Succession is gone... what now?

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( June 03, 2023 [View in browser](   Hello! This is Louis Chilton, filling in for Jessie while she’s enjoying some well-earned time off. The cultural news cycle this week has continued to be dominated by the fall-out from Phillip Schofield’s affair scandal. I’ve neither the space nor inclination to delve into it here, but if you want the latest updates, we’ve [got a live-blog going](. What else is new? Succession has finished (RIP). We’ve got a terrific [review-recap of the finale here](by Philippa Snow. I also wrote a comment [practically frothing at the mouth over the series](, which must surely go down as the best TV drama since… Mad Men? The Wire? I reckon I can count on one hand the number of comparably great dramas out there. It’s already been a pretty terrific year for TV, between The Last of Us, Party Down, Poker Face, Barry, I Think You Should Leave and Jury Duty, with stuff like The Righteous Gemstones and The Bear also returning soon. I’ve not watched it yet but have it on good authority that Shane Meadows' newly released BBC period drama The Gallows Pole holds up to the impeccable standard of his previous work (This is England; The Virtues); Jacob Stolworthy had a [fun interview with its star Thomas Turgoose this week](. 'The Gallows Pole' is available to stream now on iPlayer (BBC) Elsewhere in the Indy’s culture section this week, we’ve had Adam White writing about the [making of the gripping new whistleblower drama Reality](, starring Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria). Adam, the culture desk’s resident Sex and the City expert, also gave this [astute take on the – only just announced – return of Kim Cattrall to the role that defined her career](. That being Samantha Jones, of course. Geoffrey Macnab wrote a Premium feature in [praise of divisive action filmmaker Michael Bay, dubbed here “Spielberg 2.0”.]( Sacrilege, I say! But he makes a case for it nonetheless. I also highly recommend Eloise Hendy’s [piece on cancelling artists](. Louis [@LouisChilton](   What to do this weekend Books | [Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep But We Don’t Mind by Victoria Richards]( This collection of short stories by writer, poet and Independent journalist Victoria Richards comes heartily recommended by Jessie. The distinctly female-centric yarns include the story of a feminist who decides to meet with her online troll, a Jewish woman who obsesses over the softness of another woman’s skin, and a woman who falls in love with a tree. "These are stories which demand to be read and then read again," said poet Amelia Loulli. Louis Chilton | Culture reporter [@LouisChilton](   Theatre | [Operation Mincemeat]( The acclaimed musical has just announced it is extending its West End run amid a continued barrage of glowing reviews. [Reviewing the show back in 2022](, Isobel Lewis wrote: "Comparisons to [Hamilton]( and Six are inevitable (it’s a historical musical where characters break out in rap – what did you expect?), but Operation Mincemeat matches up musically and is funnier than both. It certainly helps that the musical talent on display is exceptional, from both the live band and the cast." Louis Chilton | Culture reporter [@LouisChilton](   Film | [Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]( Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse inspires an important question: why can’t all superhero movies, be they animated or live-action, be as imaginative as this one? A sequel to the Oscar-winning animation Into the Spider-Verse from 2018, this somehow embraces tired genre tropes (crossovers, cameos, goddamn multi-verses) while remaining wildly entertaining. Be warned, though: this is a secret part one of a two-part set of movies, so cliffhangers galore. In cinemas now Adam White | Film editor [@__adamwhite](   TV | [I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson]( It is no overstatement to suggest that I Think You Should Leave is a once-in-a-generation sketch show; its weird, angry, dysfunctional comic rhythms are unlike anything the format has ever quite seen before. American comedian Tim Robinson returns to front this laugh-out-loud third season alongside a stacked list of guest stars, including Patti Harrison, Tim Meadows, Jason Schwartzman, Ayo Edebiri, Tim Heidecker, Sam Richardson, and Conner O'Malley. Grows funnier with every rewatch.. Out now on Netflix Louis Chilton | Culture reporter [@LouisChilton](   Books | [Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works by Helen Czerskis]( "If you want to understand the whole glorious ecosystem and connectivity of our globe’s waters then Blue Machine offers a riveting explanation of the ocean, “the big beast in Earth’s planetary system”, as Czerski, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London, puts it. The book simply immerses you. It is full of interesting analysis that is comprehensible to a non- science brain like mine, written in an accessible style that transmits the excitement of being a deep-sea biologist and the joy of an ocean that is beautiful and gigantic and never, ever still." (From June's Books of the Month) Martin Chilton | Chief books critic [@MartinChilton](     [The Saturday Interview – Daisy May Cooper]( [Oscars image]( Cooper: 'People told me I’m not funny any more because I’m not fat’ (Getty) For this week’s [Saturday Interview](, Annabel Nugent spoke with This Country star Daisy May Cooper about early poverty, her literary podcast, and the damage done by Rada. Cooper (centre) in 'Rain Dogs' (BBC) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… Only three years on from This Country and already there’s not much about Cooper that is recognisable – even to her. Now 36, she bears little resemblance to Kerry, the delightfully deadpan, jersey-wearing braggart of the hit BBC mockumentary she wrote and starred in with her brother Charlie across three critically acclaimed seasons and one hysterical special. Her life certainly looks nothing like it did then, back when she and Charlie would write by day and clean offices by night. It’s depressing, but not surprising, that it’s Cooper’s physical transformation that got people most riled up when, earlier this year, countless articles circulated documenting her “unbelievable!” weight loss. The internet, bored and mean, latched on. “Judging anyone’s body is f***ing wrong.” Cooper makes that clear from the get-go. “But I know me, and I know that I had put on that weight when I was desperately unhappy,” she says. “I was having problems walking up the stairs, and then when I got pregnant there was a worry I might have gestational diabetes. I was putting my health at risk and I was so miserable that I could not stop eating; it’s like being an alcoholic or a drug addict. I was trying to fill that hole with something, and as I became happier, the weight started dropping off because I wasn’t having to do that.” [Read the full interview here](   Weekend Shelf-Care Weekend Shelf-Care Christie Watson Watson, a former NHS nurse, works as a Professor of Medical Humanities at UEA, and is the author of the bestselling 2018 memoir The Language of Kindness. Her oeuvre also encompasses two novels – Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away and Where Women are Kings – and two other memoirs, including 2022's Quilt on Fire. A book I recently read and loved is… I was lucky enough to be sent a proof of Yomi Adegoke’s The List which will hit the bookshops in July. A totally brilliant page turner! My three fantasy literary dinner party guests would be… Dear Dolly Alderton, Shiv Roy from Succession (Sarah Snook IRL) and Dorothy Parker. I’m all over that energy. Not finishing books: my stance is… Life is short. My writing routine is… I’m a blue collar writer from a working class background. I work long hours, constantly hustle, and every day, Hemmingway-esque, I sit at a type writer and bleed. 'Quilt on Fire: The Messy Magic of Friends, Sex and Love' by Christie Watson is published in paperback by Vintage £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   [INDYBEST]( / [BEST BUYS]( [9 best deck chairs for reclining in the sunshine]( Nothing beats relaxing al fresco with a book, so make sure you’ve got your perfect pew sorted with our round up of the best deck chairs [Shop now](       OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Climate News]( Climate News Weekly Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [Simon Calder's Travel Week]( Simon Calder’s Travel Week Twice a week Written by Simon Calder [Join now]( [Climate News] Climate News Weekly Written by Louise Boyle [Join now]( [Simon Calder's Travel Week] Simon Calder's Travel Week Twice a week Written by Simon Calder [Join now](   The Independent proudly partners with [Refuge]( and the [National Domestic Abuse Helpline](: 0808 2000 247 If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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