Screen Queen TV reviews: Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere, Heartbreak High, Peaky Blinders, SNL UK, Bait

Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere

Streaming now on Netflix

If you’ve spent any time at all on the internet these past few years, you’ll be all too aware — especially if you’re a woman — it can be a right old feral place to be. Once it was all cat videos, “Charlie bit my finger” and the odd bit of porn. Now, wander into the wrong algorithm and you’ll find yourself being yelled at by all manner of nutjobs. They’re out there spouting conspiracy theories, pseudo science and telling you all the reasons you need to hate yourself — it’s exhausting.

An especially heinous corner is the so-called manosphere, where far-right males spout all sorts of toxic BS about how women are “out to get men”, withering on about “the red pill” and how males need to “wake up” and fight against a society they perceive to be unfair to them. Excuse me while I vomit in my mouth.

It’s a fringe belief, but in recent years it’s gained more momentum, thanks to the kinds of people being spotlighted in Louis Theroux’s searingly good (but difficult to watch) doco. It’s the first of his new Netflix deal, and sees the seasoned documentarian take a trip into this world, catching up with some of its biggest players.

They treat misogyny as though it’s a business model, urging followers to sign up for programs to help them ascend to alpha status — really, it’s all just a pyramid scheme designed to prey on vulnerable, lonely young men.

Theroux’s doco isn’t saying anything particularly new, and in many ways it’s pretty irksome to think he’s platforming these creeps. But they say sunlight is the best disinfectant, so the net positive to a program like this is that it’s exposing the hypocrisy to a much larger audience. If it alerts just one parent to the dangers of their sons interacting with these scumbags, that can only be a good thing.

If you’ve not yet caught this, you must. But a word of warning — you’ll be incandescent with rage.

Heartbreak High S3

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

The final bell is about to ring for the students of Hartley High. But before they head off for exams and adult lives, there’s muck-up day fun to be had. Predictably, things don’t go according to plan, and when a revenge prank goes awry, the crew find themselves staring down an uncertain future.

It’s been heaps of fun to head back to school, especially as someone who graduated alongside the original students back in the 90s. Here’s hoping this “graduation” season won’t be the show’s last. With any luck, there’s a new crop of students on the way!

Long may this great teen drama reign.

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

Streaming now on Netflix

And we’re back! Cillian Murphy reprises his role as Tommy Shelby in this feature film, which also stars Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth and Stephen Graham. This time it’s 1940, and Tommy’s been forced out of self-imposed exile and back into the fray. He must decide “whether to confront his legacy or burn it to the ground”. Here for both alternatives, to be honest.

Saturday Night Live UK

Monday, streaming on HBO Max

Tina Fey has been announced as the host of the very first episode of SNL UK. Will the legendary comedy sketch show translate across the Atlantic? Only time will tell, but if Fey’s lending a hand, it’s looking promising.

Bait

Wednesday, streaming on Prime Video

Riz Ahmed stars as British actor Shah Latif, who’s up for the role of a lifetime. The series charts his spectacular unravelling over four days — will he get it together and nail his dream audition? Only time will tell.