Jon Hornbuckle

December 2025 update: The second and third parts of the finale of Stranger Things are bringing things in Hawkins to a shadowy end this month, while there’s a second season of Fallout and returns for Emily in Paris and Percy Jackson to look forward to.We’ve all heard the phrase ‘TV’s golden age’ enough times over the past couple of decades to get wary of the hyperbole, but this year does seem to be shaping up to be a kind of mini golden age for the TV follow-up. Severance, Andor, Wednesday and Poker Face have all built on incredibly satisfying first seasons with equally masterful second runs. The third season of The White Lotus has proved that, whether you love it or find it a touch too languorous, there’s no escaping Mike White’s transgressive privilege-in-paradise satire. Likewise for season 7 of Charlie Brooker’s dystopian-flavoured sci-fi Black Mirror. More recently, HBO’s Task hit the spot with a blue-collar crime series that wasn’t afraid to get down and dirty. Watercooler viewing is everywhere at the moment, and that’s not going to change anytime soon, with Stranger Things coming to an end and about a zillion other things still come. Here’s everything you need to see... so far.  Best TV and streaming shows at a glance: 📍 The Pitt (Emmy Best Drama winner) – watch on HBO Max in the US📍 Adolescence (Best Limited Series winner) – watch on Netflix worldwide📍 Severance season 2 (multiple acting wins) – watch on Apple TV worldwide📍 The Studio (Best Comedy winner) – watch o

With Hollywood still regaining its footing after a 2020s it’d probably describe as a personal low, the field has been open for streaming shows to monopolise the cultural conversation. And this year it’s been well-established thoroughbreads that have been dominating our social feeds (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Bear, Industry, Bridgerton, Slow Horses), as well as some unexpected bolters (Baby Reindeer, Rivals, Fallout). And with a second run of Squid Game about to end the year with a big pile of bodies, the pressure to cram in eight or ten episodes’ worth of must-see TV is not relenting anytime soon. Our advice? Shake off the pressure to ‘see everything’ – it’s impossible, short of ripping a hole in the fabric of time – and find the shows that really hit your sweet spot. To help with this, we’ve taken a backwards glance over the best and most all-round enjoyable new binges, curating our definitive list of 2024 favourites. And as any fan of ace Aussie comedy Colin From Accounts will tell you: it’s not always about the number of Emmys on the shelf, as the sheer joy on screen that makes something worth your precious time. Here’s where to start. RECOMMENDED: 🎥 The 50 best movies of 2024🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2023📺 The 100 greatest ever TV shows you need to binge

Tom Cruise is back to save cinema yet again this week, with Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One crashing into your local picturehouse, multiplex or theater and unleashing another cargo of pulse-racing action. Cruise is back as IMF super-agent Ethan Hunt on the hunt for a mystery cruciform key that can access a world-changing (not in a good way) new A.I. called ‘The Entity’. The film opens at the bottom of the ocean with your classic submarine-in-peril sequence before surfacing and immediately decamping to some of the world’s most exotic, architecturally advanced and generally easy-on-the-eye locales. On the itinerary this time? Amsterdam, Abu Dhabi, Rome, Venice and Norway. ‘We wanted to make a bigger film,’ says director Christopher McQuarrie, ‘a more global film’. Well, mission accomplished. Here’s our ultimate travel guide to the globe-trotting action spectacular.

Actuar es un trabajo. Incluso en el nivel más selecto, los actores de Hollywood trabajan, aunque desde fuera no se parezca al trabajo que el resto de nosotros estamos acostumbrados a hacer. Y eso significa que, como nosotros, un actor hará algo simplemente para cobrar un dinero y después se arrepentirá. Un ejemplo: Dakota Johnson. Recientemente, en una entrevista con Vanity Fair, la actriz –que actualmente protagoniza la próxima adaptación de Netflix de la novela 'Persuasión' de Jane Austen– habló de la "batalla" que supuso la realización de la trilogía cinematográfica de '50 sombras de Grey' que lanzó su carrera. La elección de Johnson y su coprotagonista Jamie Dornan para los papeles principales, junto a Sam Taylor-Wood en la dirección, dio un barniz de credibilidad a estos blockbusters de literatura fetichista. Pero el producto final estaba lleno de diálogos torpes y escenas de sexo que daban vergüenza ajena. "Firmé para hacer una versión muy distinta a la película que acabamos haciendo", dijo Johnson. Johnson no es la primera actriz que expresa cierta vergüenza por sus decisiones interpretativas. Aquí hay otras ocasiones en las que la lista A de Hollywood ha echado pestes de su trabajo. NO TE LO PIERDAS: Los mejores estrenos del mes

Actuar és una feina. Fins i tot en el nivell més selecte, els actors de Hollywood treballen, encara que des de fora no s'assembli a la feina que la resta de nosaltres estem acostumats a fer. I això vol dir que, com nosaltres, un actor farà alguna cosa simplement per cobrar uns diners i després se'n penedirà. Un exemple: Dakota Johnson. Recentment, en una entrevista amb Vanity Fair, l'actriu –que actualment protagonitza la propera adaptació de Netflix de la novel·la 'Persuasió' de Jane Austen– va parlar de la "batalla" que va suposar la realització de la trilogia cinematogràfica de '50 ombres d'en Grey' que va llançar la seva carrera. L'elecció de Johnson i el seu coprotagonista Jamie Dornan pels papers principals, juntament amb Sam Taylor-Wood a la direcció, va donar un vernís de credibilitat a aquests blockbusters de literatura fetitxista. Però el producte final estava ple de diàlegs maldestres i escenes de sexe que feien vergonya aliena. "Vaig signar per fer una versió molt diferent de la pel·lícula que vam acabar fent", va dir Johnson. Johnson no és la primera actriu que expressa certa vergonya per les decisions interpretatives. Aquí hi ha altres ocasions en què la llista A de Hollywood ha malparlat de la seva feina. NO T'HO PERDIS: Les millors estrenes de cine del mes 

Acting is a job. Even at the most elite level, Hollywood actors are still putting in work, even if, from the outside, it doesn’t look like the work the rest of us are accustomed to doing. And just like you, that means that, every once in a while, an actor is going to do something simply to collect a paycheck – and then regret it later. Case in point: Dakota Johnson. Recently, in an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress – currently set to star in the upcoming Netflix adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion – discussed the ‘battle’ of making the 50 Shades of Grey movie trilogy that launched her career. The casting of Johnson and co-star Jamie Dornan in the leading roles, along with Sam Taylor-Wood on directing duties, lent a veneer of arthouse credibility to the fetish literature blockbusters. But the final product was plagued with hammy dialogue and cringe-inducing sex scenes. ‘I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making,’ Johnson said, expanding on 50 Shades author EL James’s insistence on having ‘a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen. Johnson is hardly the first actor to express some embarrassment over their acting choices. Here are a few other notable occasions when Hollywood’s A-list spoke put the boot in on their own work.

Percy Jackson is all grown up and heading out into the real world. The son of Poseidon’s first season broke records for Disney+, becoming the streamer’s most successful series that wasn’t from the houses of Marvel or Star Wars. Based on Rick Riordan’s bestselling book series, the demigod is still juggling high school, puberty and battling gods hellbent on destruction.  As is always the case, the second series raises the stakes and sees Percy and pals head across the oceans in a dangerous quest. This time they’ve left the studio behind and filming took place on real sets. Here’s all you need to know about the fantasy series ahead of its return.  Photograph: DisneyPercy and Annabeth head off on adventure What happens in season 2 of Percy Jackson? The upcoming season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians adapts the second book in Riodan’s bestselling series, The Sea of Monsters. It sees the young demigods embark on a perilous quest to save their school, Camp Half-Blood, and their friend Grover.  After being betrayed by former pal Luke at the end of the first season, Percy now teams up with Annabeth, Clarisse and his newfound cyclops half-brother Tyson to stop Titan Kronos and his plan to destroy Olympus.  So, y’know. Just your typical second year at school. Photograph: David BukachThalia's Tree plays a pivotal role in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Where was Percy Jackson filmed? While most of the first season was filmed in studios, the scale of Percy’s seafaring adventures in

Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey and Sex Education’s Gillian Anderson are going toe-to-toe in a gunslinging new western drama on Netflix.  The Abandons shows two widowed matriarchs go to battle for supremacy of a 19th century frontier town. Here’s what you need to know about the epic drama coming to the streamer this week. Photograph: Matthias Clamer/NetflixLena Headey as Fiona Nolan What is The Abandons about?  The Abandons takes place in the Washington Territory of 1854 and focuses on two families at war. Led by powerful matriarchs, the families battle for supremacy but become entangled in forbidden romance, murder and a battle for land. The two families are the Van Nesses, a dynasty of wealth and privilege, who effectively run the town, and the Abandons, a found family of orphans and outcasts.  ‘I am fascinated by the metamorphosis of good into evil,’ said showrunner and Sons of Anarchy creative Kurt Sutter. 'What must transpire to drive the morally sound to become the dangerously corrupt. The Abandons explores those complex compromises through the most powerful human instinct – the love and protection of mothers.' Where was The Abandons filmed? Filming took place between May and October 2024, with additional shooting taking place after showrunner Kurt Sutter left the project. Despite being set in Washington, USA, The Abandons was predominantly filmed around Calgary, the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta, with its sweeping plains outside of the city doubling u

Christmas came very early for the people of Bromley when the cast and crew of Pillion rolled into town last summer. The south east London suburb is the setting for Harry Lighton’s BDSM romantic drama, which shifted the setting of Adam Mars-Jones’s 2020 novel Box Hill from leafy Surrey to Bromley, and updated the story from the 1970s to Christmas in the present day. Already hailed as one of the films of the year, Pillion, Lighton’s directorial debut, stars The Queen's Gambit’s Harry Melling as hapless car park attendant Colin and The Northman’s Alexander Skarsgård as Ray, the brooding biker with whom he forms an unexpected sub/dom relationship.  The shift in setting came down to budgetary concerns – ‘You have to film [close] to London to avoid having to put up all your cast and crew overnight, so Box Hill was too far,’ Lighton tells Time Out – but the change in season was pure wish-fulfilment for the  filmmaker. ‘I’m obsessed with Christmas films,’ he says. ‘Every film I’ve made has had a Christmas element. I liked the idea of combining that sort of syrupy Christmas feeling with hardcore sex and seeing how an audience would combine those two things.’ Photograph: Picturehouse Entertainment Cue a towering Christmas tree being erected in the middle of Bromley’s town centre during filming in August 2024. ‘I’d sit by the Christmas tree and hear all these locals walking past and saying how Christmas comes earlier each year,’ laughs Lighton.  I liked the idea of combining that sy

With Homeland’s Claire Danes as the lead, new Netflix thriller The Beast in Me is a tense cat-and-mouse chase between a wealthy man suspected of murdering his missing ex-wife and an author writing a book on the mystery.  The drama unfolds in an affluent neighbourhood in New Jersey, but soon spirals into a chilling tale of murder, infidelity and political sabotage. Here’s all you need to know about the series.  NetflixClaire Danes as Aggie Wiggs gets caught in a conspiracy in The Beast in Me   What is The Beast in Me about?  The latest Netflix crime drama revolves around two neighbours who find themselves entangled in a tense cat-and-mouse game to uncover the truth.  Aggie Wiggs (Danes) is grieving the death of her son and struggling to write the follow-up to her award-winning debut book.  When real estate tycoon – and murder suspect – Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys) moves in next door, the pair initially clash but soon find themselves entwined when Aggie makes Nile the subject of her next book. What seems like an opportunity for Nile’s reputational redemption and Aggie’s next career move turns into turmoil as the pair get caught up in each other’s murky history. Dark secrets come to the surface and loyalties are put to the test. Did Nile really kill his former wife? Is his new wife as innocent as she claims to be? And will Aggie ever publish the book that could make or break her future?  NetflixMatthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis in The Beast in Me Who is in The Beast in Me cast? 

Son of a nutcracker! Christmas has come early for movie fans, with a new movie prop auction crammed full of iconic memorabilia going under the hammer this month. The Propstore auction features more than 1,350 rare items, including some of cinema’s most recognisable costumes and gadgets – from Star Wars to Marvel, and classic festive movies. Just imagine how much street cred you’ll earn for wearing the actual Buddy the Elf costume to your Christmas party, or donning the real Scream mask at next year’s Halloween event. Propstore is also hosting a special two-day public exhibition at London’s The Cumberland Hotel, opening Tuesday, November 25, where fans and collectors can peruse the props up close before they go under the hammer. Find out more about the event at the official site. Here’s a round-up of the highlights in the catalogue: Foto: Warner BrosElf Buddy the Elf costume  Estimated price: £100,000 -  £200,000 Christmas is only just around the corner and donning Will Ferrell’s costume from 2003 movie Elf seems like the perfect way to get in the festive spirit, as long as you’ve got a few grand to spare.  The green and yellow ensemble is expected to reach up to £200,000, so take extra care not to spill any mulled wince or mince pie crumbs on it this Christmas. PropstoreAlan Rickman's annotated scripts are up for auction Alan Rickman’s annotated Love Actually and Die Hard scripts Estimated price: £3,000 - £6,000  Here’s your chance to own the original cast scripts for fes

Cardiff is taking its place in the spotlight for The Guest, a new BBC thriller.  Torchwood star Eve Myles leads the cast in the Welsh crime drama that is packed with twists and turns that will keep viewers gripped throughout. Here’s all you need to know about The Guest, from filming locations, its cast and when it airs on TV. What is The Guest about?  The Guest tells the story of Fran and Ria, two women from opposite sides of Cardiff’s class system, who spiral into panic when a series of crimes turn their lives upside down. Ria, a young woman in an unhappy relationship and struggling to pay the bills, is offered a job by wealthy Fran, who may not be as nurturing as she first seems. PHOTOGRAPHER:Simon RidgwayFran and Ria have a toxic relationship in The Guest One drunken night at Fran’s lavish mansion soon sees Ria caught up in a world of crime, but with it comes luxury and a new life that has some life-changing perks, even if the police are watching her every move.  Writer Matthew Barry was inspired by ’90s thrillers when creating the drama. ‘I wanted to create a fun, twisty thriller, but with the unique perspective of a working-class character,’ he says. Mission accomplished.  Where was The Guest filmed?  The Guest is set and filmed across Wales, from city centre streets, to grand estates and coastal views. ‘Wales offered brilliant filming locations and visual ambition,’ notes executive producer Davina Earl.  Fran’s huge home was filmed at Whitson Court Most of the drama t

The mere mention of The Battle of Hastings in 1066 might give you unwanted flashbacks to school history lessons, but what really caused the medieval ruckus?  King & Conqueror, a new eight-part BBC drama launches this weekend and will tell one of the most famous stories in British history along with the parts that GCSE history didn’t mention.  An all-star cast and epic battles are in store with what promises to be one of the year’s telly highlights. Here’s all you need to know about the historical drama. Photograph: Lilja Jons/BBC/CBS StudiosJames Norton in ‘King & Conqueror’ What is King & Conqueror about? King & Conqueror tells the story of a rivalry that defined the future of England, with dramatic events leading up to the historic Battle of Hastings in 1066. The drama focuses on Harold of Wessex (James Norton) and William of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), with the pair beginning as allies with no design on the English throne, but both eventually forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of England’s crown. Photograph: Lilja Jons/BBC/CBS StudiosKing Harold (James Norton) and Harald Hardrada (Sveinn Olafur Gunnarsson) Where was King & Conqueror filmed? Filming for the historical epic began in Iceland in March 2024, before moving across the island.  The Battle of Hastings was filmed on a farm The famous battle wasn’t filmed in England, but instead on a farm at Hvalfjördur, Iceland, about 50 minutes drive outside of Reykjavik. The epic batt

Jodie Whittaker leads the cast in ITV’s latest crime drama that launches this weekend. One Night is a gripping six-part thriller set against the stunning vistas of Australia.  It sees three friends reunite two decades after horrific events as old secrets come to light and threaten to destroy their friendship. Here’s all you need to know about the latest ITV drama to hit screens.  ITV / ParamountThree friends reunite in new drama One Night What is One Night about?  One Night follows a group of friends who reunite 20 years after one traumatic evening changed their lives forever.  Two decades later and the trio have had children, moved abroad and inevitably grown apart. The reunion starts well but all unravels when one of their group, a budding author struggling to get published, reveals she has written a book all about their nightmare experience. What follows is a gripping tale of betrayal and deceit as long-forgotten faces reappear and old secrets get exposed. ITV / ParamountOne Night starts on ITV this Saturday Where was One Night filmed?  The drama was filmed on location across New South Wales, Australia, stretching from the state capital of Sydney to the coastal region of Illawarra. ‘I am glad to show off my ‘hood,’ producer Ian Collie said. ‘The beauty of the coast but also its underbelly, the perils, the rips, the bush. ‘We were incredibly lucky with the weather. We had only one day of flash flooding which meant shifting a location from Thirroul to Wombarra.’ ITV / P

How far would you go to protect your child?  That’s the dilemma that soap star Katherine Kelly faces in Channel 4’s new nerve-shredding drama.  In Flight comes from the creatives behind hit shows Marcella and Slow Horses, with the drama unfolding across Europe. Here’s all you need to know about In Flight and its filming locations. Channel 4Jo Conran (Katherine Kelly) is forced into a life of crime when her son is arrested What is In Flight about?  The opening episode sees flight attendant Jo (The Crow Girl’s Katherine Kelly) travel to Sofia, Bulgaria to help her son when he’s arrested and charged with murder. Months later, and while the trial in Bulgaria continues, Jo is tracked down by criminals who blackmail her into smuggling drugs in exchange for keeping her son alive in prison.  As she deceives colleagues and loved ones, and breaks her own moral compass, Jo is pushed to extreme lengths. But in true crime drama style, nothing is as it first seems and everything begins to unravel around Jo. Channel 4Cormac (Stuart Martin) is the criminal mastermind behind the blackmail Where was In Flight filmed?  The drama spans across Europe, from Istanbul hotels to Bulgarian prisons and numerous airport terminals, but was primarily filmed in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland.  ‘We looked beyond the atypical architectural style a city is known for and found what is not Belfast,’ producer Brendan Mullin tells Time Out. ‘To stop, look at what the city offers, and search out styles t

It wouldn’t be a Sunday evening without a new crime drama on ITV. Following recent crime series Karen Pirie and Code of Silence comes the return of Ridley to transform viewers into armchair sleuths for the next month.  Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar is back as the titular detective, a retired cop with four more head-scratching mysteries to solve.  Here’s all you need to know about the second series of Ridley. Photograph: WEST ROAD PICTURESAdrian Dunbar as Ridley and Emily Stott as Tara Dunning in ‘Ridley’ season 2 What happens in series two of Ridley? The crime drama follows Alex Ridley, a former detective inspector, who retired from the police force after the death of his wife and daughter in an arson attack on their family home.  He returns to the police force as a police consultant, joining forces with his former protégée DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), now at the helm of investigations.  Season 2’s opening has Ridley investigating a jewellery store robbery that has turned violent with fatal consequences. Cue a race against the clock to discover the identity of the elusive mastermind behind the crime.  Later episodes in the series include a murder at an illegal rave and a string of suspicious disappearances in a sleepy countryside village. Photograph: WEST ROAD PICTURESRidley and DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh) on the case in season 2 Where was Ridley filmed? Ridley was filmed across the north of England. Here’s a look at some specific locations that feature in the

Karen Pirie returns for a second series of gripping twists and turns as another unsolved murder case is rediscovered. The murder-mystery whodunnit is set and filmed in Scotland, with its incredible vistas of stunning coastal lines and historic villages lending an eerie feel to proceedings. Series one was watched by a big audience when it aired in 2022, but with a new murder case to investigate, the second run shouldn’t deter newcomers. Based on the crime novels penned by Val McDermid, the new series is adapted from the Scottish crime writer’s 2008 page-turner, A Darker Domain.  Here’s everything you need to know about the second series, including its filming locations. Photographer: Mark MainzKaren Pirie is back on the case What is Karen Pirie about?  The Scottish crime drama follows Detective Inspector Karen Pirie, freshly promoted after the events of series one. Karen is put in charge of an infamous cold case from the ’80s that has gained fresh scrutiny from senior police, the media, and the victim’s relatives. In 1984, Catriona Grant, the daughter of a wealthy local oil tycoon, was abducted, along with her infant son. The ransom notes that followed stirred up a huge press storm, but the culprits were never traced and neither Catriona nor her son were seen again.  But when, in the present day, a body is found with an undeniable link to the historic crime, Karen and her team must discover the truth under intense personal and professional pressure.  Expect a slew of twists

An LGBTQ+ coming-of-age drama set in the early 2000s was always bound to have an absolute killer playlist of pop classics and dancefloor fillers.  Based on Paris Lees’ memoirs of the same name, What It Feels Like For A Girl follows teenage misfit Byron as he discovers his true identity. The playlist is full of Y2K nostalgia with huge tunes from the likes of All Saints, Sugababes and Goldfrapp.  Here’s the rundown of the What It Feels Like For A Girl soundtrack and score.  Credit: Enda BoweByron and Max in the opening episode of What It Feels Like For A Girl The full official playlist can be found on Spotify. Check out the tracklist below. The Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy Hey Girl Zombie Nation – Kernkraft 400 Sugababes – Overload Planet Perfecto feat. Grace – Not Over Yet ‘99 Soulsearcher – Can’t Get Enough!  Moloko – The Time Is Now All Saints – Pure Shores Babybird – You’re Gorgeous Ultra Naté – Free Rui Da Silva feat. Cassandra – Touch Me Ida Corr – Let Me Think About It Camille Jones & Fedde Le Grand – The Creeps  DJ Luck & MC Neat – A Little Bit Of Luck All Saints – Never Ever Moby – Natural Blues Fatboy Slim – Praise You Goldfrapp – Ooh La La Radiohead – All I Need Madonna – What It Feels Like For A Girl  Credit: HeraEllis Howard as Byron in What It Feels Like For A Girl Who composed the score?  What It Feels Like For A Girl features the musical talents of DJ Jakwob, with his previous credits including scoring 2023 movie How To H