Films, Books, TV Shows and Podcasts to Watch and Listen to in 2021
Has the chaos of Brexit, presidential elections, the end of the world as we knew it, and everything else 2020 dumped on us, left you gasping for a breath of fresh air? Our ‘normal’ deteriorated in a matter of weeks last March, and suddenly March 2021 doesn’t seem so far away… I, for one, feel rather cheated by time. And that can cause some anxiety facing the new year. There’s no denying that 2020 was absolute madness.
So it’s okay to feel a bit - scared - going into 2021. Fear not. I have a profusion of fantasy, a measure of mindfulness, a sprinkle of solace, and a lot of laughter in store for you. Read on for a film, book, TV show and podcast recommendation, carefully selected to soothe the leftover stress of 2020.
Film: About Time
This 2013 rom-com is a heartwarming tale written and directed by Love Actually and Notting Hill’s Richard Curtis. At a New Year’s Eve do, our lovely hero, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson), discovers he can time travel to the past. Instead of exploiting this power for fame and riches, he decides he will use it to improve his love life (cue Rachel McAdams in a gorgeous red wedding dress).
The film is 2 hours, which might seem ambitious for its genre, but by the end, you feel as if you’ve lived Tim’s whole life: shared his first dates, loved his newborn babies, and grieved his losses. There are a few plot holes here and there with the whole time travelling thing but on the whole, it’s a great story that takes you through all the emotions. By the end, you’ll want to pick up the phone and call every person close to you to tell them how much you love them. A perfect watch for a cosy winter evening in an onesie with a bag of Maltesers.
About Time is available on Netflix and Amazon Prime
Book: The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray
From the writer of The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober and The Unexpected Joy of Being Single comes the third of this incredible series. Catherine Gray’s books have quite literally changed my life, and this particular read equipped me with a new outlook on happiness that really drove me through 2020.
Why do 21st Century humans always want more? Ditching iPhone 11 for shiny 12, from horrendous breakup to reinstalling tinder, or my own personal case of never having enough nail polish.
But the buzz of new things very VERY quickly wears off. Do we put down our bank cards and think: “This must end - everything I could ever need is already around me”? NO. We shamelessly buy, text, work and crawl up to the next thing we believe that THIS time, will complete our search for happiness… and thus the vicious cycle continues.
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary made me calm right down. It was like a sip of warm ginger tea that swam right through to every nerve in my body. It breaks down the theories behind this self-destructive human behaviour, and Gray opens up about her own journey to finding joy in the ordinary. It’s easy to read and hasn’t got the sometimes pretentious tone of a self-help book, because - well - it isn’t one. It’s just an insightful take on modern human desire, and inspires you to combat those tendencies to ‘add to basket’.
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary is available on Amazon and Audible
TV Show: Gogglebox
This Channel 4 show did a lot for me during lockdown 2.0. And you may well already be a fan, in which case - SNAP! But for those of you who are yet to try, please let me explain why watching people watch telly is not weird. An episode simply consists of clips of the recent broadcasts of the week, sandwiched by the different googleboxers’ reactions. That’s literally it. And it’s become somewhat revolutionary in the world of reality TV.
It is a sigh of relief seeing real people in their real homes react to the apocalyptic headlines and bizarre shows of the week. A televised commentary of people like you and me both stabilizes and entertains, giving a warm reminder that we are human. And getting to know the ‘characters’ of the show is half the fun. Yes, it is a slightly strange Big Brother concept, but once you’re past that, you’ll discover a really special show, for which I eagerly await the next series.
Gogglebox is available on Amazon Prime and all series available on Channel 4
Podcast: Off Menu Podcast
I’m not a massive fan of Ed Gamble so I was hesitant to try this comedy podcast when a friend recommended it to me. I do, however, love the other two elements of the show: James Acaster - and food.
In each episode, the two comedians invite a celebrity guest into the ‘dream restaurant’, in which they talk the listener through their dream starter, main, side and dessert. Gamble and Acaster will interrogate the celebrity’s choices, drawing out funny childhood stories and quirky food facts.
It’s completely ridiculous but mouth-wateringly addictive. I can listen to this no matter what my mood, and I will always finish the episode smiling (maybe with a rumbling stomach, too).
Off Menu Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
So there’s a round-up of soothing content. Maybe one of these can ease a little bit of the pressure 2020 put on you, so you can face this new year cool, calm and collected.
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Written by Annabel Chadwick