Barbara Ellen
Barbara Ellen is a columnist for the Observer. She has also written for NME, the Times, Mail on Sunday, Elle, Marie Claire, Grazia, Loaded, GQ and Mojo
-
Observer TV reviewsThe week in TV: Black Mirror; Best Interests; The Full Monty; Count Abdulla – review
-
-
-
A turbocharged Natasha Lyonne carries Sky’s new comedy mystery; the BBC’s documentary series on the Troubles is a stark masterclass in history; and Suranne Jones creates and stars in a suspenseful family drama
-
Philip Glenister sheds his Gene Hunt persona in a sharply honed Welsh murder drama; Patricia Arquette flexes her screwball muscles; and the UK’s first dating show for gay men isn’t all about the flirting
-
Schofield leaves This Morning after falling out with his co-star, but it’s the format rather than the stars that needs changing
-
Observer TV reviewsThe week in TV: City on Fire; Turkey: Empire of Erdogan; Kids; Mulligan – reviewUptown and downtown collide in a crowded New York thriller; the BBC attempts to get inside the mind of the Turkish president; and an exemplary docuseries meets young people in care
-
High-octane spy thriller Citadel knows how to have a good time; Malpractice plays as a medical Line of Duty; Big Mick and co return in comedy gold The Curse; and Arena tries to get behind the sunglasses of Karl Lagerfeld
-
The silver fox sex icon says he’d rather eat a tangerine than make love. It’s time to reconsider what’s normal in long-term relationships
-
Amazon’s Cronenberg remake brings fresh gruesome thrills, but ITV’s dramatisation of the 2010 manhunt feels flat
-
The sexed-up Obsession is unlikely to be anyone’s turn-on; Hugh Laurie delivers Agatha Christie 101; and an absorbing documentary makes you wonder how Brooke Shields held on to her sanity
-
A pair of survivalist reality shows bring out the worst in their contestants. Elsewhere, misfits bond in a new school drama and Elvis moonlights as a spy
-
The BBC scored the ultimate own goal and took aim at David Attenborough’s last voyage, while a megawatt cast powered a preachy climate drama. Plus, the poles-apart struggles of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Paula Yates
-
The days of having ‘cool’ musical taste are over. Owning up to guilty listening pleasures is a joy in itself
-
The late singer is elusive yet captivating in a two-part documentary; the zombie thriller hits another high; Kathy Burke gets older disgracefully; and Paul Whitehouse is on a serious mission