‘Cary Grant’s whole life was a civil war’: the TV drama unmasking Hollywood’s permatanned icon
The mansion-dwelling megastar was born Archibald Leach and grew up in a squalid Bristol terrace believing his mother was dead. The stars and writer of Archie talk about his rise, shame and redemption
September 2021
Steve Coogan to play Jimmy Savile in ‘sensitive’ BBC drama
Alan Partridge star will take on ‘complex’ character of notorious paedophile in The Reckoning
May 2020
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: The A Word, Isolation Stories, The Eddy; Trying; Homeland – review
Peter Bowker’s wry autism drama returned to fresh complications, ITV went full lockdown, and Netflix’s jazz story was all tuned up with nowhere to go
April 2020
Lockdown culture
'Can we do this without breaking the law?' Inside the first lockdown TV drama
ITV’s Isolation Stories stars Sheridan Smith and Eddie Marsan, is shot by their family members and was directed via Zoom. Is this the future of TV drama under coronavirus?
May 2019
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: Hatton Garden, Summer of Rockets and more – review
Jeff Pope puts to bed the myth of the cockney criminal, while Stephen Poliakoff gets off to a flyer with his latest period-posh drama
April 2017
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: Little Boy Blue; The Durrells; The Island with Bear Grylls; Girlboss
The Moorside writer Jeff Pope does a fine job on the story of Rhys Jones, The Durrells is much more likable than it should be, but Girlboss isn’t
July 2016
Jeff Pope on Caroline Aherne: 'I'll remember her on the sofa with a bag of Minstrels watching her huge TV'
Even at the peak of her success, she was battling cancer and depression. But, says her friend and writing partner, she turned everything into a funny story
January 2016
Sheridan Smith to star in BBC's Shannon Matthews drama
Cilla star will play head of the residents’ group which led the search for the kidnapped Dewsbury schoolgirl
August 2014
Philomena writer Jeff Pope plans television drama about Jimmy Savile
ITV Studios head of factual drama says he is still thinking about how to dramatise story of the disgraced BBC presenter. By Tara Conlan