A reflective, morally attentive wander through a week of television shaped by memory, technology, and the pressures of modern life — written and curated by Pat Harrington, with music by Tim Bragg.

This week’s Culture Vulture podcast traces an uncanny pattern running through the schedules, where dystopian futures sit beside social‑realist heartbreak, and questions of identity, truth, and reinvention echo across films and documentaries. From Minority Report and The Capture to Boys from the Blackstuff, Blade Runner 2049, and a rich spread of late‑night cinema, Pat Harrington guides you through the stories that speak to who we are and who we’re becoming. With original music by Tim Bragg, it’s a thoughtful, atmospheric companion to the week’s viewing.

Read the script here and the full edition here

This week on Culture Vulture, Ryan dives into a TV and film lineup shaped by empire, reckoning, and the private costs of public life. From the ruins of Vesuvius to the fallout of modern politics, from tender kitchen romances to the spectacle of myth‑making, the week’s programmes ask a simple question: what stories survive us, and why?

We explore:• Rome as lived infrastructure — Mary Beard and Alice Roberts tracing power through roads, aqueducts, and ash.• The Tony Blair Story — a three‑part political autopsy on trust, certainty, and consequence.• The Taste of Things — cinema where cooking becomes a language of devotion.• Myth & violence — Bonnie and Clyde, Zulu Legend, Cape Fear and the stories we glamorise.• Institutional failure & testimony — from undercover policing to hospital histories.

Picks of the week: – The Tony Blair Story (for political biography lovers)– The Taste of Things (for slow‑cinema romantics)– Bonnie and Clyde (for late‑night mythmaking)

Want the full written breakdown by Pat Harrington, including all programme times?👉 Read it here: https://countercultureuk.com/2026/02/13/counter-culture-14th-20th-february-2026/

In this week’s Culture Vulture podcast, Pat Harrington curates a journey through film and television that probes the edges of human systems — moral, environmental, and emotional. Whether it’s the forensic calm of Alice Roberts in Ancient Rome by Train, the sonic boom of Concorde: The Race for Supersonic, or the eerie fatalism of Herzog’s Nosferatu, each selection invites reflection on what we inherit and how we respond. With streaming picks that range from environmental fury to stylish noir, it’s a week that balances spectacle with substance.
📖 Read the full written edition here
https://countercultureuk.com/2026/02/06/culture-vulture-7-13-february-2026/

A guide featuring romance, myth, satire and power — reading the week’s TV schedule as a shifting climate of feeling, consequence and imagination. From Roman Holiday’s quiet rebellion to Benedetta’s holy provocation, Pat Harrington charts how filmmakers wrestle with choice, dignity and the storms that shape us. Selections and writing by Pat Harrington and voiced by Ryan.
The script of this episode is here: https://countercultureuk.com/?p=113133
Go here for the longer written edition:- https://countercultureuk.com/2026/01/30/culture-vulture-31-january-6-february-2026/

A sharp, atmospheric rundown of the week’s most essential viewing — from Glazer’s chilling Zone of Interest to the industrial fire of Boomtown and the blockbuster soul of T2. Your cultural roadmap, distilled into one compelling listen.
Listen now and read the full edition of Culture Vulture here:
https://countercultureuk.com/2026/01/23/culture-vulture-24-january-30-january-2026
#film #tvshows #TVguide #documentaries #tvreviews #weeklywatchlist #artsandculture

A new week, a new Culture Vulture. From political flashpoints to cult cinema, from grief‑struck indie dramas to late‑night oddities, this episode dives into the stories shaping screens big and small between 17–23 January.
This week’s Culture Vulture moves through symbols, subcultures, hauntings, and quiet acts of resistance. Joanna Hogg, David Lynch, Palestine Action, Rocky Horror, The G, Kindling, and more — all unpacked with the usual mix of atmosphere, analysis, and late‑night curiosity.
Full edition here: https://countercultureuk.com/2026/01/16/culture-vulture-17-23-january-2026/

A five‑minute dive into the outsiders, iconoclasts and creative rebels shaping the week's entertainment. Welcome to the Culture Vulture guide for 10–16 January 2026 — written by Pat Harrington and voiced by Ryan.
This week’s Culture Vulture podcast explores the films and ideas that challenge conformity and celebrate those who push back against the worlds they inhabit. Pat Harrington guides listeners through a selection of bold, unsettling and thought‑provoking works — from genre‑bending cinema to morally tangled storytelling — all united by a spirit of resistance and reinvention.
You can read the full edition at: https://countercultureuk.com/2026/01/09/culture-vulture-10-16-january-2026

A ten‑minute guide to the week’s most compelling TV — from Bowie’s final experiments to Watkins’ radical Culloden, via westerns, wellness scams, and the quiet dignity of Eddie the Eagle. Settle in and let the week unfold.
This week’s full written review with far more selections is available on the Counter Culture website:
https://countercultureuk.com/2026/01/03/culture-vulture-3rd-to-the-9th-of-january-2026/
#tvguide #whattowatchnext #tvreview #filmreview #StreamingGuide #CultureVulture #weekendwatchlist #TVRecommendations #NowWatching #CriticsChoice #ontonight #Bowie #classiccinema

Curated by Pat Harrington | Original music in our video edition by Tim Bragg

Welcome to Culture Vulture, your guid to the week's entertainment from an alternative standpoint. This week’s viewing offers a powerful mix of historical reflection, contemporary drama, and late-night provocation. From early Powell and Pressburger to post-financial crash San Francisco, we witness questions of identity, morality, and social fabric play out on screen. Pat Harrington’s selections lean into stories of disruption and transformation, whether through criminal underworlds, bureaucratic absurdities, or simple human loneliness.

A full transcript is available here: https://countercultureuk.com/2025/06/07/culture-vulture-7th-13th-of-june-2025/

Selections and commentary by Pat Harrington | Music by Tim Bragg

As spring air stirs this week’s cultural offerings invite reflection, revelation — and the occasional revolution. Television and streaming cover a wide range of genres, from sci-fi and ska to true crime and torch songs. They deliver stories that challenge, charm, and cut deep.

This week’s guide is curated by Pat Harrington. Music is provided by Tim Bragg. It picks out standout offerings across British TV and streaming platforms from an alternative viewpoint. You might be settling in with a brew. Maybe you're catching up on-demand. There’s something here for the curious. It's perfect for the bold and the discerning.

This week’s top highlights:

• Doctor Who returns with a stylish regeneration and a fresh Doctor.
• Ute Lemper resurrects Weimar Berlin in an unforgettable late-night cabaret.
• The Hunt delivers taut moral suspense in one of the week’s most powerful film broadcasts.

Full transcript here