‘What’s the Buzz?’ Volume 16

When the glamorous Elizabeth Chudleigh, Duchess of Kingston, Countess of Bristol, went on trial at Westminster Hall for bigamy in April 1776, the story drew more attention in society than the American War of Independence. She was an inspiration for Thackeray’s Becky Sharp, a much-loved figure at the heart of society, a maid of honour to Augusta, Princess of Wales.

This is a brilliantly told and evocative story, written by former Tatler editor, Catherine Ostler, and proof positive of the old adage that sometimes fact is even stranger than fiction.

As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 – Worth starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci (both excellent) tells the true story of renowned Washington lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, appointed to run the Victim’s Compensation Fund, created by an act of Congress to ease the suffering of families who lost loved ones in the attack and (perhaps more importantly, from the government’s standpoint) keep them from suing the two airlines whose planes were hijacked. 

What starts out as an intellectual and mathematical exercise of allocating funds with a prescribed formula soon becomes a compelling moral dilemma as Feinberg is exposed to the heart-breaking stories of the families and the realisation that individuals are not numbers.

This is a charming film that reminds us of the continuing divide between East and West. The film tells the story of a teenage girl in rural India as she discovers a life-changing passion for skateboarding, and the rough road she faces as she follows her dream to compete. Along the way family traditions and values are challenged as Western culture encroaches on a way of life that has changed little over the centuries.

Bombed-out Berlin in the immediate aftermath of WWII provides the grim, gripping backdrop to this series. It is a brutal compelling ‘whodunnit’ set in a city where nearly everyone is guilty of something – whether that be a Nazi past in the case of the Germans or rape, indiscriminate violence and looting on the part of many of the Allied occupiers.

The Defeated serves up a new twist on the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War, and weaves in a compelling mystery to boot.

This is the true story of Jose Mujica who before becoming Uruguayan President, along with other political prisoners, fight to survive 12 years of solitary confinement and torture. The film, extremely well-acted (nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars) avoids the easy trappings of triumph-of-the-human-spirit narratives. Sometimes a human simply withstands what it’s subjected to, and that’s enough to rivet us.

This lavish (in every way) Spanish series has been described as ‘Titanic meets Murder on the Orient Express’! Mysterious deaths on aboard a luxurious ship travelling from Spain to Rio de Janeiro in the 1940’s uncovers the secrets surrounding two sisters who are travelling together. Beautiful to look at and with a wonderful sense of period (from the makers of Velvet, Grand Hotel and Cable Girls) and high production values – just what we need as the nights draw in.

Scandi-Noir at its best!

The bleak beauty and macabre appeal of Nordic Noir is nothing new for long-time devotees of the genre.

It’s a suitably and characteristically grim affair, a story of missing arms and dead bodies and ominous children’s figurines, but it’s rich with character, beauty, and depth; that is as well-paced and engaging as any other you can think of.

From the team that produced The Killing you know you’re in good hands from a taut opening scene in the first episode and you remain so all the way through. At just six episodes, The Chestnut Man is an irresistible binge-watch proposition!

The series is based on the real-life tragedy that occurred in Paris in 1897. It tells the story of three women’s destinies that are irreversibly changed in the aftermath of a fire that rips through a charity bazaar. It is extremely well-acted, and stars Audrey Fleurot who was so superb in Spiral. It achieves a wonderful sense of fin de siècle period as it crosses the social divide of that beautiful city.

Starring the marvellous Sandra Oh from Killing Eve and Gray’s Anatomy, the series (refreshingly short comprising six half hour episodes) is set in a fictional Ivy League university. As we face the worrying threat of cancel-culture and woke-ism in all walks of life – this satire set in academia is a wonderful microcosm of all those issues. Superbly acted and extremely funny – I am really looking forward to series 2.