What to watch during lockdown.

Lockdown can be looked at in two ways: some may see this enforced time at home as a chance to be really productive and creative - to get bits done around the house that you’ve been putting off. On the other hand, I see lockdown as a golden opportunity to lie-in and watch copious amounts of television, without feeling any guilt. I’m writing this article for anyone who shares my attitude towards lockdown - because, as I’m sure you’re all aware, we’ll need A LOT of television to keep us satisfied until we’re allowed to go outside again. I’ll be recommending four different programmes in this post: three of them are accessible for free on iPlayer; the other is behind Netflix’s paywall (it might be available elsewhere, I’m not too sure.) I could save everyone a lot of time by telling you simply to watch BBC Scotland/Alba, and ending the article here, but I don’t think that would quite constitute a week’s worth of writing, so I’d better pick out some of my favourites for you in more detail.

I shall start things off with what is currently my favourite programme - Still Game. The Scottish sketch-show is set in Craiglang, a fictional district of Glasgow which is home to a community of charismatic (and foul-mouthed) pensioners. The show, created by its main stars Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill (pictured), is excellently written, delivering 9 series of pure comedy gold. I find ‘Still Game’ to be consistently funny: every episode ‘hits’, which is a rarely found quality in sketch-shows, as far as I’m aware. The Scottish programme has the perfect comedy blend: slap-stick humour; cleverly written comedy; and the most important ingredient, old people behaving badly. Do not be mistaken, though - this programme is more than just comedy: you will quickly become sentimentally attached to the central throng of characters, and you’ll definitely be touched by the final episode. If you like ‘Father Ted’, you’ll like ‘Still Game’ - the shows are distinctly similar in style and sense of humour (I don’t think I could pay the Scottish programme a greater compliment than this!) I implore you now to stop reading this article - my words will only get you so far. You’re better served actually watching ‘Still Game’ to understand its true brilliance, and as there’s nine series for you to get through, you’d better stop reading and start watching immediately!

My next recommendation is not as easy to explain as Still Game - what I’m trying to say is that the programme in question, FUNC, has no real redeeming qualities. This programme is a classic sketch-show with a key twist - it’s in gaelic (and it’s not particularly funny). You must be questioning why I’m recommending a sketch-show that not only isn’t funny, but isn’t funny in Gaelic. Well, yes, admittedly, I’m now questioning the inclusion of FUNC in this article myself - all I can say is that it’s one of those things you simply have to watch. FUNC is completely at the opposite end of the spectrum from ‘Still Game('s)' consistent funniness - most sketches in the Gaelic show ‘miss’. This is exactly what makes FUNC so watchable, though - you just can’t tear your eyes away. One sketch, someone impersonating Donald Trump whilst speaking Gaelic, makes the show worth watching solely for how bizarre it is. There are only four episodes of FUNC on BBC iPlayer - prepare to be bewitched for however long they last (if you’re actually motivated to watch it after my not particularly glowing review, that is). The combination of Gaelic with unfunny comedy makes for irresistible television - go and watch the show if you don’t believe me!

To finish off the trifecta of Scottish TV programmes I'll be recommending in this article is ‘Limmy’s Show’. Like FUNC, ‘Limmy’s show’ is a sketch show, but unlike FUNC, it’s successfully funny. The programme was written by, and stars, Brian Limond. The glaswegian is a specialist in the bizarre - his show has certain similarities to the Mighty Boosh in that regard. Admittedly, ‘Limmy’s Show’ doesn’t have the consistent funniness of ‘Still Game’, but when it is funny - it’s really funny. The final series in particular is excellently entertaining - I'd say that’s when the show reaches peak absurdity. It’d be wrong for me not to credit Limmy’s ensemble too - the trio who appear in every episode alongside the central man contribute their fair share to the comedy stakes. This is why I like ‘Limmy’s Homemade Show’, a separate series without the ensemble, a little less. I understand that ‘Limmy’s Show’ might be a bit of an acquired taste, but I can guarantee it won’t be like anything else you’ve seen before (apart from the Mighty Boosh possibly), and so, that makes it worth a try, I think. Unfortunately, ‘Limmy’s Show’ is only accessible through Netflix, as far as I’m aware. ‘Limmy’s Homemade Show’, on the other hand, can be streamed from iPlayer - I’d actually recommend you watch this first, even if you have Netflix, to dip your toe into Limmy’s world.

The final show I'll be recommending is one of my absolute favourites, ‘Race across the World’. The programme’s second series finished only a week or two ago, so will be ripe for the watching on iPlayer. The concept of ‘Race across the World’ is self-explanatory: a few teams are challenged to race from a starting point, across the world, to a finishing point - they’re only allowed whatever it costs to fly between these two locations to make their journey (and they’re not allowed to use air-travel). This programme is made all the more watchable by lockdown: we can leave our homes vicariously through these plucky adventurers. The first series would make for superb viewing as such - the travellers made their separate ways to Singapore, taking in beautiful scenery along the way, like Venice’s canals and the Great Wall of China. Series one even had a touch of threat, as the slowest team on each leg was eliminated (they scrapped this for Series two, unfortunately). The latest series disappointed me slightly in respects of interesting things to see - a lot of cities on the South American route seemed a bit samey. What I will say is that series two had a greater selection of likable teams, which definitely improves its watch ability. Either way, both series of ‘Race Across the World’ make for excellent television, and to be honest, I’ll be surprised if you’ve not seen either of them already - if you fall into the latter category, then please, get watching. Thanks.

That concludes my lockdown TV recommendations. To be honest, it’s taken me so long to write this article that, by the time I’m actually finishing it, lockdown restrictions are beginning to be eased (which is quite laughable). I trust that you’ll still consider my suggestions though, and indeed, I’d like to think that you’re open-minded enough to listen to the bonus audio piece (which is linked), in order to receive my guests' recommendations. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this article, despite its now questionable relevance - I’d like to see your TV recommendations too, so please tweet me, @Torpaldo. Thanks for reading. Click here for the accompanying podcast!

TheMondayMusing · What to watch in lockdown.