(01:20) TV news: Mock the Week is back but can you find it? Surprise ratings hits from 2025 and YouTube in the ascendant.

(21:00) When TV shows pick up and move, plus Sarah waxes lyrical about the charms of Brum but has to issue a tiny apology about the BBC’s efforts in the Midlands. 

(27:15) The new BBC diversity report: is Aunty Beeb doing too much or not enough? Well, it depends who reports the findings. 

(47:08) And Dawn changes her mind on Heated Rivalry.

(58:42) Our recommendations of the month:

Steal (Amazon Prime)

I Like Me (Amazon Prime)

Stay connected with us:

Maid for TV Instagram: @maidfortv

Maid for TV twitter: @maidfortvpod

Maid for TV bluesky: @maidfortv.bsky.social

Maid for TV email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Dawn’s Twitter: @DawnGlen2

Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahHamstera

Buy your gals a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/maidfortvo⁠

Happy new-ish year! 

(03:34) Christmas TV was a big fat let-down. The Maids know how to fix it and we’ll tell you what we want to see.

(20:08) Three cheers for New Years Treats which both feature a malevolent presence who puppets a gang of plucky volunteers for his entertainment - Taskmaster and Stranger Things.

(30:50) We recap the best TV of 2025 and why it was the year of The Traitors.

(41:10) Claudia Winkleman’s long-awaited chat show is airing soon and we ask where are all the female hosts?

(49:43) Our recommendations of the month:

The White Princess - C4

Pose - Disney+

Stay connected with us:

Maid for TV Instagram: @maidfortv

Maid for TV twitter: @maidfortvpod

Maid for TV bluesky: @maidfortv.bsky.social

Maid for TV email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Dawn’s Twitter: @DawnGlen2

Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahHamstera

Buy your gals a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/maidfortvo⁠

Dawn and Sarah detail their separate forays into TV last month.

(00:00)

Line of Duty is coming back, is it a good move?

(08:15)

Saturday Night Live UK have announced their creative team, can it match the success of the US version?

(12:10)

Teatime sci-fi favourite Stargate is coming back for a new generation

(19:58)

What's going on with BBC resignations, and who should be the next DG?

(23:53)

Moonlighting is one of the biggest TV shows of the 80s, what made it so special?

(41:11)

Our recommendations of the month:

(59: 25)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

All Creatures Great and Small (5/Netflix)

Stay connected with us:

Maid for TV Instagram: @maidfortv

Maid for TV twitter: @maidfortvpod

Maid for TV bluesky: @maidfortv.bsky.social

Maid for TV email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Dawn’s Twitter: @DawnGlen2

Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahHamstera

Buy your gals a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/maidfortvo⁠

We cover the big TV stories this month: 

• What skills and qualities do the new Strictly presenters need and who is Dawn backing for the big job?

  (04:00)

• Is it ok to get excited about Celebrity Traitors series 2 already?

  (17:35)

• And is the TARDIS stuck with the handbrake on now Disney has pulled finance?

  (30:27)

Girlbands Forever

We loved last year’s Boybands Forever BBC documentary. Can the new Girlbands Forever take the number 1 spot? 

(47.30)

Our recommendations of the month:

(01:06:00)

Leonard and Hungry Paul (BBC) a charming oddball comedy that swerves the manic pixie dream girl trope. 

And “stupid West Wing” is back - it’s series 3 of The Diplomat (Netflix)

(Apologies for the late drop - Dawn's fault.)

(Apologies Dawn's audio - an experiment that failed)

Summer is done! Autumn is here! Which means a bountiful new crop of TV to watch! We round up the new & returning shows we’re most looking forward to. 

(03:00)In our semi-regular feature “What on earth is going on over there?” we take a look at the state censorship Trump & Co are trying to impose on satirical late-night TV hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. Could it happen here too? Worse still, has it already happened here and we didn’t really notice?(16:22)Slow Horses is back and worth the AppleTV+ subscription alone. Sarah quotes from a book and hopes it makes her look smart. Dawn watched 3 series back-to-back because of course she did. It really is the best thing on TV and we’ll tell you exactly why.

(35:39)

Recommendations of the Month! Nothing’s changed; we’re still singing the jingle

(57:24)

Trying on AppleTV+ and BBC iPlayer 

Taskmaster Series 20 on Channel 4

Join us for MfTV's first-ever in-person meetup, and live podcast recording in the heart of Edinburgh in the middle of the Festival. As you can imagine there is lots of background noise, but these are our unedited real-time highlights of the Edinburgh International TV Festival - an insight into the industry at this pivotal time.

Masterchef controversy: how can shows punish presenters without also punishing the contestants on their shows?

(01:34)

San Diego Comic Con recap: the glut of prequels and spin-offs announced at the world's biggest comic con

(08:13)

The Proms: The Traitors at the Proms and other "post pub" treats from the classical music feast

(18:30)

TV views from an 82 year old Maid: Dawn's mum Sheena shares her TV memories and tastes

(22:30)

Our recommendations of the month:

(01:05:57)

Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers (Netflix)

Loot (Apple TV+)

Stay connected with us:

Maid for TV Instagram: @maidfortv

Maid for TV twitter: @maidfortvpod

Maid for TV bluesky: @maidfortv.bsky.social

Maid for TV email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Dawn’s Twitter: @DawnGlen2

Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahHamstera

Buy your gals a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/maidfortvo⁠

Glastonbury v BBC: trying to make sense of this summer’s most controversial broadcast

(08:25)

Transaction and Pushers: TV comedy taking risks in increasingly conservative times

(25:30)

Thank you for being a trailblazer: The Golden Girls and how they were ahead of their time

(35:46)

Our recommendations of the month:

(01:03:52)

Based on a True Story (Sky Max and NOW)

Smoke (Apple TV+)

Stay connected with us:

Maid for TV Instagram: @maidfortv

Maid for TV twitter: @maidfortvpod

Maid for TV bluesky: @maidfortv.bsky.social

Maid for TV email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Dawn’s Twitter: @DawnGlen2

Sarah’s Twitter: @SarahHamstera

Buy your gals a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/maidfortvo⁠

News: BBC comedy commissions and savage cuts at ITV daytime (4:00)

Ncuti Gatwa replaced by Billie Piper - well, yes and no. The fall-out continues from that Doctor Who episode (17:00)

And, speaking of shock endings, the dangerous high-wire act of ending your series on a cliffhanger. From Mork and Mindy via My So Called Life to The Wheel of Time and how streamers force writers to keep the twists and tension coming, whether in service of the show or not. (37:25)

We recommend: (52:30)

Mid Century Modern (Disney+)

Yes Minister (BBC iPlayer)

To mark the end of Series 15… David Evans-Powell and Justin Hancox are here to guide us through their love for the show, tell us why the Doctor is especially beloved by LGBT+ fans and drop the knowledge about Classic Who.

This is the story of our history growing up with and without the Doctor, where it fits into our family life and British culture. And we ask the big Who questions that occupy our minds:

• Is it ok that the female companions are swept off their feet by a mysterious stranger for adventures and romance?

• How does the show help queer kids and teenagers find their place in the world?

• Russell T Davies changed the world in 2005 and helping create a whole new generation of fans, but is he the right person to steer the ship into the future?

All this and more in our feature-length episode! It’s exactly the same size on the inside!

This kind of episode is a first for us - please tell us what you think on social media and email us at [email protected]

Further reading and listening: 

Read this! Gay Aliens and Queer Folk: How Russell T Davies Changed TV by Dr Emily Garside 

Listen on BBC Sounds: Doctor Who - Time and Space For Everyone