Ushering in 2022 with great TV, yearly round-ups and a candid chat with Willow Smith

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [View in browser]( [The Independent]( January 01, 2022 [The Independent]( Written by Annabel Nugent The IndyArts Newsletter Happy New Year! This is Annabel Nugent, and I’ll be taking over from Alex again for this week's Indy Arts newsletter. First and foremost, happy 2022! To say this past year has been a mix of highs and lows feels like a woeful understatement but there you have it. At least we broke free of the dreaded “what to watch in lockdown” listicles and welcomed the reopening of cinemas, theatres and gigs. A personal highlight of my year was seeing The Almeida’s gorgeous production of [The Tragedy of Macbeth](, starring Saoirse Ronan and James McArdle. Alex agreed, calling the play “supremely vibrant and alive, on a knife-edge between modernism and traditionalism” in her [five-star review](. If ever there was a year we needed a good laugh, it was 2021. My colleague Isobel Lewis found joy at the Soho Theatre’s unassuming production of [String V SPITTA](, a hilarious tale about two kid’s party entertainers. There was also the highly anticipated, much-celebrated production of Cabaret, in which Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley wowed audiences – including Alex, who gave it a [stellar review](. When a year ends, it feels appropriate to reflect – but it’s equally important to look forward. And our music correspondent Roisin O'Connor has done just that with her low-down on [the 10 new music acts to look out for in 2022](. From woozy Welsh rock to feminist post-punk, it’s shaping up to be another fantastic year of music. Wilkommen, bienvenue: Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley in one of the year's most celebrated productions, ‘Cabaret’ at London's Playhouse Theatre (Marc Brenner) As is customary for this time of year, we’ve got the obligatory end of year round-ups for you to look over – and potentially passionately disagree with. Here’s our top [10 best films](, [10 best TV shows]( and the [40 best albums]( of 2021. Case closed! [The Saturday Interview – Willow Smith]( [Oscars image]( Willow Smith: ‘Even my parents tell me it’s hard for them to understand my issues' (Dana Trippe) For the Saturday Interview this week, Roisin spoke with Willow Smith, the acclaimed musician and daughter of Will Smith who was called one of the most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine. She opened up about fame, finding her own path and what it’s like when your parents share a little too much in public… [Oscars image]( Hollywood royalty: Trey Smith, Jaden Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith and Will Smith (Getty) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… It’s rare to see a family of this level of fame be so open in a public forum – though a recent petition to stop Jada and Will from oversharing (2,500 signatories and counting) suggests that sometimes it can go too far. But Willow defends Red Table Talk’s approach. “Everyone is going through something and the biggest disservice you could do [to yourself and others] is put up a facade and be like, that’s not the case [here]. That sounds wrong to me.” Are there ever moments where she feels her family are too open? “I feel I’ve always understood that my parents are their own people,” she says carefully. “A lot of kids think of their parents like… ‘Your whole identity is for me.’ [But] seeing them in this lifestyle we had, from a very young age it was clear to me they weren’t just my parents. They’re full, other people who have their own emotions.” She has yet to read her dad’s tell-all memoir, but he’s read passages to her. Certainly not your average bedtime story. [Read the full interview here]( What to binge this week [Oscars image]( Perhaps most surprising is just how open the younger cast are about their experiences, from crushes on co-stars to coming close to quitting the franchise [Return to Hogwarts]( It’s finally here. The cast of JK Rowling’s beloved fantasy series are celebrating the first film’s 20th anniversary with a one-off special titled [Return to Hogwarts](. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint will, of course, be in attendance at this star-studded event. A number of tasty tidbits from the special have already been disclosed – such as the [flirty love letter Radcliffe once sent to Helena Bonham Carter](, or the moment [Watson realised she was “in love” with Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton](. What better way to spend New Years Day than reminiscing. You can watch the special on Sky Max and the streaming service NOW from 8.05am on 1 January. It will also air on Sky Max at 8.00pm that evening. Staying in [The Tourist]( Fresh off the success of A Very British Scandal comes the BBC's explosive new mystery series The Tourist. The six-part show stars Jamie Dornan as an Irishman who wakes up in Australia with no idea who he is, what he’s doing or why people appear to be out to kill him. Consider us hooked. The Tourist airs on BBC One at 9.00pm on 1 January and will be available on iPlayer [Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks]( You can’t ring in the New Year without a Doctor Who special. Following a dramatic season 13 finale, the Doctor et al find themselves facing off with the Daleks once again. Irish comedian Aisling Bea stars, which probably has a lot to do with why Mandip Gill called this “the funniest episode” of Jodie Whittaker’s era. Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks airs at 7.00pm on BBC One on 1 January [Don't Look Up, Netflix]( Chances are you’ve seen Don’t Look Up on your social media feeds. The newly released satire starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio as two mid-level astronomers struggling to warn people about an asteroid about to hit earth is all anybody can talk about. And for good reason – whether you like the movie or not, its message about climate change and politics is hard to look away from. Forewarning, though, it’s not exactly an uplifting start to the year. Don't Look Up can be watched on Netflix Essential reading [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in film]( [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in film]( [The best red carpet moments of 2021]( [The best red carpet moments of 2021]( [‘Festival of shame’: Why China has cracked down on Christmas]( [‘Festival of shame’: Why China has cracked down on Christmas]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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