Latest news with #BritBox
Winnipeg Free Press
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Scandalous society sisters' saga still enthrals
Outrageous (now streaming on BritBox, with new episodes dropping on Tuesdays) is the story of the Mitford sisters, six aristocratic Englishwomen whose lives overlapped with a who's-who of 20th-century history in a fashionable flurry of weddings, divorces, betrayals and scandals. Some cultural commentators have attempted to explain why Mitford mania is still relevant today by comparing the sisters to the Kardashians, which is catchy but misleading. Yes, both sibling sets have a knack for grabbing tabloid headlines and a talent for picking terrible men. But if one is really looking for relevance in Outrageous, the most relatable scene for many 2025 viewers might be the Christmas dinner where the Mitford girls' mother (Anna Chancellor) tells them to stop arguing about Hitler and just pass the Brussels sprouts. What really makes the Mitford saga so crushingly current is its collision of ordinary family life (well, sort of ordinary — the Mitfords were an eccentric lot) with polarizing politics. Coming of age in the 1930s, in a world that seems on the verge of violence and collapse, the sibs take up entrenched and irreconcilable political positions, testing their sisterly bonds and taking the 'let's agree to disagree' stance to its absolute limits. Now that feels contemporary. This soapy, splashy six-episode series is never subtle, but then neither were its subjects. The messy adolescent bedroom of Unity (Shannon Watson) and Jessica (Zoe Brough) features swastikas and pictures of the Fuhrer on one side and images of Marx, Lenin and the hammer and sickle on the other. This is not the scriptwriters creating an overly obvious image of a house divided: This was the sisters' actual décor. (In real life, they drew a chalk line down the centre.) Outrageous initially presents these two sisters' ideological differences as awkward comedy, as in a scene in which Unity is vigorously Sieg Heiling on the well-rolled lawn of the family's ancestral home while Jessica lounges nearby, reading The Daily Worker. But things get more serious, more world-historical, when Unity travels to Munich, eventually gaining entry into Hitler's inner circle, while Jessica becomes enamoured with her cousin Esmond Romilly, a communist who has gone off to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Meanwhile, another emotional and political rift is developing between Diana (Joanna Vanderham), the beauty of the family, and Nancy (Bessie Carter), 'the clever one.' After Diana leaves a safe society marriage to begin an affair with Oswald Mosley (Joshua Sasse), the black-shirted leader of the British Union of Fascists, Nancy — the writer who will become known for The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate — pens the 1935 comic novel Wigs on the Green. The book satirizes a fictionalized version of Mosley's movement as silly, self-important and ineffectual, and even though Nancy defends it as 'meaningless fun,' as 'froth,' Diana is furious. The eventual fate of Wigs on the Green hints at some of the problems with Outrageous. After the war, Nancy Mitford declined to reprint the book. There was 'nothing funny about fascists,' she suggested. Likewise, the series can feel confused as it deals with its political clashes and with the very Mitfordian overlap of private life and public events. Sometimes the show plays as a good-looking comic romp, with its posh frocks, jaunty jazz-age songs and seemingly endless supply of champagne. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Sometimes it plays as melodrama, with the Mitford girls' rivalries, resentments and deep love given poignant expression. And then, whoa, suddenly we're at the Nuremberg Rally with Unity and Diana. Not surprisingly, Outrageous has a tricky time handling these tonally disparate parts. The show struggles to convey the weight of wider world events, but it does understand the divided dinner table. What will resonate for many viewers, what will make the leap from the 1930s to today, are the smaller, intimate conflicts of family members who love each other but can't stand each other's politics. Alison GillmorWriter Studying at the University of Winnipeg and later Toronto's York University, Alison Gillmor planned to become an art historian. She ended up catching the journalism bug when she started as visual arts reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press in 1992. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Time Magazine
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
The Best New TV Shows of June 2025
When you think about BritBox, if you think about it at all, it's likely you imagine an endless library of interchangeable cozy mysteries and Victorian costume dramas. But the Anglophile streaming service, backed by BBC and ITV, has much more to offer. To wit: among the very best new TV shows I encountered in June are BritBox titles about the fascinating Mitford sisters and an older gentleman living a closeted double life. Also worth watching this month are a frothy Bravo debut, a speculative drama about the end of Denmark, and a golf comedy starring Owen Wilson. Families Like Ours (Netflix) What if your government made the calm, rational decision that your country must cease to exist, then set about shutting it down in stages, as the currency became worthless and the population scrambled to emigrate? This is the terrifying thought experiment that propels the Danish drama Families Like Ours, which opens with the news that Denmark will be slowly but permanently evacuated before rising waters can swallow the small, low-lying nation. It's a premise that might seem to lend itself to dystopian sci-fi, but, as the title suggests, creator Thomas Vinterberg—a superstar of Danish cinema best known in the U.S. as the director of Another Round, Far From the Madding Crowd, and The Hunt—filters the cataclysm through the sieve of family drama. Amid the panic, we meet teenage Laura (Amaryllis April Maltha August), who's just falling for a classmate (Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt) bound for Finland as she sets her sights on the Sorbonne. While her architect father (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) makes plans to work in Paris, his ex, Laura's mom (Paprika Steen)—a science journalist who is on public assistance following an extremely understandable nervous breakdown—must face the prospect of living dorm-style in Bucharest, among other Danes who lack relocation funds. Vinterberg has convincingly thought through not just the political, environmental, and financial aspects of this near-future crisis, but also how it might strain or strengthen familial relationships. The acting is superb. And although the show avoids preachy comparisons between its well-off, white climate refugees and their less privileged present-day counterparts, there's plenty to notice about the international community's indifference to the plight of the stateless. 'I'm really sorry to hear about your country,' a Frenchman tells new Danish acquaintances, with all the solemnity of someone commiserating over a bad vacation. 'Everybody in my family's talking about it.' Mr. Loverman (BritBox) Barrington Walker has made the most of his 75 years on Earth. Born in Antigua, he immigrated to Britain as a young man, found success in business, raised two daughters with his wife, Carmel (Sharon D. Clarke), and can now afford to pay his grandson Daniel's (Tahj Miles) tuition at an elite private high school. But, for upwards of half a century, Barry (Lennie James) has been keeping a huge secret: his romantic relationship with his lifelong best friend, Morris (Ariyon Bakare). Now, as he realizes he's running out of time to live authentically and Carmel's suspicion that he cheats on her with women strains their already troubled marriage, Barry resolves to get a divorce and spend the rest of his days with the man he has always loved. This is the emotionally layered premise of Mr. Loverman, a tight half-hour drama adapted by Nathaniel Price (The Outlaws) from Bernardine Evaristo's novel of the same name. James, Clarke, and Bakare are spectacular; Carmel may initially come off as a generic church lady, but Price has empathy for each of his characters, and she eventually gets the humanizing backstory she deserves. The series feels grounded in the Walkers' immigrant milieu. And while there are harrowing moments—the closet doesn't always offer Barry and Morris the protections they seek in it—Mr. Loverman balances them out with a massive heart and a wicked sense of humor. Next Gen NYC (Bravo) OK, so Bravo's latest soap doesn't exactly fit the traditional definition of 'good.' If you can't get on board with the Real Housewives franchise, this probably will not be the show that converts you. But for those of us who crave featherweight drama, Next Gen NYC hits a fabulously frivolous spot that the network has been missing amid its increasingly trauma-driven reality programming. Among the 20-somethings at its center are the Bravo-famous offspring of breakout Housewives Kandi Burruss, Kim Zolciak, Meredith Marks, and Teresa Giudice. Their wider 'friend group' consists mostly of influencers (Emira D'Spain) and nepo babies (Damon Dash and Rachel Roy's daughter Ava); crypto bro Charlie Zakkour's claim to fame is his tangential connection to a notorious crypto-related kidnapping. In early episodes, the storylines have been supremely silly: Charlie taunts Brooks Marks about wanting to sleep with Brooks' sister! Contrarian New York native Georgia McCann scandalizes the group by refusing to wash her hands after going to the bathroom! (When will the NYC slander end?) The struggle to find an apartment for under $6000 a month is real! If the idea of spending time with these people makes your skin crawl… fair. But if immersing yourself in rich-people problems is your idea of a summer vacation, don't miss it. Outrageous (BritBox) If you think your family gatherings have been poisoned by political polarization, imagine being one of the Mitford sisters. In the 1930s, these six young women of irrepressible spirit, noble birth, and in some cases deranged beliefs claimed historic roles at opposite ends of a spectrum stretching to unprecedented extremes. Glamorous Diana left her husband for British fascist leader Oswald Mosley; her younger sister Unity went full Nazi, moving to Germany and insinuating herself into Hitler's inner circle. Inspired by the Popular Front in the Spanish Civil War, Jessica became a communist and, later, a journalist. Eldest daughter Nancy wrote incisive comic and romantic novels about her social set—as well as a sendup of fascism, Wigs on the Green. (Pam and Deborah also lived fascinating, if not quite as public or politicized, lives.) An adaptation of Mary S. Lovell's book The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family, the lively and thoughtful Outrageous dramatizes life on the cash-strapped Mitford estate in the '30s, when Europe was ablaze with conflict and the girls—then teenagers and young adults—burned to be a part of it. Fittingly, it's Nancy (Bridgerton's Bessie Carter, excellent) whose wry voice narrates her family's fracturing, as she navigates her own romantic woes. Icy yet impulsive Diana (Joanna Vanderham) blows up her relationship with Nancy over the satirical novel. Jessica (Zoe Brough, suitably intense) and Unity (Shannon Watson, persuasively selling her character as an unhinged fangirl) start out as oddball kids play-fighting in their shared bedroom but soon find themselves at war over Unity's very real antisemitic vitriol. Few true stories could be more timely than this one, which asks whether it's possible to keep loving a close relative whose beliefs you find appalling. And creator Sarah Williams does a remarkable job transitioning from early storylines about a big, warm, eccentric family to later episodes that weigh Diana and Unity's monstrous choices without succumbing to doom and gloom. Stick (Apple TV+) The third episode of the new Apple TV+ golf comedy Stick is called 'Daddy Issues,' but that might as well be the title of the show. Created by Ford v. Ferrari writer Jason Keller, it stars Owen Wilson as a former top golfer, Pryce Cahill, who publicly flamed out 20 years ago. He's been mired in the past ever since, from his job at a sporting goods store to his refusal to finalize the divorce initiated by his long-suffering wife (Judy Greer), move out of their old house, and accept that he's no longer a husband, a father, or a pro athlete. When he spots a surly teen at a driving range, Santi (Peter Dager), who has the makings of a major talent, Pryce sees in this potential protégé a shot at redemption. But Santi, whose now-estranged dad used to push him too hard on the golf course, doesn't exactly relish the prospect of having a new father figure to satisfy. It sounds hackneyed and heartstring-yanking—another comedy that uses sports as a cover to talk about men's feelings and relationships from the platform that brought us Ted Lasso. There are indeed elements of Stick that come off as pandering…Yet within the limitations of its formula, Stick works. [Read the full review.]
Time Magazine
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
What It's Like to Make a Show About Your Fascist Great-Grandfather
Eagle-eyed viewers of Outrageous, BritBox's new historical drama about the six real-life Mitford sisters' wildly diverging political views at the onset of World War II, might pause the closing credits for a quick double take. Does that say…'Mosley'? Executive Producer Matthew Mosley, actually, and yes, he is one of those Mosleys. Matthew is indeed the great-grandson of Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the British Union of Fascists and once one-half of the most hated couple in England, portrayed in the new series by Joshua Sasse. Matthew is the great-grandson of Oswald Mosley, from his first marriage to Lady Cynthia Curzon, on whom he cheated with both her younger sister and their stepmother, as well as (the then-married) Diana Mitford, whom he finally wed after Cynthia died in 1933. Adolf Hitler was their guest of honor. Deemed dangerous to national security by MI5, Mosley and his wife spent three years interned in prison before moving abroad in disgrace. No one would blame Matthew Mosley for staying mum about his notorious surname, but the head of development at Firebird Pictures—by complete fluke, though we'll get to that later—is instead using his platform to tell his not-so-comfy family story far and wide. Why not pop grandpa's problematic politics in the vault like the rest of us? Did he find any redeeming qualities in his abhorrent ancestor? And what's it like to grow up in the shadow of the most hated man in the country? As Outrageous lands on American screens, London-based Matthew Mosley dishes all the dirty familial details. Mosley: Oswald Mosley was my great-grandfather. I'm descended through his first wife, not through him and Diana Mitford. Oswald Mosley had three children by his first wife, Cynthia—Vivien, Michael and Nicholas, my grandfather. My father was his son, Shaun. I can't pinpoint any one moment, actually, and thankfully I was never sat down one day and told some dark family secret. Instead we were very open and it was always talked about, so I feel like I always knew. But [my great-grandfather] has cast a shadow over the family in many ways, so it's something we've all had to reconcile with over the years. Being descended from such a despised character is something you have to come to terms with. Some people are descended from brilliant people, but I don't happen to be and most people aren't. My family has just had to accept that, and we did. On one hand, it does feel like ancient history—I mean, I wasn't even born when Oswald Mosley died. They all lived in these massive country estates, which wasn't like my upbringing at all. Reading about him is almost like reading about someone who lived on a different planet. He certainly impacted my life though. At school, when we were studying the Second World War, my teacher politely moved over that section. By university, people recognized my name and would ask me if I was related. I've always been honest about it, because it's important to acknowledge things that happened and that are still happening. I've never suffered from the connection though. I think people find it interesting more than anything else. One of England's proudest achievements is being on the right side of history during the war. My great-grandfather was not. He was married to 'the most hated woman in England,' as Diana was widely known, which arguably makes him the country's most hated man. But when he was younger, he was a perfectly reasonable politician. He was idealistic, clever, an excellent orator. The pursuit of power sort of clouded everything for him and seems to have taken him to a place when he believed terrible things. I think there was a sort of rigidity and inflexibility in him that he could never admit he was wrong, even if he knew he was wrong. Outrageous was a passion project of Sarah Williams, who's been obsessed with this story for years. I was obviously aware and knew a fair amount about the story, albeit more from the Mosley side than the Mitford side, but Sarah knows all the different facets of each of the sisters. Sarah had no idea of my connection to the family when she pitched the show to my boss, who said, 'There's actually someone who works here who is related.' I came on board the project very soon after that. It was a little bit weird at first, as my great-grandfather is a big character in the show. I've never envisioned being in this situation. No, I deliberately didn't. First of all, because I'm a producer and already busy spinning all these plates—costumes, props, set design, scheduling—at once to make a show happen. Every so often, I'd walk on set and Joshua Sasse would be in full costume as my great-grandfather, and I'd think, Goodness, this is my family history. It was quite surreal, as you can imagine. But the truth is Sarah and Joshua had done much more research than I ever did. The actors were so impressive in the depth of their research—Joshua actually had made this incredible scrapbook with photographs and newspaper articles. He was telling me all these things I didn't know, so I was learning as much as anyone else. It's one thing to read about someone in a textbook or a newspaper, but to bring the person to life, the actors take so many physical cues to portray their personalities. Diana, for example, when anything unpleasant was said in her presence, would slowly blink her eyes in an incredible act of denial. Joshua found pictures of Oswald Mosley practicing his speeches and he adopted the physical stances [my great-grandfather] took to get his message across in the most powerful way. Joshua also showed me a letter to Mosley from his mother where she compares him to the Messiah. That's a strange little insight into his psychology that I won't forget. I think it's so important to be frank and honest. We all have our psychology and our own context. Even people who subscribe to the most terrible beliefs have got there through their particular experience of being in the world. To understand, we need to engage and acknowledge the complexity of human beings. In a way, this show is almost like a warning from history, particularly with the characters who become involved in very far-right politics like my great-grandfather. We should be asking how and why people go down these dark political paths because it's happening again.
Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Outrageous cast teases second season of scandalous period drama
U and U&Drama's new historical series Outrageous has scored rave reviews, but will the Mitford sisters' story continue? The cast of Outrageous are all keen to return for a second series of the gripping historical drama following its premiere this week. Releasing this Thursday (19th June) on U, U&Drama and BritBox, the six-part first outing follows Nancy Mitford (played by Bessie Carter) and her five sisters' ascent to notoriety in the 1930s. While Nancy was becoming a reputable author and journalist, her sisters were either breaking the rules of society or rubbing shoulders with fascists. After taking off the rose-tinted glasses for a key era of British history, will Outrageous continue the scandalous narrative in a second outing? Acclaimed star James Purefoy, who portrays the Mitfords' father, insists: 'They'd be mad not to, I think.' Reach chatted to Purefoy and the rest of the cast at the show's London premiere, and enthusiasm to continue was high across the board. 'I think it's a great show and there's a lot more meat on these bones,' he continued. 'We're only at 1937, with loads more to come.' Along with Bridgerton star Carter portraying Nancy, the Mitford family is brought to life by a crop of both established stars and new talent to watch out for. In addition to Anna Chancellor portraying their dedicated mother, Joanna Vanderham and Shannon Watson portray fascist sympathisers Diana and Unity and Isobel Jesper Jones plays Pamela Mitford, who defied gender norms of the time. Zoe Brough and Orla Hill portray the youngest sisters, Jessica and Deborah and, finally, Toby Regbo portrays the only brother, Tom Mitford. Jones teases of a potential second season: 'There is so much history to cover. It's the tip of the iceberg, there's so much more they go on to do. 'Pamela's story, in particular, is so interesting beyond the 1930s. I really hope that we'll get to do that. If anything it gets more chaotic and more outrageous.' And Hill was equally enthusiastic to return, saying: 'I would love to. 'I'm desperate to because Deborah starts to come out to society and then had a crazy, teenage… her sweet 16 was pretty [crazy], hanging out with the Kennedys. 'One of the most interesting things about Outrageous is you have all those really famous historical figures that we know just trickling in,' she added. 'Having some of that for my character's storyline would be really fun.' From the first episode's surprise appearance of Winston Churchill (Robert Daws), it's clear the Mitfords were one of the most well-connected families in Britain during the early 20th Century. With plenty more history to cover, a second season could feature cameos galore from famous faces as well as plenty more scandalous revelations about the Mitfords.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BritBox Greenlights Contemporary Adaptation of Agatha Christie's ‘Tommy & Tuppence'
BritBox has green-lit a six-part contemporary adaptation of Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence. The series, following adaptations of Towards Zero and Murder Is Easy, will be produced by Lookout Point (Happy Valley, Gentlemen Jack), part of BBC Studios, in association with Agatha Christie Limited. Phoebe Eclair-Powell will write the show in her first drama series commission for television. More from The Hollywood Reporter Al Pacino Meets Pope Leo XIV, Becoming First Movie Star to Get an Audience With American Pontiff Colombian 'Narcos' Producer Dynamo Hires Angélica Guerra to Drive International Growth (Exclusive) Israel-Iran Conflict Dominates Global News 'Tommy and Tuppence are a detective duo for the ages,' a synopsis reads. 'They fall in love, fall out of it, and tumble back in, all while solving some thrilling, entertaining mysteries along the way.' BritBox North America president and general manager at BritBox International Robert Schildhouse said: 'Tommy & Tuppence is a contemporary twist on Agatha Christie's beloved sleuthing duo. With Phoebe Eclair-Powell's superb writing and Lookout Point's stellar production team, this series promises to be a fun blend of romance and mystery.' 'We can't wait for BritBox audiences to fall in love with Tommy and Tuppence all over again as they navigate murder, mystery, and mischief.' Eclair-Powell added: 'As an Agatha Christie superfan, this job is a dream come true. I am eternally grateful to James Prichard and Agatha Christie Limited for having me on board. With the excellent teams at Lookout Point and BritBox, who are clear Christie fans too, it's a perfect combination.' 'Christie's detective duo are witty, sharp and raring to solve lots and lots of murders whilst asking if they should really be more than just partners in crime… To bring Tommy and Tuppence into the twenty-first century is truly an honour.' The series was commissioned by Robert Schildhouse, Jon Farrar and Stephen Nye on behalf of BritBox. Laura Lankester, Katie Draper, and Louise Mutter from Lookout Point, along with James Prichard from Agatha Christie Limited, also executive produce. Production is scheduled to begin later this year. BBC Studios will handle global sales. The streamer's extensive collection of Agatha Christie adaptations include Agatha Christie's Towards Zero, Murder is Easy, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, Poirot, Marple, and The Pale Horse. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
