AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS
STAYING IN Picked by Henry Northmore, Staying In editor
‘I t really is a golden age for television right now, with quality shows from both sides of the Atlantic competing for our viewing pleasure. Meanwhile, the prospect of two brand new consoles has gamers all of aquiver. So you can soak up the best in culture without leaving
the house this autumn.
The biggest TV show of the season has to be the 50th anniversary of Dr Who (BBC One, Sat 23 Nov), in which Matt Smith and current companion Jenna Coleman will be joined by David Tennant and Billie Piper for a double Doctor special to celebrate i ve decades of sci-i brilliance. Another huge sci-i show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Channel 4, Fri 27 Sep, pictured), will be making its debut. Overseen by geek guru Joss Whedon, it’s the i rst ofi cial spin-off from the current crop of Marvel movies with direct links to Avengers, Iron Man, Thor etc. The French / Anglo production The Tunnel (Sky Atlantic, mid-Oct tbc) – ‘from the makers of Broadchurch’ scream its adverts – is ‘inspired by’ our Nordic noir favourite The Bridge, with a subterranean twist as a politician’s body is found in the Euro Tunnel. There’s more mystery with a political edge as Homeland (Channel 4, early Oct tbc) returns for a third series, featuring the most dysfunctional relationship on telly as Claire Danes hunts wanted terrorist Damian Lewis.
Vampire fans will be pleased to see the glossy world of Deep South Americana in True Blood with a penultimate sixth season (Fox, Mon 30 Sep), and there’s a new series based on Dracula (Sky Living, mid-Oct tbc) with Jonathan Rhys Meyers starring as the titular bloodsucker. If you prefer zombies, check out The Walking Dead season 4 (Fox, mid-Oct tbc) with more blood, death and hard choices for Rick (Andrew Lincoln) in a world of the undead. The big news for gamers this autumn is Xbox One (Fri 22 Nov) and PlayStation 4 (Fri 29 Nov), the two next gen consoles going head to head for the hearts and minds of videogame fanatics. PS4 seems to have won the initial skirmish, and on paper it appears to be a more powerful machine, while Microsoft embarrassingly had to backtrack on their pre-owned games policy after public outcry. We’ll have to wait and see how they weigh up against each other on the i nal playtest.
Xbox i ghts back by offering more than just gaming in a bid to become your all-inclusive entertainment system, with an incredibly impressive line-up of exclusive launch titles including Ryse: Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, Forza 5, Fighter Within and Killer Instinct. The PS4 is targeting hardcore gamers and boasts Knack, Killzone: Shadow Fall and DriveClub. Console wars are always messy and with the launch of both within just seven days of each other, this battle will probably be the closest fought so far.’
16 THE LIST 19 Sep–17 Oct 2013