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Pick of the week
Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers
There has been no shortage of documentaries and dramas commemorating the 20th anniversary of the awful events around the 7/7 bombings in 2005. So while they were clearly a pivotal moment in British history, it’s a challenge to find a point of difference. Liza Williams’s series benefits from taking a considered view of how the attacks felt to British Muslims and also hears from former PM Tony Blair and Eliza Manningham-Buller, director general of MI5 at the time of the attacks. The big-picture insights are fascinating, but it’s the tiny details – such as the first responder who, out of respect, resolved to move victims’ bodies “as if they were asleep” – that really stick in the mind.
Netflix, from Tuesday 1 July
The Sandman
Showrunner Allan Heinberg has stated that it was always the intention to end this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book fantasy in two seasons. Gaiman is now a controversial figure but there has still been disappointment at what is seen as the abrupt conclusion of the 10-volume series. It remains a stylishly goth-toned affair; Tom Sturridge returns as Morpheus/Dream, the semi-physical personification of dreams and nightmares. Morpheus is returning to hell – but this has terrifying implications for Earth, which will be receiving an apocalyptic visit from hell’s ruler Lucifer Morningstar.
Netflix, from Thursday 3 July
Queerpiphany
A third season for this LGBTQ+ chatshow which is brisk and breezy while still getting stuck into weighty subjects. Munroe Bergdorf and Tayce are your hosts, coaxing guests into pinpointing their lightbulb moments. The series begins with makeup artist and influencer NikkieTutorials, who came out as transgender in 2020 after being blackmailed. Expect the conversation to touch on representation in the media and the need to inspire the next generation of trans kids. Other guests in the series include Amber Gill, Bimini and Pearl Mackie.
Paramount+, from Sunday 29 June
Tour de France: Unchained
Netflix have cornered the market in visceral and intimate sports documentaries; the third season of this series follows every grunt, tantrum and pile-up from the 2024 Tour de France and acts as a delicious appetiser for this year’s race. This time, there’s added emphasis on the increasingly huge sums of money involved but even so, it’s oddly comforting to see that the sheer wildness of this most extreme of sporting events remains intact. Le Tour is untameable and the closer to the heart of the peloton this show takes us, the clearer that becomes.
Netflix, from Wednesday 2 July
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Hunting My Sextortion Scammer
Channel 4’s Untold strand is notable for its efforts to explore the more disturbing aspects of online life. Here, Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks fame takes a deep dive into sexual blackmail – which according to the National Crime Agency is now the most widespread form of image abuse in the UK. Stephens wants to understand the issue from the perspective of both perpetrator and victim and takes the radical step of allowing some very dodgy material to slip into his DMs before travelling to Nigeria in the hope of confronting his blackmailer.
Channel 4, from Wednesday 2 July
Abbott Elementary
The terms of this cheerful school-set comedy get ever more truncated but after a short recess, it’s back to continue its fourth season. Once again, there’s a degree of seriousness underpinning the big-hearted set-pieces – this season’s undercurrent has been an exploration of gentrification as a nearby golf club threatens the school’s amenities. It’s also seen the school rally round to save Ava’s job. Maybe the tone-deaf and generally unpopular principal will learn from that solidarity but probably not – the conclusion to this storyline is admirably nuanced.
Disney+, from Wednesday 2 July
Sight Unseen
The search for wild new variations on the maverick cop formula goes on: Sight Unseen involves a homicide detective (Dolly Lewis’s Tess Avery) who is diagnosed as clinically blind after she makes a mistake that nearly leads to the death of her partner. Naturally, she’s unwilling to accept that this draws a line under her career in the field; instead, she uses an app to connect with a seeing-eye guide 3,000 miles away (“Mostly I help my clients buy bananas”). A premise that stretches credulity to breaking point and beyond.
Paramount+, from Thursday 3 July
