TV and Culture Guide: What to Watch, Read and Listen to in January
Following a month of festivities, January is all about staying in
New on TV
MISSING YOU
We’re already hooked on Harlan Coben’s new Netflix series which joined the streaming site on New Year’s Day. On a dating app, detective Kat Donovan matches with her fiancé who disappeared years before. Meanwhile, she reassesses the unsolved mystery surrounding her father's murder, and as always in these gripping Harlan Coben tales, secrets unravel. There’s a cameo from Busted’s Matt Willis and the series also stars the fabulous Jessica Plummer and Lenny Henry.
Netflix
THE TRAITORS
Another New Year’s Day treat came in the form of The Traitors and Claudia Winkleman has once again swapped her sparkling Strictly suits for stylish knitwear to present this tense game full of twists and turns in the Scottish Highlands. Now in its third series, the faithfuls must try to banish the traitors and avoid getting murdered to win a cash prize. Episode one smashed a ratings record and episode two was immediately made available on iPlayer for those who can’t stand a cliff-hanger (that’s us).
BBC and BBC iPlayer
PLAYING NICE
Coming to ITV on 5th January, Playing Nice is a new four-part psychological thriller starring Happy Valley’s James Norton. Set against a Cornish landscape, two couples discover their children were switched at birth and face an unimaginable dilemma – to keep the sons they’ve raised or reclaim their biological children.
ITVX
Brilliant Biopics
I, TONYA
A whirlwind film (with hilarious fourth wall breaks), we follow the figure skating career of Tonya Harding, the record-breaking Olympic underdog who was banned from the sport after her supposed involvement in the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Gritty and darkly funny, this film feels like a gut punch.
Disney+
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
One of the best cat-and-mouse films ever made, Frank Abagnale Jr (played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young man with a talent for lying. What starts out as harmless lies (like pretending to be the substitute teacher for his class to punish a bully) soon becomes a career in deception, with stints as an airline pilot, lawyer, and even a doctor. Soon, FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) is hot on his heels…
NOW
JOY
Acting powerhouses Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper reunite again (after the success of Silver Linings Playbook) to tell the story of Joy Mangano, a struggling blue collar mother with a knack for inventing. When she’s given a shot to manufacture her selfwringing mop, Joy has to rely on her own savvy to stop it from being stolen from her.
Apple TV
BOBBY KENNEDY: THE MAKING OF A LIBERAL ICON
Larry Tye
A long and detailed look at the oftenforgotten younger brother of JFK, Robert Kennedy (Bobby to many) was an impressive political player in his own right. Tumultuous at the best of times, no period of American political history is as convoluted and confusing as the Cold War era, but the author unpicks it with ease, painting the portrait of a man transformed by the experiences (and tragedies) of his personal life from a hardline McCarthyist into an icon of the liberal movement. From his early days as the seventh of nine children, to his time as Attorney General under his brother, and his meteoric rise as a promising front-runner for the Democratic nomination, to his tragic end in the Ambassador Hotel, like with all good historical writing I knew how this story ended – but Larry Tye had me on the edge of my seat anyway.
SHE’S ALWAYS HUNGRY
Eliza Clark
A riveting new collection of short stories from one of the best emerging writers of the North East, She’s Always Hungry is a compendium of darkly fascinating tales, from a teenager who will go to any lengths for perfect skin to a scientist tending to fragile alien flora. Unsettling in the extreme and laced with Eliza’s usual dark humour, this debut short story collection is not one to miss. A master of the body horror genre, Eliza’s first two novels (Boy Parts and Penance) proved to be smash hits. Originally from Newcastle, Eliza also spends her time writing for screen.
THE NIGHT COUNSELLOR
LK Pang
It’s 1953 in West Yorkshire and a woman is found mute, naked and covered in blood in the middle of nowhere. With no memory of who she is, she is sent to The Beaumont, an imposing institution haunted by a dark history. Soon, counsellor Jane Galloway is drawn to the mysterious woman’s case, and as she edges closer to revealing the truth, a corpse is discovered which leads authorities back to the mysterious woman. The second of her books to be set in Yorkshire, author LK Pang fell in love with the area as a student at the University of Sheffield.
DOWN THE DRAIN
Julia Fox
A must-read for fans of the pop culture it-girl, Julia Fox’s memoir chronicles her life in raw, unflinching detail. From her tough childhood to her breakout role in Adam Sandler’s Uncut Gems to becoming a single mother, Down the Drain is a story of survival and success in a patriarchal world that cuts through the illusion of fame and reveals the multi-faceted woman behind the internet icon. Fox details her battles with addiction and abuse in an honest and enlightening way, celebrating the women in her life who helped her along the way – totally unputdownable.
I STILL WANT TO SHARE
Sophie Jamieson
Indie artist Sophie Jamieson’s second studio album will release on 17th January featuring string arrangements and drums. Sophie’s songs are heartfelt and explore emotions in a heartfelt and open way.
CAN’T RUSH GREATNESS
Central Cee
The upcoming debut studio album by rapper Central Cee is set for release on 24th January. Central Cee is nominated for best male act, best drill act and song of the year at the year’s MOBO Awards (taking place in Newcastle for the first time) so we’re expecting this to be a great listen.
HURRY UP TOMORROW
The Weeknd
Releasing on 24th January, fans are eagerly awaiting the upcoming sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd (the last in a musical trilogy which includes 2020's After Hours and 2022's Dawn FM).
