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The Journal
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Military union warns 'vague' Defence Bill could lead to 'unreasonable suspensions' for soldiers
A MILITARY GROUP has told an Oireachtas committee that new 'vague' Defence legislation could breach soldiers' rights to fair procedure and lead to 'unreasonable and protracted suspensions'. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) is appearing before the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security which is carrying out pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed Defence Bill. So far invited speakers have focused on neutrality and new measures to deploy troops abroad, RACO is the first to address the changes to the workplace which will include powers of suspension and the summary dismissal of personnel. The group said, in its opening remarks this morning, that they have significant concerns about the drafting of the bill and a lack of consultation with them. It told the committee members that a conciliation and arbitration mechanism to raise their concerns is not fit for purpose and is 'unproductive' due to lack of resourcing and long delays in resolving issues. RACO said that it has 'little accountability' and has an 'inability to address the issue it was created to resolve'. The military group examined three draft heads of the Bill, dealing with suspensions of members, the dismissal of soldiers and how soldiers will be compelled by law to tell their commanding officers they are under investigation. These measures were introduced following high profile cases, including that of former soldier Cathal Crotty, who was found guilty of assaulting Natasha O'Brien in Limerick city. He was initially not imprisoned at Limerick Circuit Court but he was later jailed when the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed the case in the wake of it being raised in the media. Crotty was not suspended from the military as the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces did not have powers of suspension. A report by Peter Ward, which was commissioned by then Minister for Defence Micheál Martin, found that there was an urgent need for a clear suspension policy to allow the military to impose suspensions in certain circumstances. The Bill proposes that it will grant powers to a 'designated authority' to suspend soldiers under the rank of Major General. This includes for reasons of in the public interest, national security or serious misconduct. This measure was introduced to the Bill after it emerged that there was no real power of suspension for the RACO in its address today said that it welcomes a suspension policy but has called for a greater degree of clarity in the provisions as set out in the Bill. Advertisement It said that: 'we remain very concerned by the loose, vague and subjective language in the current drafting'. 'Such phrasing lacks the thoroughness and rigour needed to protect members' rights to the presumption of innocence and opens the door to interpretation without robust oversight or even an appeal mechanism,' the group added. The garda use of suspensions has been heavily criticised by the Garda Representative Association and the Workplace Relations Commission, in a finding against An Garda Síochána, said that its process was a 'rubber stamp' exercise . RACO told the committee that the suspensions in advance of due process would carry 'real consequences' for an individual's mental health and professional reputation. 'The principle of 'innocent until proven guilty' must be protected—not just legally, but through fair process and proper supports. A balance must be struck between operational discipline and the dignity and safety of those who serve. 'We note that suspension is an embedded feature of many other public sector organisations and are aware of a concerning reported trend of seemingly endless, elongated suspensions without regular review or due process, where the suspension in fact becomes the punishment,' the group added. Dismissal RACO raised the issue of dismissal of officers by the President 'for any prescribed reason' – it said again this was too vague and wide ranging drafting which lacked precision. The group told the committee that it 'lacks the clarity and safeguards necessary to protect members from arbitrary or disproportionate action'. RACO also called for redrafting in regard to the new measure in which military personnel will be compelled to inform their commanding officer if they are under garda investigation. The issue is centred around the measure which would require them to keep that officer up to date on progress. It said there was no formal or informal data sharing mechanism between gardaí and the courts martial system. RACO warned that this meant there was no obligation on the investigating garda to keep the Defence Forces updated on the probe. It has recommended that the Head of the Bill be updated so that it is only necessary where a military member finds themselves arrested, interviewed under caution or charged by the gardaí. 'We respectfully contend that the draft Heads as they currently stand are overly vague (even for primary legislation), and lack crucial detail on appeals mechanisms, checks or balances which could lead to a wave of unnecessarily unreasonable and protracted suspensions. 'We suggest that more detail is required to ensure clarity and support for our members who will be required to operate and administer a suspension policy, and that essential safeguards are necessary for all Defence Forces members who may be the subject of suspension or indeed dismissal into the future, in keeping with the principles of natural justice and fair procedures,' RACO conclude. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Natasha review: Moving insight into brutal personal experience that became a national lightning rod
In Ireland, there is the unstated assumption and, indeed expectation, that people, women especially, will keep their heads down, eyes to the floor – no matter what injustices they have suffered. But Natasha O'Brien did not receive the memo and spoke out after she was brutally assaulted in Limerick in 2022 and her attacker received a suspended sentence. Her case caused a national outcry and was regarded as one more sign of official indifference towards an epidemic of violence against women. This being Ireland, people also have something to say about a woman who used her voice, and O'Brien received a lot of hatred online, as she reveals in Kathleen Harris's compellingly meditative and dreamlike Natasha (RTÉ One, Wednesday, 9.35pm). A moving and thought-provoking documentary, Natasha sets itself the difficult challenge of reporting in a straightforward fashion on the assault on O'Brien by former Defence Forces member Cathal Crotty and the Director of Public Prosecution's subsequent appeal against the lenient sentence, while also capturing O'Brien's state of mind. [ 'The systems need to be gutted': Natasha O'Brien leads rally for justice at Dáil Opens in new window ] Harris's strategy is to figuratively sit at O'Brien's shoulder and to capture the rush of emotions – positive and negative – as her case becomes a national lightning rod. It's a disorientating experience – as it was for O'Brien, who, being human, has her moments of doubt and cries the day after Crotty receives a two-year jail term on appeal. READ MORE Natasha opens with O'Brien recalling a childhood trauma: 'I was swimming in the sea, a wave took me under. I was helplessly accepting I was being pulled under. There was nothing I could do.' That experience seems to have foreshadowed the assault she suffered at the hands of Crotty after she and a friend intervened as he and a number of other men yelled homophobic abuse at another passerby. 'The last thing he said before [he] started punching me was, 'Oh, you're a dirty lesbian'. That first punch just hooked me, it was so powerful. They kept coming: right hook after right hook,' O'Brien recalls. Her injuries were extensive: bruising all over the legs, arms and back, a broken nose – and a concussion that left her at high risk of a potentially fatal brain bleed. But despite speaking out about the leniency of the sentence, O'Brien explains that she does not always see her moral strength as a positive – maybe it would be easier if she just let things go. 'I spent time wishing I was different,' she says. 'I don't make my life easy by keeping my head up and speaking my mind. It doesn't make my life easy, and it never has.' As director, Harris skilfully teases out O'Brien's relationship with her parents, who separated when she was a child. Her father, Joe, is stoically supportive, but sparks fly between O'Brien and her mother, Anne. 'We speak less, we hardly speak at all,' says her mother. Gender violence has reached epidemic proportions the support group Women's Aid said recently, and those statistics mirror the experience of O'Brien, Meav McLoughlin-Doyle and Bláthnaid Raleigh , who talk about surviving physical assault and sexual violence. 'My ex-husband will get six years,' says McLoughlin-Doyle. 'The trauma of what happened to myself and my children will last a lifetime.' As is only correct, Natasha makes for sober viewing. But there is tremendous poignancy in the final scene of O'Brien and her mother at the beach, staring out to sea. It would be trite to say that O'Brien has achieved closure, and the film does not seek to impose that narrative on her. But there is empathy and togetherness between daughter and mother, and after all the physical and emotional pain O'Brien has suffered and the treatment she went through at the hands of the justice system, it is tremendously heartening to see her looking to the future with hope. Natasha can be streamed on RTÉ Player
Irish Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Natasha O'Brien says online trolls called her 'professional victim' after attack
Campaigner Natasha O'Brien has told how social media trolls described her as a "professional victim" after she was attacked by a former Irish soldier. In 2022, the Limerick native was viciously attacked by Cathal Crotty, who was then a member of the Irish Defence Forces. He was given a three-year suspended sentence in June 2024. An appeal was lodged the following month, and the sentence was overturned by the Court of Appeal in January this year, and he was sentenced to two years in jail. Speaking ahead of her documentary, Natasha, which airs tonight on RTE One, she opened up about the horrendous online hate she received after Crotty was sentenced, with one troll labelling her "a professional victim". She told The Irish Mirror: "I've been relentlessly trolled in everything I do in every post I post, every video or media interview. Anything and everything, there's just always so much negativity. "There was a really interesting comment – 'she is a professional victim'. I don't even know what that means but apparently, I'm a professional victim. "Or I hope she's going to donate all the money she makes from the documentary? What money? This has been out of my time. I've been doing this for the cause." She also saw posts discussing her LinkedIn credentials with Natasha saying it wasn't even her page. "That's not even my LinkedIn. We don't even look similar," she said. Natasha also wants to make it clear that she was paid a "minor fee" for helping make her documentary, which airs tonight at 9.35pm. "There was a minor fee, and it wouldn't even cover 30 hours of work, and I put in 10 months of this. It's not even a week's wages and I've put months into this. "It's not about the money and these film projects and their subjects, they do it because it's an important story and message that needs to be heard and seen. It was important for me to do it because I suppose I've been judged in so many ways, and I thought it was time to tell people this is who I am. "Of course it's a personal journey. I invited the cameras into very vulnerable moments." Natasha said she hopes when people watch her documentary, they will stop judging victims on how they look. "I just think that it is 2025 and the time for judging a victim on how they looked is absolutely insane. "If you actually think that how someone looks is going to give you any indication of what they are going through, you're away with the fairies. "You haven't a clue if you're seriously going to judge someone's appearance over the bucket load of trauma and all the struggles they've gone through and you're going to look at their appearance and judge them by that. "I totally couldn't care less about that. It's time we stop judging books by their covers." Natasha also spoke about the hurt her own family went through as they tried to help her heal from the heinous crime. She said: "I really lost a part of myself, and my mam was just always so desperate to support me and help me to find myself again but there were lots of pieces of me that were just destroyed. They weren't coming back and when I was filming, I got an insight into what it was like for my mam to have a daughter going through this and how it really affected her and impacted her. "It wasn't just me suffering, there were others around me suffering too. We forget that." Speaking about her documentary, she said it was important that the programme explored the leniency of the justice system and not just her own story. "It was really important to me at the start, that when we got my director on board… I said that I had told my story so many times, I'm sick of telling my story and I'm sure lots of people are sick of hearing my story so I don't want to waste an hour of prime-time television telling the same thing over again. "I don't want to waste this opportunity to talk about the past. It's not me. "We wanted to show that while something that happened to us can affect us, it doesn't define us and that was really important when we were filming this documentary." Natasha added that she finally feels like she is embarking on a "new chapter and journey." "It has been an emotional rollercoaster but I'm slowly starting to heal now and I'm finally on a new chapter and journey. "I feel like my own personal fights for justice are now over so now it's trying to go onto bigger things and trying to use this case as a great example of what shouldn't happen again. "I'm really passionate about trying to continue along to make sure this doesn't happen again for others. "I wanted to bare my soul. I'm really happy with how it turned out. "There is massive potential to do more and work on another project exploring restorative justice and going down that route and how do we really achieve a sense of justice for anyone in the system. I'd love to potentially explore that too," she added. Natasha airs tonight on RTE One at 9.35pm
Times
22-06-2025
- Times
‘Natasha O'Brien had courage to ruffle feathers and be difficult'
Kathleen Harris, the documentary maker, first heard the name Natasha O'Brien in June last year, when the young woman stood outside Limerick circuit criminal court to speak against the lenient sentence that her attacker had been given. On May 24, 2022, O'Brien had been brutally beaten unconscious by Cathal Crotty, who was then an active-duty member of the Irish Defence Forces. The now-retired Judge Tom O'Donnell imposed a fully suspended three-year sentence on Crotty, and his sentencing remarks were roundly criticised as he took into account the impact that a custodial sentence would have on the 22-year-old's army career. O'Brien, however, did not go quietly. The subsequent public outcry sparked a wave of protests across the country in support of her, and she became an inadvertent spokeswoman and activist for victims of gender-based violence. Now, her quest for justice is being told in Natasha, a documentary directed by Harris. 'Like a lot of people in the country, I was shocked to see the story,' she recalls. 'I saw Natasha in the news like everyone else, and was very surprised to see how outspoken she was. We see footage of victims going in and out of court, but we don't often hear them speaking the way that Natasha spoke. So she caught my attention.' The American-born film-maker was approached by the producers Elaine Stenson and Stephen McCormack. They brought her on board to document the impact that the assault had on O'Brien's life, as well as the appeal against Crotty's sentence, which was heard in January and resulted in him being jailed for two years. 'I'm very drawn to stories about women and about activists, and it was a story that I thought was important,' Harris says. 'When I met Natasha, she was so keen to do a film. She saw it as an opportunity. And she kept saying to me, 'Kathleen, I want to be vulnerable. You need to push me to be vulnerable. I want this to be raw, I want people to see everything, I want to let it all hang out.' That was her attitude.' The film was originally envisaged as an investigation of the criminal justice system in Ireland, but soon morphed into something more personal. For Stenson, the associate producer and driving force behind the documentary, O'Brien's charisma dictated that shift. 'Natasha annoys people,' Stenson says. 'She doesn't apologise. That upsets people. It upsets people when a woman demands attention and keeps demanding attention.' Harris, a former Irish Times video journalist, has form in such projects, having previously directed the documentaries Birdsong and Growing Up at the End of the World — both of which wove personal stories together with wider themes, including environmental activism and climate activism. At the film's core are the reverberations that the assault and its aftermath had on O'Brien's life, particularly on her relationship with her mother, Anne, which became visibly strained at points. • Cast convicts out of army, urges Natasha O'Brien 'Those scenes are hard to watch,' Harris admits. 'There is a lot of pain there, but they were willing to put that out there and allow it to be on camera, and we tried to be as delicate with it as we could. It is difficult to watch, but I think it also lets us see how some of this stuff plays out between loved ones. 'At one point in the film, Natasha explicitly talks about the ripple effect of violence and of trauma — she even mentions the taxpayers who had to pay for her medical bills. This isn't something we think about. We think that a victim of crime is the face on the news, but there's a long shadow there,' Harris adds. 'I've worked in news for years,' Stenson says, 'and there are some stories that need to be told in something more than three minutes, and some people who need to be on a bigger screen. 'Natasha is a tough woman but she also has her vulnerabilities. She wants to tell her story but doing so is a form of retraumatisation. Natasha thought that she was going to die during that attack, and in making this documentary we had to ask her to relive that, over and over.' In one especially striking scene O'Brien meets two other victims of gender-based violence, Maev McLoughlin Doyle and Bláthnaid Raleigh, and they discuss the fallout from their respective cases. It portrays them not just as one-dimensional 'victims' but as women who continue to feel the ramifications of their trauma in their everyday lives. It also illustrates how lacking the system is when it comes to supporting victims. At various points, a frustrated O'Brien is seen on the phone begging the director of public prosecutions for an update on the forthcoming appeal and complaining about how she is learning information about her case from the media. Despite its largely personal focus, the film does touch upon the legal system and explores the process of restorative justice, which allows the victim to have a conversation with the perpetrator in the hope of gaining closure and potentially reducing the risk of them reoffending. Although it has proven success rates, it is a rarely used option in Ireland. 'We do talk in the film about how you never get to address the perpetrator when you're a victim,' Harris says. 'You never get to actually say to the person, 'This is what you did to me,' and you don't get to ask them questions — and they also don't have to explain themselves or apologise. Those are all things that are critical to moving beyond trauma.' Restorative justice is offered in less than 1 per cent of cases in Ireland, she says, but points out that O'Brien was not sure if it was something she would have wanted. 'Like she says in the film, it would have been daunting because you sit across from the person who did this thing to you, but as she also said, going through the court system was daunting as well.' Tackling such a complex story has had an impact on Harris's life too, including affording her a new empathy for her relationship with her mother, because 'in part, this is a film that is about a mother and a daughter'. 'I'd also say that the film was meant to be a celebration of women, and of women like Natasha in particular — who stick their head above the parapet, who have that courage to speak out and ruffle feathers and be 'difficult'. I think I did a lot more of that when I was younger, but as I've gotten older I've stayed quiet more. So I think, going forward, when there are moments I see something that's not quite right or not OK, I will think of Natasha and her courage.' • It's time for men to speak out about the savagery against women Harris says she hopes people who see the film are inspired by O'Brien. 'I hope other victims and other women see it and think, 'OK, she could do that; I can do it too' — if it's right for them, of course. And I think she'll make people feel not so alone going through that process, and that they're not a weirdo for feeling all these weird, contradictory, messy emotions in the wake of something horrible that happened to them.' Stenson agrees. 'Natasha is going to be on our screens again this week. And that's going to annoy people again. Natasha is unfiltered, so unashamedly herself. You don't know what she is going to say next. She doesn't care what you think of her. And that's what makes her so remarkable.' Natasha airs on RTE1 on Wednesday, June 25, at 9.35pm
Irish Times
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
TV guide: The Bear returns, and the other best new shows to watch on RTÉ, Disney+, and Netflix this week
Pick of the week Natasha Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm In 2022 Natasha O'Brien was violently assaulted on a street in Limerick, in a random attack that left her bleeding and unconscious. The attacker, Cathal Crotty , was a serving soldier in the Defence Forces, and there was a public outcry when he received a suspended sentence for his cowardly and brutal act. This documentary follows O'Brien's subsequent refusal to stay silent about her treatment at the hands of a deeply flawed Irish legal system, and her subsequent battle to get justice for the trauma which was inflicted upon her. Thanks to her relentless campaigning, the DPP appealed Crotty's sentence and he was sentenced to two years in prison. With help from other women who shared their stories of facing their attackers in court, and from politicians including Labour leader Ivana Bacik and expert criminologist Dr Ian Marder, O'Brien looks at ways the system can be reformed to take ensure that victims' voices are heard. Highlights From that Small Island: The Story of the Irish Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm From that Small Island: Marion Casey in New York Nigel Farage can't seem to understand why Ireland would not want to join with the UK and leave the European Union; perhaps he should watch this third episode of this landmark historical series, as it might explain why his Irexit idea went down like a lead balloon. The 17th century saw mass migration of Irish to continental Europe, displaced by the brutal conquest by Oliver Cromwell, and this episode tracks the first diaspora as they set up new lives in various European countries. The programme also follows the Irish who signed up to French, Spanish and Austrian armies in the wake of the Williamite wars at the end of the 17th century, and became known as the Wild Geese. It marked the beginning of centuries-long ties between Ireland and Europe that will take more than a few bellowing Brexiteers to break. The programme, narrated by Colin Farrell, also looks at the life of anti-slavery campaigner Daniel O'Connell, known as the Liberator, and how he influenced black abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. Aistear an Amhráin Monday, RTÉ One, 7pm This series looking at the stories behind well-known songs ends with one of Ireland's most beloved bangers, An Poc ar Buile. The song was recorded in 1962 by Seán Ó Sé, and became an instant classic, but there's a tale to the tune that dates from the 17th century. The song about a mad billy goat was written in the 1940s by Donal Ó Mulláin and became associated with Puck Fair in Killorglin, Co Kerry, but the original poem it was based on has a darker meaning. An Boc ar Buile, written in the 1600s, was about a local landlord trying to exercise his right to have sexual relations with a tenant's bride on her wedding night. Given recent stories about landlords demanding sex from tenants as payment for rent, maybe the original version is due a revisit. The Gilded Age Monday, Sky Atlantic & Now, 9pm The Gilded Age Long before Sex and the City, New York was ruled by an elite coterie of well-got women, all vying for power and position in the upper echelons of high society in Upper East Side Manhattan of the 1880s. The Gilded Age is set during a period of huge transformation, when old money is under attack from a new generation of upwardly mobile industrialists and entrepreneurs, all hoping to buy their way into privilege. Louisa Jacobson stars as Marian Brook, a newcomer in New York society who arrives in the midst of a social war between the old-money Van Rhijn-Brooks and the new-money Russell family. Marian must quickly learn the rules of the game – and make up a few of her own – if she is to survive in this cut-throat world. Cynthia Nixon from SATC and Christine Baranski costar, and series three takes up the story in the aftermath of the so-called Opera War, which has given the Russells the social advantage. How will the old-money crowd hit back? This could turn into an epic confrontation. READ MORE Death in the Desert: The Nurse Helen Mystery Monday, Channel 4, 9pm Helen Smith was a young nurse working in Saudi Arabia in 1979, enjoying her adventure and making new friends in a culture very different from her own. At just 23 years old, however, Helen died in mysterious circumstances. The official story was that she fell from a balcony at a party, and her death was ruled an accident, but questions lingered over the lack of a thorough police investigation and whether her death really was accidental. This documentary looks back on Helen's life in Saudi Arabia and the political and cultural climate of the time, and tries to uncover what really happened on that balcony more than 45 years ago. Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm Amol Goes to the Ganges The Maha Kumbh Mela Festival in northern India is the world's largest religious festival, and the biggest gathering of human beings on the planet, attended by almost 500 million people from around the globe – more than the combined populations of the US and UK converging on an area the size of Manhattan. Joining them for this special documentary is journalist and presenter Amol Rajan, and he's visiting for personal reasons – to help him come to terms with the death of his father three years ago, and to reconnect with the land of his birth. The Kumbh festival happens only every dozen years, and this year's festival coincides with a rare alignment of the planets, making it extra special for pilgrims. Amol meets many of these pilgrims, all here to purify themselves in the polluted waters of the Ganges, but he also comes close to tragedy as a huge crowd surge results in the deaths of 30 people. Murder on the Doorstep: The Killer Clown Wednesday, Sky Crime & Now, 9pm Dan Reimer, who features in Murder On The Doorstep: The Killer Clown In the 1990s, a young woman, Marlene Warren, was shot dead on the doorstep of her own house in Florida by a mystery assailant. The killer had dressed as a clown to disguise their identity, but police immediately suspected Marlene's husband, Michael Warren, of his wife's murder. Their marriage was in trouble, and there were rumours of extramarital affairs, but Michael had a rock-solid alibi and the police had no proof, so he was eliminated as a suspect. Nearly 30 years later, though, police make an apparent breakthrough, charging Michael's alleged mistress Sheila Keen with Marlene's murder. But is there more to this murder than meets the eye? This three-part docuseries looks back at the investigation, interviewing investigators, witnesses, friends and family members in an attempt to unravel a very tangled web of lies and betrayal. Glastonbury 2025 Live Thursday, BBC One, 10pm The BBC's live coverage of this year's Glasto in Pilton, Sussex, kicks off on Thursday, but all this week the Beeb will be airing programmes in anticipation of the big weekend, beginning with three half-hour specials featuring Glastonbury legends from the 1970s (Monday, BBC Two, 10pm), 1980s (Tuesday, BBC Two, 10pm) and 1990s (Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm). Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne will be on hand at Worthy Farm to look forward to the fun in store for the weekend, which will see headline performances on the Pyramid stage by The 1975, Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts and Olivia Rodrigo. If you haven't got tickets for the festival, the BBC's coverage of the onstage action will be almost as good as the real thing – and a lot less mucky. Streaming Countdown From Wednesday, June 25th, Prime Video Countdown: Amber Oliveras and Mark Meachum A dead Homeland Security agent, a secret taskforce and a terror plot that could end in millions of deaths: maybe I won't have another consonant after all, Rachel, thank you very much. Jensen Ackles from The Boys heads the cast of this action-thriller series created by Derek Haas, the mind behind the FBI series and all its variants. Ackles is the LAPD cop Mark Meachum, who is recruited into the taskforce after the Homeland Security guy is murdered in broad daylight. The murder is just the tip of the iceberg, and soon Ackles and the team are racing to stop the bad guys from turning the citizens of LA into DOA. The Bear From Thursday, June 26th, Disney+ The Bear Chef-patron Carmy Berzatto is back in kitchen hell in the fourth series of the foodie dramedy, and he's still in pursuit of excellence in the former sandwich shop in Chicago that he inherited after the suicide of his brother, Michael. Carmy, a Michelin-star chef, has turned the dive into a fine-dining restaurant, but success is far from a done deal. Money is running out, and the kitchen is still in chaos and turmoil. Can Carmy create a calmer atmosphere in this culinary crucible? Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy, with Ayo Edebiri, Oliver Platt and Jamie Lee Curtis among the cast. Squid Game From Friday, June 27th, Netflix How much of a gaming junkie do you have to be to go back into a game that could end in your death? In series two of the hit Korean series – Netflix's most successful non-English-language series – Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) went back into the game with a clear mission to take down the faceless organisation behind this murderous, macabre theme park, but in this third and final series he finds himself back in the Squid Game dorm after the failure of his attempted rebellion – and this time the games have been taken to even deadlier levels. Gi-hun must survive this last round and also outwit his treacherous adversary the Frontman as the tournament reaches its bloody, adrenaline-pumping climax. Smoke From Friday, June 27th, Apple TV+ The Rocket Man star Taron Egerton heads a strong cast in this new crime series about an arson investigator in pursuit of two serial pyromaniacs. Joining Egerton in the series – based on a true story – are Rafe Spall, Jurnee Smollett, Anna Chlumsky, Greg Kinnear and John Leguizamo. Egerton plays the investigator, with Smollett as the detective who becomes his reluctant partner; they'll have to find common ground if they are going to stop the firestarting spree before it gets completely out of control.
