Grapevine Stories

Our Ambassadors top TV picks for lockdown

I got in touch with our Ambassadors and asked them to give us some suggestions of their recommended watching while we are all without a social life and stuck at home. I hope you will find this helpful and provide you with some good TV to binge on!

William Sitwell

Breaking Bad

If you haven’t done this series, now is the time to get well and truly enveloped in one of the great Netflix originals.

It’s an insane ride, an anarchic journey of a man diagnosed with cancer, breaking from his humdrum life into a cascade of mad adventure. It’s an unforgettable black comedy that you deserve to indulge in.

Succession - Sky

Brilliantly written, fabulously characterised saga of a media mogul and his family battling for control and survival.

Brian Cox is unmissable as the patriarch and Matthew Macfadyen gives the finest, funniest and most unexpected performance of his career to date.

Friday Night Dinner

Hilarious, stupid, embarrassing, familiar. 

The Crown

The early series, before it became a corny soap opera. 

Five top movies

Withnail and I

Bruce Robinson’s masterpiece. The finest screenplay in movie history.

The Draughtman’s Contract

Peter Greenaway’s stunning, arch period drama with Michael Nyman’s epic soundtrack.

Diamonds are Forever

Simply my favourite Bond film

Remains of the Day

Merchant and Ivory classic and the greatest example of a movie every bit as good as the novel. Utterly, beautifully moving and Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson at their finest. 

Jaws

Steven Spielberg at his directing best. I actually love it more for the acting than the shark stuff

Madelaine Loyd Webber

The Nest is brilliant and I really recommend it.

Kim Bailey

My favourite TV suggestions at the moment are, The Nest - just brilliant. Then also Homeland and the entire collection of Dad's Army!

Martin Scott

One of the problems being referred to as a Vulnerable person (which I certainly do not feel having managed 61 days hunting last season) is that the Television gets worse and worse! Apart from the weather forecast I have looked forward to watching Belgravia, which is on Sunday evening at 9.00 pm and I enjoy Countryfile which is also on Sunday evening.

What I do tend to do is to try and record all the old favourites such as old films and programmes such as Endeavour, Judge John Deed and Lewis as well as Foyle’s War even if seen before are enjoyed and if the programs on in the evening are not for me I will watch one of those I have recorded and probably fall asleep in front of them which I always did with the originals but I can always rewind and see what I have missed!!

Recently I was given a given an extremely thought provoking book entitled “When Time Stopped” by Arianna Neumann which as Michael Palin describes that the story may strike a chord, and rightly so. The slow and pitiless brutality that took hold of much of Europe in the 1930s is a story that can never be told too often. The book puts our minor problems today into perspective.  

I have just received A Treachery of Spies that I look forward to getting into.

Alice Fox-Pitt

I love The Crown!

Series one, two and three. I just binge watch it, brilliant telly!

Sir Mark Todd

Well we’ve watched the series, Goliath which we really liked.

We have just binge watched the latest series of Ozarks which was very good. I suggest anyone who hasn’t watched it start from the beginning of first series.

Also if you want a laugh, the 5 series of Schitts Creek is great easy watching!!!

Clare Casey

I have just finished watching Ozark and really loved it, so I highly recommend that. I enjoy watching This Country, If you want to really laugh - get to know the characters from the start. It’s highly recommended you watch from Series 1... Then for a favourite film to watch, I simply love The English Patient. If you haven't already seen it, then it's a must.

Johnny Hornby

Succession - the last episode of which maybe the best 45 mins of television I’ve seen in a long time.

The Loudest Voice - which is also very compelling.

The English Game - a sweet and interesting series of only six or so episodes about the origins of football with the amateur old Etonians and the birth of professional players coming through in northern factories...

Mike Tindall

Series

Ozark (thriller/cartel)

Money Heist (complex bank robbery)

GoT (not sure this needs a description)

Suits (lawyer series)

Peaky Blinders (gangster drama)

Movies

Fracture

The Matrix

Happy Gilmore

Identity

Bad Boys

Rupert Longsdon

We only got our TV temporarily set up yesterday so I am not sure I am a great one to ask! 

However here goes... 

This Country 

Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve (or indeed his other documentaries are great to travel experiences) 

W1A 

Killing Eve 

Emma Deterding

How about Yes Minister - and Yes Prime Minister they are still as current today as they were when they were mad in the 80s and absolutely hysterical - BBC or YouTube

Some hate him, but if you want to laugh til your cry, try Gordon, Gina and Fred in the Three Amigos Road trip in the US on ITV 

The original Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth surely can't be beaten 

And for the best feel good movie ever, Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze.

Adam Henson

Countryfile!!!

The Nest (BBC iPlayer) is absolutely brilliant along with Flesh and Blood (BBC iPlayer)and Liar (ITV) - All great and well worth watching.

I hope this gives you a selection of great TV to enjoy!

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