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I wonder if anyone has ever been offended by being called a Brit? It is all stupid as I have never worked out who gets offended as I doubt anyone would say a clipped country name directly to a person. Come to that I am happy for someone to call me a kraut being from a German father.

DWD

It’s a strange one really and not one I fully understand. As you say probably no one is insulted by being called a Brit and terms such as Finn , Swede , Turk or Afghan all seem to be used without offence yet Jap is considered derogatory and best not to mention a reference to anyone from Pakistan. On the other hand we don’t call Germans “Germs” …
Anyway going off topic so back to telly , I’ve been watching Bob’s Burgers recently.

We have watched the 4 episodes of Merseyside Detectives on C4 this week. It is a very sad tale of the little girl shot dead and a young woman also shot and killed in an unrelated crime but in the same period in Liverpool in 2022. The story is very sad as I doubt there was any intention to shoot the little girl and her mother, they were just caught up in an attempted shooting between opposing drug gang members. However, the perps went to lengths to avoid identification and face the consequences of their deeds. The other killing was deliberate, again between feuding drugs gangs where the perp used a Skorpion machine pistol to kill the girlfriend of the guy they wanted. He emptied the magazine peppering the flat with bullets, the Skorpion is uncontrollable in auto fire. It is a sad tale as these criminals can obtain firearms over the dark web making the gun control laws a pointless exercise. I find it very irritating that the law allows this No Comment rule and the law should be altered to allow the prosecution to use the fact that the accused made no effort to explain themselves or give an alibi to clear themselves which I think displays guilt. The accused all got 40 plus years minimum sentences but it does not bring back the lost. I would like to say it was a good watch but it isn't it is just compelling viewing.

DWD

I enjoyed a 2017 film on Netflix called Baby Driver. I missed it at the time but I have to say it was an enjoyable watch with plenty of action and a good story. The driving sequences fit in with the story well as it is the basis of the film. It's worth a watch.

DWD

We have just watched Operation Mincemeat on Amazon. It is about a WW2 deception that successfully diverted the bulk of German defences to Greece away from Sicily, the true intended invasion point by the Allies. The story was covered in a film in the 50s called The Man Who Never Was which was good but this 2022 film is very well done. No woke casting, period correct and the story is enhanced to give it a deeper plot but sticking to the main facts. Well worth a watch, we enjoyed it.

DWD

I recently read the book 'The Man Who Never Was' - Brilliant, and written by the guy that organized the plot.

We watched The Accident on Netflix. It is a Mexican series with the sound dubbed in English. The story is where 3 kids die and one goes missing when a bouncy castle gets blown away in a sudden freak wind. It is quite well done and it held our attention. Worth a look.

DWD

We watched Amy Dowden, The Strictly Come Dancing dancer's documentary on her breast cancer treatment path. It was quite sobering to watch but it must have helped many women who are having to go through the same treatment. She was open and honest and the cameras followed her the whole way. You could not help but be touched.

We also watched Suite Francaise a WW2 film on Amazon. We saw it at the cinema around 2015 but it was a fairly good film so we enjoyed seeing it again. Some parts were implausible but in the main, it worked well. Worth a watch

DWD

We caught an episode of Cause of Death, a reality series, on C5 last night. I did not realise the series (series 3 now) had returned and I will do a catch up as we enjoy this series based on real events passing through a coroner's office in Lancashire. The cases are always very interesting as the coroner's office attempts to deal with a variety of deaths. They deal with every case with a very dignified and professional approach. Well worth a watch.

DWD

We watched a great film on Amazon tonight called Sleeping Dogs. It stars a fat Rusell Crowe and the story is quite fascinating although you have to focus. It was well worth a watch.

DWD

On Netflix last night I watched Anna, a great film which I enjoyed. Mrs D read as it was not her thing. Quite a good story well told and worth a watch. The young lady star would interest Tom

DWD

We watched the first episode of a new Netflix series called The Perfect Couple. A rich, dysfunctional family in Nantucket has arranged a wedding for one of their sons on their lavish island home. There is a murder, and there are so many parallel stories that you have difficulty spotting who the victim is, which is not revealed until the end of the episode. It held us, and we shall follow the series along, avoiding a binge watch. Worth a watch.

DWD

Mrs D chose Netflix's new film, Mothers' Instinct. This 2024 film is set in the 1960s and captures the period well. At first, I thought it was going to be a bit of a dull gloomfest but it picks up and I enjoyed it as it is a cleverly written story. Well worth a watch.

DWD

Also, we watched Funny Girl on Sky Max last night. This is the start of the second series about a northern woman (played by Gemma Arterton) who is a comedy actress working in 1960s TV. The first series was enjoyable and this one has started well. It helps to have music from the period included. Worth a watch

DWD

We watched a good 2024 film called Damaged on Amazon Prime. The story is very clever and keeps you guessing with lots of grizzly scenes. Samual L Jackson and John Hannah star and play uncharacteristic roles. Worth a watch

DWD