The Custard TV Podcast

Luke Knowles
  • 3.6 (5)
  • TV Reviews
  • Updated Biweekly

Reviews and opinions from a trio of TV obsessives on a variety of the week’s biggest shows. Expect hot takes, bad jokes and people who have spent far too much time in front of the TV. Read more from the team on thecustardtv.com

  1. 5h ago

    TV Time Machine #31: Big Brother 2 - How reality TV evolved.

    25 years ago, Channel 4 went all in with the second series of their social experiment reality series Big Brother. Following on from the Nasty Nick scandal and Vanessa Feltz having a slight breakdown during the first celebrity edition of the show, the channel devoted a lot of time to the second instalment. Their new digital channel, E4, is used to air a live stream of the house, and a new late-night spin-off, Big Brother's Little Brother, launches. Revisiting the series 25 years later with all the hindsight that comes with that much time is an interesting experience. In a lot of ways, it's quaint, whilst in others it's filled with misogyny, sprinkled with homophobia and other qualities that feel uncomfortable. To its credit, the series stays true to the show's social experiment ethos. This is early reality TV where the contestants were themselves, and they were left to have discussions, fights, and have fun.

    2h 28m

  2. Jun 2

    # 520: The Four Seasons Season 2, Tip Toe, Hacks, Make That Movie

    Luke returns to join Matt and Dawn to review four new shows available on various platforms this week.  Firstly, Russell T Davies is back with an original drama about modern society called Tip Toe. The series features career-best performances from Alan Cumming and David Morrissey as two men on a dangerous collision course. It's a show with a lot to say about the state of the world today and the dangers of living your life as someone viewed as 'other'. It's such a strong series and the sort of drama Channel 4 should be making, but it does some things that the team often dislikes. Next, a favourite from last year, The Four Seasons, returns for a second season on Netflix. The warm friendship comedy drama, starring Tina Fey, Will Forte and Colman Domingo, follows three sets of couples who holiday together four times a year. Everything we loved about the first season still works and it's just lovely to have a show like this which is warm, engaging, funny and low stakes as this in a television landscape which is still obsessed with thrillers. Next, Australian comic Sam Campbell, who rose to fame through panel show performances and an incredible appearence on Last One Laughing on Prime Video, now has his own comedy series, Make That Movie. The series, which follows Campbell's character, a respected film director and his team as they attempt to make the movie of regular people's ideas. If you are aware of Campbell's comedic style, the series is really surreal and silly, but funny and feels very different to the rest of Channel 4's comedy slate. Lastly, Hacks, a show we've loved since it began, comes to an end. We do a deep dive into the final episode and what made the show work so well.  For our Quiz, Luke tests Matt and Dawn to name as many actors as they can from the Russell T Davies shows.

    1h 11m

  3. May 27

    # 519: The Burroughs, Ponies, Widow's Bay, Two Weeks in August

    Mo Walker joins Matt and Dawn to review four new shows available to watch this week. First, The Burroughs from Netflix, which functions almost as an elderly version of Stranger Things set inside a retirement community, led by performances from Alfred Molina and Geena Davies.  Next, on Sky, Ponies, a series set in the 70's which focuses on two men who go undercover with the CIA. The BBC's Two Weeks in August which could be seen as an attempt to make a British version of The White Lotus but plays more like a terrible sequel to a Channel 5 drama the team hated years ago. Lastly, Dawn's favourite new show, Apple TV's Widow's Bay, which follows a Mayor played by the always brilliant Matthew Rhys, in a cursed town. For our quiz, Dawn challenges the boys to name as many Game of Thrones cast members as they can.

    1h 17m

  4. May 19

    # 518: Falling, Rivals, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Smoggie Queens S2

    Matt and Dawn reunite with Dawn's Maid for TV co-host Sarah to review four shows available to watch this week. Firstly, the brilliantly camp Jilly Cooper-inspired show Rivals is back for its second series. Next, Jack Thorne of Adolescence fame is back on Channel  4 with the warm and sweet-natured series Falling, which follows Keeley Hawes as a nun who finds herslelf questioning her faith when she falls for a priest.  Next, Apple TV may have another hit on their hands in the intriguing comedy-drama series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Lastly, a surprise favourite sitcom returns to BBC Three as the trio chuckle their way through a review of Smoggie Queens. For the Quiz, Matt asks Dawn and Sarah to name Eurovision contestants.

    1h 27m

  5. May 13

    # 517: Believe Me, Legends, Unconditional, This Not a Murder Mystery.

    Matt and Dawn are joined by Doctor Who and Star Trek podcaster Suky to review four new shows available this week. Jeff Pope, king of adapting true stories into compelling drama series, is back with Believe Me. This four-parter, available now on ITVX, focuses on the horrific sex crimes of Black Cab driver John Warboys, who tricked female passengers into drinking champagne laced with pills so he could rape them. It's a deeply frustrating but important watch. Also, more loosely based on a true story, Netflix has Legends, a series about ordinary people who work for the security services during the 1980s. Next, Apple TV has a new Israeli drama, Unconditional, about a mother and daughter whose relationship is strained when one does something the other can't believe they'd do. It's a hard show to connect to. Finally, This is Not a Murder Mystery, a bonkers but vibrant murder mystery which features some scenery chewing performances, but is fun to watch.  Lastly, Dawn sets a quiz that proves difficult.

    1h 6m

  6. May 6

    TV Time Machine # 30 - Messiah, Murder in Mind, Survivor and Ant & Dec's Slap Bang!

    Matt and Luke fire up their TV Time Machine and set course for April 2001. Fresh off the huge success of SMTV Live, Ant & Dec get their first shot at a primetime Saturday night show on ITV. The result, isn't Takeaway, but Slap Bang, a mix of comedy sketches, game shows and Ant & Dec doing a lot of acting. Next, the BBC have Murder in Mind, an anthology drama series, which focues on stories of ordinary people pushed to their limits and commiting the ultimate crime. The episode we watch is called 'Neighbours' about how an idylic, quiet life is upenended when nightmare neighbours move in next door. Next, we revisit Ken Stott's grusome crime drama Messiah and also the first series of the Surivior. The reality series had a huge impact when it launched in the US and has been running for 50 seasons. We've now had two versions of the show, most recently in 2023. How does this version fare?

    1h 42m

  7. Apr 28

    516: Half Man, The Cage, Secret Service, Prisoner

    *The episode suffers from some audio issues*. Gary returns to the podcast alongside Matt and Dawn to review four brand new British dramas available this week. Fresh off the massive success of his Netflix series Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd is back with his first original idea for a series. Half Man, available on BBC One and iPlayer, and co-produced by HBO, is the story of toxic masicnility between two men who were brought together when their two mothers fall in love. In a lot of ways, it shares some DNA with the show that catapulted Gadd to stardom, but is that a good thing? Next, we loved the BBC drama The Responder, which starred Martin Freeman as a stressed out police responser struggling to keep his head above water. Writer Tony Shumacker is very good at writing ordinary people in increasingly stressful situations. His new show, The Cage, stars Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha as two employees of a casino who abuse their position to get ahead in their difficult lives. It's another show that feels a lot like the show that proceeded it. Somehow, though, despite strong lead performances, something doesn't click. Next, ITV have a new political thriller in Secret Service. It's a tropey show that feels very much like a show Gary should and would like, but is that the case? Finally, there's Prisoner, a propulsive new thriller on Sky Atlantic. The series puts Big Boys Izuka Hoyle in the spotlight as a prisoner officer who gets caught in the action when trying to transport a prisoner from one place to another.  *The episode suffers from some audio issues*.

    1h 11m

  8. Apr 21

    # 515: Euphoria, Beef, Hacks, Mint

    Luke is back with Matt and Dawn to review four new shows available on different platforms this week. First, HBO's teen drama Euphoria returns for its long-awaited third season. The series, which was once one of the most talked-about and provocative shows on television, now sees its characters outside of the high school setting. The third season still features a powerhouse performance from Zendaya as drug addict Rue, but it's the outer edges and the inclusion of other stars like Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney and their disjointed stories that work less well. Was the long wait really worth it? Next, one of the most beloved shows of the last ten years, Hacks, returns to Sky One for its fifth and final season. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbeinder are still fantastic together, and this season gets off to a strong start because it sees the pair on the same page and not at odds as they have been at the start of each previous season. It's a show full of confidence that knows what it wants to do, full of characters we care about, and we're not quite ready for its final bow. Also returning is Netflix's now-anthology series, Beef. The twisted comedy drama, which began as a series starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, as two people caught in a petty argument that takes over their lives. With the second season, the argument or 'beef' at the centre of the story comes when a young couple stumbles across a vicious domestic fight between their bosses. Helemed by strong performances from Calliee Spaney and Carey Mulligan, it's a show about power, and one that puts you in the same stressed place as its characters. The first season was focused solely on the two caught up in the 'beef', but season 2 has a lot going on outside of the battling couples.  Lastly, the BBC has a brand new drama, Mint, which is a romantic gangster show aimed at a younger audience. On one hand, it's another example of the BBC trying something new in prime time, but on the other, we have a lot of thoughts about why it just doesn't work. For our quiz, Dawn challenges the boys to name as many Friends guest stars as they can.

    1h 51m
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3.6
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

Reviews and opinions from a trio of TV obsessives on a variety of the week’s biggest shows. Expect hot takes, bad jokes and people who have spent far too much time in front of the TV. Read more from the team on thecustardtv.com

Information

  • Creator
    Luke Knowles
  • Years Active
    2012 - 2026
  • Episodes
    600
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Custard TV Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Custard TV Podcast

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