. Angles I hadn't even thought of, let alone understood before. 

It also depicts our hustling, swiping, validation seeking, woke, hedonistic generation and it's vulnerable underbelly. And it's not just the issue of sexual assault which is explored, but the fine line we all tread in maintaining our mental health and relationships.

'The Husband's Secret' by Liane Moriarty | Book Review

This is a no spoiler book review

The Husband's Secret has been on my to-be-read pile for well over a year after I got it at a jumble sale 3 for £1 (bargain!). 

For such a book-loving gal who usually roars through novels alongside working full time, since we've went into lockdown and I've had so much free time, I've been finding it so difficult to get into a book. I don't know if it's because right now our brains are constantly distracted by the enormous threat of a pandemic. Anyway, while other folk have been using this time to whittle down their TBR pile, mine has been slogging along almost untouched. 

Have you been feeling the same difficulty in settling into reading lately?

I'm a big believer in 'feeling' what to read next. I need to be in the mood for a particular genre or type of book. For every few fiction books I read, I'll throw in a non fiction between to change things up. The diversity is the beauty of reading: having such variety to choose from means I never get bored.

Let's leave all the hard hitting science and canonical literature for later. My brain just can't deal. Right now? I need something light with a great story which hooks me in immediately. 

Cue The Husband's Secret.

5 TV Shows You Should Watch on BBC iPlayer

I've never been a big one for Netflix because 1) it costs and 2) I literally can't be trusted not to binge 12 hours of shows every day. BBC iPlayer have really upped their game in the last couple of years and it's a great free alternative to Amazon Prime, NOW TV and Netflix. With classic series from Miranda and Two Pints of Lager to Doctor Who available, there's endless hours of entertainment. While I am making a conscious effort not to spend the entire lockdown glued to the TV, it's something I will do for an hour or two a day, perhaps even while doing something else like crocheting or journalling.

There's nothing better than stumbling upon a brilliant new TV show, so I've rounded up my top 5 must-watch list.

Recommendations on BBC iPlayer for 2020

The Nest

The final episode of this 5-part series aired just last week, so I partly envy those of you who can now go on and watch the whole lot rather than waiting a week for the next instalment.

The Nest follows the story of a rich couple, Dan and Emily, who are desperate to have a child. They find an unlikely surrogate in Kaya, a troubled young girl who has just left the care system and is determined to make a success of her life. The series unravels the mystery of why Kaya was in care and how Dan managed to go from scheme boy to owning half of Glasgow. That's the other fantastic part of this show. It's set in Glasgow. I absolutely loved the beautiful aerial shots of my city, the Merchant City sets and the incredible lochside mansion house.

Gripping, emotional, unbelievable.

The Capture

I watched The Capture when it dropped last year and I don't think it got anywhere near the amount of praise and hype it deserved. I therefore take any opportunity to convince anyone to watch it.

Shaun Emery, a British soldier, has his murder conviction overturned at retrial because his brilliant barrister proves the evidence which convicted him was faulty. He is released and, after a night of celebration, his barrister Hannah is caught on CCTV being brutally attacked and kidnapped... by Shaun. But he doesn't remember it like that. Meanwhile, ambitious Detective Rachel Carey starts with the Homicide and Serious Crimes Unit and is determined to prove herself.

The six part thriller follows Shaun as he becomes entangled in the multi-layer nets of police, secret service and other actors. Shaun, Rachel and we, the audience, search for the truth about what happened to Hannah, and what is at stake by her disappearance.

Wonderful, addictive, brutal.

'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen

This is a no spoiler book review (except the mug in the photo)

Way back in 2014 in The Reading Tag, I said the next book I had my sights set on was Pride and Prejudice. When I wrote that, I was just about to start university studying English Literature. Fast forward nearly six years, I have the degree and a whole lot of other classics under my belt, but still no Jane Austen.

Why?