‘It’s now the thing we switch on at the end of another mad day’

I can’t quite put my finger on why this eighth run of the Owl Power-produced gem has me so hooked. I’ve comfort-watched and loved Gone Fishing for some years now, harking back to the early series when Bob Mortimer was a floundering novice under the patient guidance of more experienced angler Paul Whitehouse.

I know it has very little to do with the fish, or even the inexhaustible list of beautiful rivers and countryside retreats the UK seems to keep throwing up. Perhaps it is the killer soundtrack (from Orange Juice’s Rip It Up to Billie Marten’s Crown), Bob’s increasingly experimental “heart healthy” gastronomic offerings, or Paul’s willingness to go along with absolutely all of it, wearing a wry smile.

Maybe it is more to do with the fact that, this year, my somewhat TV-shy boyfriend sat down to watch along with me for the first time. (All credit to Prime Video’s Last One Laughing for cementing the comedian as our firm favourite!)

It’s now the thing we switch on at the end of another mad day at the office when we just can’t face the never-ending Netflix scroll or the News at Ten – a prospect that feels grimmer with each day. Thank goodness for iPlayer allowing us eight boxsets to dip into at leisure and for Bob’s total obliviousness to the command ‘don’t wind’, even after all these years. Roll on series nine.

STREAMING SHOW OF THE YEAR

The Perfect Neighbour, Netflix

Now this is how to do a documentary. Geeta Gandbhir’s Netflix film follows a simple neighbourly dispute gone horrifyingly wrong. A cranky Karen-type starts to relentlessly call the cops on her kid neighbours as they play in the street near her yard. As things escalate by the day, it’s no spoiler to say the consequences are fatal, shining yet more light on America’s terrifying gun problem.

The Perfect Neighbour

In their filmed interactions with the police – surprise of all surprises – officers come across as calm, decent and reasonable. This is refreshing amid the tidal wave of documentaries about abuse of power within the forces.

The doc is bravely original in its reliance on shaky bodycam footage and recorded emergency calls, rather than retrospective commentary or talking head interviews. Told in real time, the documentary builds intensity, minute-by-minute.

Perhaps more importantly, it feels like a rare invitation for the audience to make up its own mind about the events; the evidence is presented raw and real. Scenes of banality lure you in – the action takes place on a residential street just like any other, with a cast of characters who may mirror people in your own life.

But the rapid descent into panic and grief sticks with you long after the credits roll. We see young kids being told the most devastating news of their lives in the most human way. Nothing is gratuitous. It shows the true cost of a moment of madness, and grounds it in reality. If this doesn’t change minds, I don’t know what will.

 Top five UK broadcaster shows  Top five streamer shows
1 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, Owl Power for BBC2   1 The Perfect Neighbour, Netflix
2 Celebrity Race Across The World, Studio Lambert for BBC1   2 LOL: Last One Laughing UK, Initial and Zeppotron for Amazon Prime Video
3 The Ridge, Boat Rocker, Great Southern Studios and Sinner Films for BBC2 3 Stranger Things, Netflix
4 Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, Basement Films for Channel 4   4 Down Cemetery Road, 60Forty Films for Apple TV
5 The Man Who Murdered His Family, BBC3   5 The Beast In Me, Netflix

Ellie Kahn

  • Ellie Kahn is a senior reporter, Broadcast

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