What to Watch during Lockdown....

Whether you want to escape this new normal, take a revision break or just want to relax, here’s a list of some great shows to keep you occupied! I’ve chosen two for each category, and the categories are dramas, comedy’s and baking shows.

Drama

Normal People, BBC IPlayer & Hulu

Based on the bestselling book, this TV show is just beautiful. The characters are flawed but extremely likeable and the backdrops of both Dublin and the countryside of Sligo are stunning. Marianne and Connell are begin a secret relationship during sixth form. The story follows their tumultuous lives from school to the end of university. The construction and presentation of first love is done wonderfully, if frustratingly, especially when their lack of effective communication continually lets them down. The intimate scenes focus on consent which is a refreshing change to many TV shows. The chemistry between Marianne and Connell is amazing, and the whole cast is generally fantastic! Just a warning though, it might make you miss pubs, summer holidays and university life even more than you already do! There's also a magnificent Instagram account dedicated to the chain Connell wears around his neck (just an extra fun fact for you).

Liar, Amazon Prime & ITV Hub (contains themes of rape and violence)

I don’t want to give much away with this one, but Liar is suspenseful drama following Laura as she fights for justice after she is sure she has been date raped after a night out. The acting is pretty good and the story line with have you completely hooked right until the end of series 2!

Comedy’s

Modern Family, Amazon Prime & Netflix

Whilst this is obviously not a new show, it is new to Netflix! The first seven seasons have recently been added to Netflix, coming at the perfect time (also the seasons after the seventh aren’t amazing so it doesn’t matter that they aren’t there!). We all need a bit of light-hearted entertainment right now and Modern Family does the trick. I had not watched it for years, but from watching the first 2 seasons over the last week I’ve been reminded of how much I love it. It used to be my go-to show whenever I was feeling down as it always picked me up a bit. Years later and it is still doing that for me. So, if you’re feeling down or anxious from watching or reading the news, put a few episodes of Modern Family on and you’ll feel at least a little bit calmer.

Brooklyn 99, Netflix

This is another one that has been around a while, but the sixth season was finally added to Netflix last month. Another pick-you-up show, Brooklyn 99 never fails to make me smile. The backdrop of detective work also makes it a little different from other comedies, and covers serious topics such as racial profiling, gender bias in the workplace and LGBT+ discrimination maturely and sensitively whilst remaining comedic.

Baking Shows

This one might just be my favourite category….

The Great British Bake Off, Channel 4 , Amazon Prime and Britbox

I couldn’t not include this classic! Now you might be thinking that it’s the wrong time of year for Bake Off, or that you have already watched them all already. Most seasons are available either on Amazon Prime, Britbox or Channel 4, so now is the perfect time to watch old seasons and remember the good old days when Mary Berry was still a judge. You can watch episodes you have never watched before, or just re-watch them for some baking inspiration now most of us have a bit more time on our hands to get busy in the kitchen!

Sugar Rush, Netflix

I passionately believe that American baking shows will never ever ever be as good as the beautiful Great British Bake Off, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a bit of fun! Each Sugar Rush episode follows different teams of bakers who have to fulfil a specific rubric for three different bakes. After each baking round, a team gets knocked out. This makes the show face paced and dramatic, and it means there is a different winner each episode. Whilst it is very American (if you know what I mean), it is good entertainment and the cupcakes always look so delicious.

There you have it, six banging TV shows to keep you busy for the next few weeks! Each of these shows has provide some much needed distraction for me during these strange times, so I hope they are able to do the same for you too!

Sophie xx