The Best TV Still To Come In 2019
Sticks & Stones, ITV
In Sticks & Stones, Mike Bartlett (creator of Doctor Foster and Trauma) explores the corrosive effects of workplace bullying in this taut three-part psychological thriller. Set in the competitive world of sales, the drama centres on the personal and professional life of Thomas Benson (Ken Nwosu), a hard-working father and husband. Reliant on bonuses and winning pitches, Thomas often finds himself leading the team when trying to secure new business. However, when he freezes during a pitch, the fallout is monumental. Determined to prove himself, Thomas goes to increasingly desperate lengths to remain successful. As he does, he begins to feel undermined, under attack and out of control. Is he just being paranoid or is his own team, and maybe the wider world, now out to get him?
Date TBC
Dracula, BBC
Dracula has been developed by Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker. The three-episode series, made in collaboration with the BBC and Netflix, stars Danish actor Claes Bang (The Square, The Girl In The Spider’s Web) as the title character. Moffat has said of Bang: “He has it all. Brilliant, gorgeous, charismatic, lethal. Tall, dark and gruesome all at once. Hell has a new boss.” We can’t wait.
Date TBC
A Christmas Carol, BBC
The BBC and FX have partnered up for a new adaptation of the timeless classic, A Christmas Carol. The three-part special is an original take on Charles Dickens’s iconic ghost story by Steven Knight (Taboo, Peaky Blinders). It promises a haunting, hallucinatory immersion into Scrooge’s dark night of the soul. The star-studded ensemble cast includes Guy Pearce (Mary Queen Of Scots) playing Ebenezer Scrooge; Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as Ghost of Christmas Past; Stephen Graham (This Is England) as Jacob Marley; Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Lottie; Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Bob Cratchit; Vinette Robinson (Doctor Who) as Mary Cratchit; Jason Flemyng (Save Me) as the Ghost of Christmas Future; Kayvan Novak (What We Do In The Shadows) as Ali Baba and Lenny Rush (Old Boys) as Tim Cratchit.
Available to watch on Christmas Day
Elizabeth Is Missing, BBC
Elizabeth Is Missing is a feature-length adaptation of Emma Healey’s bestselling novel. The film marks Glenda Jackson’s return to the screen after more than 25 years, in the leading role of Maud. The film combines a gripping mystery with a tender yet unflinching exploration of one woman’s struggle with dementia. When her best friend Elizabeth goes missing, Maud is convinced something terrible has happened, and sets out to solve the mystery. But with her dementia worsening, unfinished business unearthed and the past and present starting to merge, Maud’s search takes on a poignant urgency. Will Maud be able to discover the truth before she loses herself completely?
Date TBC
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The Pale Horse, BBC
The Pale Horse is this year’s three-part BBC Agatha Christie adaptation. The tale follows Mark Easterbrook as he tries to uncover the mystery of a list of names found in the shoe of a dead woman. His investigation leads him to the peculiar village of Much Deeping, and The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumoured witches. Word has it the witches can do away with wealthy relatives by means of the dark arts but, as the bodies mount up, Mark is certain there has to be a rational explanation. Stars Rufus Sewell, Kaya Scodelario, Bertie Carvel, Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Poppy Gilbert.
Available to watch on Christmas Day
The Barking Murders, BBC
Stephen Merchant, Sheridan Smith and Jaime Winstone make up the cast of The Barking Murders. From Jeff Pope and Neil McKay, the award-winning team behind The Moorside and Appropriate Adult, this new factual drama will go beneath the headlines to shed new light on the story of the ‘Grindr killer’. It tells the story from the point of view of the families of serial rapist and murderer Stephen Port’s victims, focusing on their fight to uncover the truth about what happened to their lost sons and brothers in the face of a now widely criticised police investigation. A grim watch.
Date TBC
Noughts + Crosses, BBC
British musician Stormzy has joined the cast of the much-anticipated BBC drama Noughts + Crosses, an adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s award-winning young-adult book series. Stormzy – a big fan of the books – will play newspaper editor Kolawale, a character created for the TV series. A gripping story of first love in a dangerous, alternate world where racism divides society, Bafta Cymru winner Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders, Born to Kill) will play Callum McGregor and newcomer Masali Baduza has been cast as Sephy Hadley. Other cast members include Helen Baxendale, Paterson Joseph and Ian Hart.
Date TBC
Gavin & Stacey, BBC
Gavin & Stacey is set to return for a one-off Christmas special. The Bafta-winning sitcom, about a long-distance relationship between a girl from south Wales and an Essex boy, was last screened in the UK in 2010, when its New Year’s Day finale attracted more than 10m viewers. James Corden and Ruth Jones – who play the characters Smithy and Nessa – will be joined in the new episode by castmates Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, who play the titular couple, plus Rob Brydon, Larry Lamb, Melanie Walters and Alison Steadman. We can’t wait to find out what’s happen to the gang over the last nine years.
Available to watch on Christmas Day
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