If you need another crazy and binge-worthy series to pass the time in lockdown, Netflix has got it all.
Tiger King captured the attention of the entire world – packed full of wacky characters, hundreds of endangered big cats, fires and even a murder plot for good measure, what’s not to love?
But as you found yourself staring at a blank screen when the final episode came to an end, glimpsing the reflection of your marathon-watching body slumped on the sofa, I hear you all wondering – what the hell do I do now?
Luckily, there’s plenty of just as crazy documentaries for you to sink your teeth in to, so grab the popcorn…
Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
If you liked the sometimes outrageous characters of Tiger King, you’ll enjoy Don’t F**k with Cats – it’s weird, it’s creepy and it’ll make you question everything you know about the internet.
The documentary follows a group of vigilantes who work together to find the identity of a murderer who filmed the crime and uploaded it to the internet.
Three Identical Strangers
This documentary follows identical triplets, separated at birth and all adopted into three very different families.
Their reunion became a global sensation and they quickly found themselves all over the news, but it unearthed a pretty crazy secret that would change all of their lives forever.
Fyre
Described as the ‘greatest party that never happened’, Fyre Festival was supposed to be the next best thing in terms of music festivals. Tickets started at $1,200 and involved multiple endorsements from A-list celebrities.
This one comes from the creators of Tiger King, so there’s plenty of bizarre stuff going on – buckle up.
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
This one’s for you if your favourite storyline in Tiger King was ‘Doc’ Antle.
It follows the inventor of Bikram yoga, Bikram Choudhury, who abused every little bit of his power. I can guarantee you will hate the fella.
Tell Me Who I Am
This story is truly bonkers. Alex, the main character, lost his long-term memory in a bike accident. The only person who can help him piece it all back together again is his twin brother.
For whatever reason they let cameras in to film the story of their childhood.
The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
I think the internet sort of broke a little bit when this was first released, but you absolutely need to watch it if you haven’t already.
It’s an eight-part documentary on the story of Madeleine McCann, who famously vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal. She became the biggest missing child case in the world and the documentary delves into plenty of the conspiracy theories.
Making a Murderer
Arguably this is one of the best crime documentary series that has graced our streaming services – if you haven’t seen this one, make it the top of your list.
It follows the story of Steven Avery’s conviction for the murder of Teresa Halbach and whether or not he is actually guilty. It’s got more ups and downs than a roller coaster so buckle up for the ride of your life.
Blackfish
If for you the best bit about Tiger King was the animals, then Blackfish should absolutely be top of your list. It’s sort of like Free Willy meets Tiger King.
It’s really old this one, but it’s so good that most people will watch it multiple times in their life. The documentary exposes the animal abuse at SeaWorld and follows Tilikum, a captive Killer Whale that has been described as a ‘serial killer’.
The People vs O.J. Simpson
Everyone got obsessed with this about four years ago but for whatever reason, I only watched it last week (I watched it in about three days). If you wanna get even angrier about the American justice system this is the one for you.
It follows the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman and the trial of the suspected killer, O.J. Simpson. Sexism towards powerful women is highlighted, the racism found within the LAPD is trialled and there’s even a mention of the Kardashians.
The Pharmacist
This one highlights the opioid crisis that is currently happening in the US, in a true crime-documentary style.
It follows a Louisiana pharmacist that goes to extremes to expose the rampant corruption behind the drug crisis, following the tragic death of his son.
Have we missed any other good, binge-worthy series? Let us know in the Facebook comments…
The second season of the BBC‘s hit police drama Blue Lights launches tonight.
The broadcaster previously confirmed which cast members will return as well as the fresh faces who have joined the series for new episodes.
Set in Belfast, the drama followed a batch of new constables as they navigated a post-conflict Northern Ireland.
Before the first series even came to an end, a second series had already been commissioned. The new series will follow on one year later.
Reprising her star role as Grace Ellis is Sian Brooke, also joined by Martin Mccann as Stevie Neil, Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon, Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster and Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally.
Also returning are Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff, Hannah McClean as Jen Robinson, Paddy Jenkins as Happy Kelly, Desmond Eastwood as Murray Canning, Andrea Irvine as Nicola Robinson, Aoibhéann McCann as Geraldine Gilroy and Abigail McGibbon as Tina McIntyre.
New cast members joining the show are Frank Blake (Sanditon) as new Constable Shane Bradley, along with Seamus O’Hara (An Irish Goodbye) as Lee Thompson, and Seána Kerslake (Bad Sisters) as his sister Mags.
As well as Craig McGinlay (Cobra) as Craig, and Dan Gordon (Bloodlands) playing Mags and Lee’s Uncle Rab.
At the end of the last season, viewers watched on as the team lost Gerry, who tragically died after being shot by Sully, and the McIntyre Crime Gang collapsed.
In new episodes the new recruits, Grace, Annie and Tommy, are now fully fledged officers who have to face new turmoil as rival gangs try to fill the void after the downfall of the McIntyre’s.
More drama is promised in season two, as the synopsis continues: “Constable Shane Bradley is drafted in to help, but his motivations are unclear. Tommy is dangerously seduced by the world of intelligence policing, while Grace struggles to deal with her son’s absence, and growing feelings for fellow officer Stevie.
“As a young loyalist threatens to take over the city, the officers face a major gangland feud – culminating in a violent and devastating confrontation.”
Commenting on the series and teasing the upcoming episodes, writers and directors Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, said: “Blue Lights is a very personal project for us, set in the city where we live, so for us making this show is a special kind of privilege.
“In series two we join our officers exactly a year after the events of series one, and now they’re facing a whole new set of professional and personal challenges. We’re very excited indeed about bringing you this next chapter of the Blue Lights story. Take a beat!”
Season one landed on screens in March 2023 and received a slew of five-star reviews as well as more than 7 million viewers (28-day figure).
It was in the top ten new drama series of 2023 across all broadcasters and streamers, and the biggest drama series in Northern Ireland in 2023. More than half of the 28-day audience (56%) came from BBC iPlayer.
And fans had high praise for the first series, with one person saying: “Just finished watching Season 1 of Blue Lights (BBC iPlayer) and it’s superb. Gripping and properly moving. Hard to believe, I know, but it’s even better than Happy Valley.”
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The latest episode of ITV’s The 1% Club issued a final question which left viewers baffled as the last two contestants ‘gave up’.
The hit entertainment quiz show which is presented by comedian Lee Mack is known for its notoriously difficult last question – which it claims only 1% of the nation can answer correctly.
After smashing through a series of questions, the last two standing contestants, Maisie and Alex, made it through to the final 1% question, where they had the chance of walking away with the £100,000 prize money or risked losing it all.
But when the question was delivered, the pair were left completely baffled as 30 seconds on the clock ticked away.
Fans watching at home said they didn’t even bother trying to answer the difficult question and were left completely stumped.
Both Maisie and Alex made the decision not to take a gamble and answer the question for a chance to walk away with the £100,000 prize money as they chose to play it safe and take their £5,000 each instead.
The question was: “Given that: 0+100 =100, 1+99 = 100, 2+98 =100, What is the sum of all the whole numbers between zero and 100?”
Maisie and Alex both guessed 5,000 – which was the wrong answer.
Contestants only have 30 seconds to lock in their answer but even allowing themselves a little longer, viewers still struggled to work it out.
The correct answer was actually 5050.
Lee explained why as he revealed the answer, saying: “There are 50 pairs that total 100 (0 and 100, one and 99, two and 98, etc.). That makes 5000, but there is also the number 50 in the middle, that is not in a pair but also needs to be counted, giving a total of 5050.”
Fans of the show who were watching at home took to X to express how difficult they found the question. One viewer said: “I still have the last question on pause, trying to work out the question… never-mind the answer.”
Another wrote: “Hard questions this week. Last week, I got all the way. First time ever this week I was out at the beginning.”
While a third added: “I didn’t even try with that one. Maths is hard enough on a calculator for me, never mind doing it in my head in 30 seconds.”
Popular BBC detective drama Shetland is returning for two new series.
The long-running crime drama will return with Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell reprising their roles as Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh.
Filming on the next season, its ninth, will get underway later this month.
The broadcaster said Shetland was the biggest drama of the year across Scotland and all channels and streamers in 2023, after Yorkshire crime drama Happy Valley.
Last season averaged seven million viewers and was the first to see Ashley Jenson take the lead role after taking over from Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Perez – a role he played for a decade.
Ms Jenson said she was ‘thrilled’ to be coming back as Detective Calder.
She said: “The reaction to the last series was incredible and I’m excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue.
“The Shetland Isles are breath-taking – without a doubt one of the most memorable and unique filming locations I’ve been to.”
Ms O’Donnell also expressed that she ‘could not be happier’ about returning to film another series. She added: “Ashley and I just scratched the surface of our dynamic in Series 8 and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to build on that.”
Fans of the programme will be delighted to know Steven Robertson (Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora) are also confirmed to return.
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said the news showed the corporation was ‘further strengthening’ its commitment to the show, which first aired in 2013.
The latest series will be written by Paul Logue and Denise Paul and produced by Silverprint Pictures, with filming scheduled to take place throughout this year and next.
We can’t wait for this!
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