From Peaky Blinders to Band of Brothers: it’s Stephen Graham’s 20 best TV roles ever
His impeccable taste has seen him star in incredible shows from Line of Duty to This Is England. We rank his performances
May 2023
Shane Meadows on his newfound love of period drama: ‘It’ll resonate with people in a way we didn’t even intend’
He made his name with violence-peppered working-class realism, but now the This is England creator is doing historical drama. We step inside his take on a brutal 18th-century gang
January 2022
‘Just go for it. Have a shot. I did – I started with nothing’: at home with Vicky McClure
Line of Duty has made her primetime royalty and one of the UK’s most watched actors. Now Vicky McClure is paying it forward to a new generation of working-class talent
September 2021
Jack O’Connell: ‘Eventually the wheels come off, everything explodes’
Actor Jack O’Connell is known for going to physical extremes to show the vulnerability of violent men. But what does masculinity really mean to him? Eva Wiseman finds out
July 2020
'Mike Leigh's office almost went up in flames': casting directors tell all
As Bafta rewards scripted casting for the first time, those doing the choosing talk us through the process – from being flashed at in auditions to chasing would-be stars around with a tenner
March 2020
Stream team
This Is England: beloved UK drama is the tonic Australia needs right now
Moving and delightful, there’s so much heart in this film and TV series that it feels like a testament to human resilience
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century
Where’s Mad Men? How did The Sopranos do? Does The Crown triumph? Can anyone remember Lost? And will Downton Abbey even figure? Find out here – and have your say
August 2019
Joseph Gilgun: ‘In a working-class community, often you're accepted for the oddball you've become'
The This Is England actor on reliving his colourful youth for his new comedy series, being diagnosed bipolar and why it’s hard to find love when you live in a derelict house in the woods
March 2019
Race against the clock: why is so much TV jumping through time?
From Deutschland 86 to The Crown, shows are fast-forwarding through the recent past to keep us on our toes – and the action politically explosive
January 2019
Streamadelica: the 30 best box sets to watch before you die
From seminal crime sagas and grim comedies to deep dramas and meta humour, here’s our writers’ guide to the best streamable shows right now
June 2017
Preacher's Joe Gilgun: 'I don’t want to be a sexy vampire'
The This is England actor is back as the alcoholic vampire Cassidy in the second series of Seth Rogen’s comic-book adaptation. He talks to Lanre Bakare
May 2017
Johnny Harris on Jawbone: ‘The film was always going to be about boxing and addiction’
Having made his name playing menacing monsters in This is England and London to Brighton, the actor has written a raw drama starring Ray Winstone and Ian McShane, inspired by his earlier life
January 2017
Culture webchats
Vicky McClure webchat – your questions answered on fry ups, Motown and Shane Meadows
The Line of Duty star discusses improvisation, Notts County and mucking about with the cast of This Is England
August 2016
Stephen Graham: TV's most terrifying – and mesmerising – hardnut
He’s famous for playing dangerous sociopaths, from This is England’s Combo to Al Capone. But for his newest role, Stephen Graham is finally tackling the bad guys. He talks crime, cutbacks and making his prisoner uncle cry
July 2016
Mad Men to Seinfeld – TV's most criminally overrated shows
Vicky McClure: ‘Nothing I do will ever top working with Shane Meadows’
May 2016
Shane Meadows: 'We haven’t ruled out OAP This is England'
At the Bafta awards, Meadows said it is ‘difficult to close the door forever’ on his beloved project – and that fans can still look forward to one last ‘little gem’
March 2016
On my radar
On my radar: Daniel Mays’s cultural highlights
TV daze
Dog whistles, dishwasher tablets and narcotic fur: behind the scenes of sci-fi drama The Aliens
February 2016
Copa90
This is Grimsby: Thomas Turgoose on his love of the Mariners
The actor takes a leading role as Mariners fans explain their relationship with a club whose fortunes seem intertwined with the fate of the local fishing industry
