TV and Culture Guide: What to Watch, Read and Listen to this May
Doctor Who and Bridgerton are back and we've found everything you'll want to watch, read and listen to this month
The Idea of You
Prime Video
If you can’t make it to the cinema, Prime Video is streaming The Idea of You starring Anne Hathaway. Based on the love story of the same name by Robinne Lee, Anne plays a single mum who starts an unexpected relationship with a 24-year-old lead singer of a band.
Grey’s Anatomy
Disney+
The seemingly never-ending and binge-worthy medical drama Grey’s Anatomy is back (and streaming on Disney+ for the very first time), and it’s all hands on deck at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
Clarkson’s Farm
Prime Video
Season three of Clarkson’s Farm has come to Prime Video. This time he’s pig-rearing and jam-making at Diddly Squat and Kaleb Cooper (now promoted to farm manager) is there as always to offer a helping hand.
Bridgerton
Netflix
Lady Whistledown tells us part one of season three of Bridgerton is finally heading to Netflix on 16th May and we can’t wait! This time, at the centre of it all is Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and world traveler Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
Doctor Who
BBC One & BBC iPlayer
Doctor Who returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 11th May. For the first time ever two episodes will premiere on iPlayer at midnight so you can watch them before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final (when we’ll be backing Harrogate-born Olly Alexander).
Read More: Up and Coming Yorkshire Filmmaker Ava Bounds on Her New Projects and Future Ambitions
We Loved
FERTILE GROUND
Sally Grey
Newcastle-based and Northallerton-born writer Sally Grey released her debut novel Fertile Ground in January and I was keen to get my hands on a copy. This suspenseful story had me gripped from the first chapter and the twists and turns had me feeling all sorts of emotions for Clementine Finch. Set in a terrifyingly convincing version of our future, Clementine is struggling with infertility in a world of overpopulation. Returning to her childhood home following the death of her parents she reconnects with her past, but when her brother arrives, paranoid about the wellness brand he works for, she discovers her mother’s hidden laboratory and begins to join up the dots of her legacy which could save so many lives. Read our interview with Sally here.
WE ARE NOT OURSELVES
Matthew Thomas
A touching multi-generational portrait of an Irish-American family’s struggle through the 20th century, and the unreachable goal of the American Dream. Born in 1941 to unstable parents in a tiny apartment in Queens, Eileen Tumulty does not suffer fools and longs to live a life of easy luxury. When she meets and falls in love with soft-hearted scientist Ed Leary, she soon realises their aspirations are not the same, and they must reckon with the life they’ve built together and the choices they have made, for better or worse.
THE ISLAND COTTAGE
Jane Lovering
Sent on a mission to tidy up and sell her great aunt’s cottage on the Orkney Islands, Brid Harcus plans on being in and out with minimal fuss – but the island seems to have other ideas. Between the cottage needing some serious TLC, including dealing with a rather belligerent family of geese, and the locals who are convinced that she must be the Orkney Witch, Brid starts to realise this cottage is more than she bargained for. But is it all a waste of her time? Or can Brid find her own piece of magic in the wilderness of Scotland?
On Our To-Read List
SAVING ELORA
Jackie Watson
4th May
In a tropical paradise a con artist craves a challenge while the mistress of a mafia don gives birth to a daughter – but the news that the baby isn’t his leads to a deadly game of cat and mouse. Anna’s Greek island life isn’t looking so idyllic anymore. This is the action-packed sequel to Apokeri Bay by Newcastle-born author Jackie Watson.
YOU LIKE IT DARKER
Stephen King
21st May
This new collection of 12 stories delve into the darker parts of life as Stephen King brings both terror and solace in his words which promise to be just as exhilarating as his novels.
THINK TWICE
Harlan Coben
23rd May
Myron is in his new office in New York when he’s questioned by two FBI agents after his basketball-playing former client and old rival, Greg, becomes their main suspect for a high-profile double-murder – but that doesn’t check out because Greg is dead. But it wouldn’t be a Harlan Coben novel without secrets and lies.
Personal Podcasts
ALL THERE IS
Tough but so worthwhile, this podcast from CNN journalist Anderson Cooper is a heartfelt examination of real stories of grief and how we can all share in the same pain. Each episode, Anderson interviews a person who has experienced a loss, including late night TV host Stephen Colbert who lost his father and two brothers at the age of 10.
GLAMOROUS TRASH
Give this podcast a try for a fun and relaxed listen, as the host and her friends go over celebrity memoirs searching for meaning and providing some much-needed cultural context. Start with the episode on Julia Fox, pop culture icon and ex-girlfriend of Kanye West.
FOUNDERS
Learn from the greatest entrepreneurs in history. Each week, the host finds ideas and lessons from biographies of great thinkers and doers that you can implement into your life. We recommend jumping in with episode 326, on the rise and success of Vogue editor, Anna Wintour.
Read More: Meet the Northern Busking Duo Who Won The Voice 2024
New Releases
Radical Optimism
Dua Lipa
3rd May
The third studio album by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa is Radical Optimism and features the already popular tracks Houdini and Training Season. We can see this doing well in the album charts.
Can We Please Have Fun
Kings of Leon
10th May
The upcoming ninth studio album by rock band Kings of Leon titled Can We Please Have Fun will be supported by a tour throughout North America and the UK. Catch them in Leeds on 20th June.
In This City They Call You Love
Richard Hawley
31st May
Legendary musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Richard Hawley (who found success in the ‘90s with Longpigs) is releasing a new album titled In This City They Call You Love which features 12 new songs. See the Sheffield star performs at The Glasshouse International Centre for Music on 13th June, Scarborough Spa on 20th June or Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on 29th August, and read our interview with Richard here.