The third season of War On Waste (Tuesday ABC/iview) is still the best viewing of the week, but if you like your British dramas, you won’t want to miss two compelling new shows, Fifteen-Love (Sunday on BBC First on Foxtel/Binge) and The Catch (Friday also on BBC First).
Fifteen-Love is about the murky power dynamics between teenage tennis superstar Justine Pearce (Ella Lily Hyland) and her older married coach Glenn Lapthorn (Aidan Turner).
Several years after an injury that derailed her career, Justine now works at an elite tennis academy where she is rocked by the return of her former coach. Soon after, she goes to the police to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Ella Lily Hyland is impressive in the central role and it’s a slick production thanks to Amazon Studios.
Consider me hooked, and I’m also loving The Catch which is surprising given it’s about a struggling British fisherman.
Ed (Jason Watkins) is grieving the loss of a family member, someone is sabotaging his boat, and his mother-in-law (Brenda Fricker) has dementia. Then Ed sees red when his daughter Abbie (Poppy Gilbert) brings home a dodgy new boyfriend, Ryan (Aneuriun Barnard).
The Catch
Despite being set at an English beachside where it’s probably too cold to swim, The Catch looks lush. UK’s Channel 5 is proving to be quite adept at making entertaining four-part dramas in beautiful locations, just like Aussie co-productions Riptide and Lie To Me (10Play and Paramount+).
Good luck to everyone at The 63rd TV Week Logie Awards (Sunday on Seven), but particularly Seven who haven’t broadcast it since 1995. All that extra work involved in making it happen must be why the network is already re-screening John Farnham: Finding The Voice (this Wednesday) just nine days after premiering it (last Monday).
Thank God You’re Here (Wednesday on 10), a show that started on 10, moved to Seven, and is now back at 10 again has a new host in Celia Pacquola. War On Waste still has its old host Craig Reucassel, but he’s still got it and the show is still a must-see. For more on War on Waste and these British dramas, listen to our TV Gold podcast this week.
Read more Mercado on TV here.
Welcome to TV Gold: Mediaweek’s weekly TV podcast
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This week on the TV Gold podcast: Fifteen-Love, War on Waste S3, The Catch, The Bear S2
Four series under the microscope this episode: Two UK dramas on BBC First (Foxtel/Binge) – Fifteen-Love with Aidan Turner and Ella Lily Hyland, and The Catch with Jason Watkins and Poppy Gilbert. We also watch the return of Craig Reucassel in War on Waste S3 and look at the rebuilding of the Chicago restaurant featured in The Bear. A hard decision had to be made – what could be Show of the Week? There is also some great correspondence from two TV Gold listeners.
Please send your thoughts, criticism, praise, viewing tips to [email protected].
Bonus episodes this month: Marta Dusseldorp on Bay of Fires, Jason Herbison on Riptide
Email the hosts and tell us what you have been watching. The good and the bad. Emails to: [email protected]