Chatterbox Awards 2023

Well better late than never here are my 2023 Chatterbox Awards.  As usual, the categories are of my making, and the nominees are things I saw in 2023,  regardless of when they were published or released. I have written about most of these before so when appropriate I have added a link to the title.  There will be spoilers but I will try to keep them gentle.  So, off we go.

Romantic comedy/drama

Starstruck:  Series 2 won this category last year so I was interested to see what would happen with season 3.  As a series which could be described as an anti-rom-com, I am now wondering if it is here under false pretences.  But Rose Matafeo, who writes as well as stars in the show, understands the genre so well and plays with the tropes so successfully that it definitely still delivers as a romcom.  It openly teases with romcom clichés galore, from miscommunication to old flames being rekindled, but then gleefully sidesteps them in a way which made me laugh out loud a couple of times.   

Young Royals:  Netflix was persistent in offering to this to me on the basis that I enjoyed Heartstopper and I reluctantly gave in.  This also has two boys falling in love at school, but the twist here is that one is heir to the Swedish throne.  So, the obstacles in this case are not just about finding out who you are and coming out, but also duty, and with themes about privilege and power.  Melodramatic whenever it gets an opportunity, the central performances are excellent though, and I found myself clicking next episode and binged both current series really quickly.  The final series doesn't launch until next year though, so who knows whether Wilhelm and Simon will make it. 

Emily in Paris:  This is light and fluffy romcom with clichés galore, but also has enough heart to keep me coming back.  The basic premise is that Emily, an American marketing and brand manager is sent to work at the Paris branch.  Emily's American boyfriend dumps her almost as soon as she arrives, and so she needs to make new friends and relationships whilst coping with colleagues who really don't want her there; luckily she has a hot French neighbour available to show her the ropes...   There's obviously culture clash comedy here alongside the romance, with both the French and Americans believing that they are the superior.  It's been nominated for a bucketload of Emmys, mainly for design of various kinds and it is a very stylish looking production.  But it only works because of the engaging leads, who ham it up most of the time but know when to tone it down

Heartstopper:  This has become a gold standard for me in romantic storytelling.  Although it is quite earnest and sits midway between drama and romcom,  I still have it up there alongside When Harry Met Sally and Clueless for knowing the genre inside out, knowing how to play with it and still give us the warm and fuzzies.   The second series didn't disappoint, continuing to keep the warm hearted vibes even when tackling difficult topics.  As in the first series, good communication is put at the heart of good relationships, and even when there was some angst around secrets, it made clear that the lack of communication was the problem to be resolved, not an excuse for a plot point.  The lead romance between Nick and Charlie continued to deepen, whilst we got the will they / won't they drama from Tao and Elle.  We even got a prom episode which was great in itself but at the same time highlighted  the problematic nature of 'The Prom' as a trope.  

XO Kitty:  Another YA offering that Netflix was certain I would like.  This time it wasn't quite as good a hit.  The premise here is that Kitty, moves overseas from America to be with her penpal boyfriend at her mother's old boarding school in Seoul.  The first few episodes are ridiculously shiny and with a fairly silly plot which prevents Kitty from getting together with the boyfriend.  It used the tired miscommunication/secrets tropes far too often for this to really hit the spot for me (totally spoiled now by Heartstopper forever in that regard) but it had some good original features which meant that I did stick with it till the end.  It's written by Jenny Han (All the boys I've loved before) and apparently a second series has been commissioned... not sure where they will be going with it next

Queen Charlotte:  A raunchy romcom absolutely hitting the Bridgerton brand, this is a joyous mix of two tales, one with the older Queen and then the other is the story of how she came to be Queen.  Romantic, and with lots of comedy, but also hard edged in understanding the financial and cultural imperatives of this world.  I really enjoyed the way that criticisms of the Bridgerton series were unceremoniously shot down from the start with the deliberately patient voiceover from Lady Whistledown explaining that this is fiction, not a history lesson.  There was also a not-so-subtle takedown to the people who complained about the colour blind casting, this season showing how the Black families were elevated to the nobility, but also showing that they still faced discrimination.  All of this had the air of a writer not prepared to take any more shit - it was cleverly done but still light of touch.   And when all was said and done, the central romance was lovely, as was the secondary romance between the King and Queen's equerries, and there was still plenty of sex to keep the Bridgerton fans happy. 

And the winner is Queen Charlotte 

TV Drama series 

Beef: A frenetic revenge comedy drama that never allowed any breaths to be caught.  An ever spiralling set of consequences from a parking lot altercation, when neither party is prepared to give an inch.  Silly if you stop and think about it, also dark, dark dark, and with existential crisis hovering just below the surface all the time.  Produced by A24 this had great performances from the leads, supported by great dialogue and a constantly moving story.  I also loved the ending which suddenly slowed right down to have a trippy time out and think about what life is really all about.

Succession:  Shakespearian in scope and tragedy but also deeply, deeply, cynically funny, this is classy and complex drama from the power struggles to the gradual uncovering of the characters.  The performances are a subtle delight, and the storytelling constantly kept me on my toes throughout.  Connor's Wedding episode encapsulated everything that is great about this series,  managing to be many things at once, both a comedy and a tragedy, with awful characters that gain our sympathies, and with boring details around business dealing that somehow become gripping entertainment.  A masterpiece.

The Bear:   I came  to season one late, just as season two was launched so I was able to pretty much binge the whole fabulous menu of episodes in one go.  The story of 'Carmy' (Jeremy Allen White) returning to Chicago to run his dead brother's sandwich joint after a successful career as a Michelin  starred chef didn't actually sound like the sort of thing I would enjoy, but this study of grief and recovery, mental health, families and relationships, packaged inside the context of a failing restaurant is just beautiful every way you look at it.  Tightly scripted and directed, the tension of running a restaurant is the undercurrent at all times in series one, with the characters trying to stay afloat as the business sinks around them, while in series 2, the tension is about opening a new restaurant, which allows plenty of space for new growth of all of the characters.  Great performances and I loved the distinctively long scenes that gave the space to show so much.  There were quite a few, but the ones that stood out were in season one, that long, long scene when the ordering system fails along with Carmy's resilience, and in season two, there was both the scene of Jamie Lee Curtis' breakdown in the kitchen at home, and then the quiet and revelatory scene between Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and megastar Head Chef Terry (Olivia Coleman).  All of these scenes uncover something about what makes a good life, and what holds us back, and ultimately, that's what The Bear is getting at.  Chef's Kiss

Everything Now:  A young adult comedy-drama about a girl in recovery from her eating disorder who wants to get back on with her life,  this felt initially a bit like a Sex Education/Heartstopper rip-off but eventually I decided it stood on its own merits.  We meet Mia (Sophie Wilde) just as she is being discharged from hospital, back to her family and friends.  The friends are a bit cookie-cutter-ish, with the quirky best friend, the gay one etc, but they did all expand a little bit over the series.  The 'Fuck it Bucket List ' (get drunk, get high, have sex), created by Mia as a way to catch up with all of the teen experiences she has missed while in hospital, is also a way for the show to both critique and enjoy all of the coming of age staples in an accelerated way.  This meant that we got the overly sensationalised staples of teen parties and drunkenness (they didn't really me hit as being realistic - but I am old, so what do I know?) whilst giving lots of opportunities for some neat bumps back down to earth and life lessons.  The family was the most interesting for me though, showing the complexities of family relationships and the subtle impacts that a mental health (or probably any) illness has on the whole family.  It didn't sensationalise or romanticise anorexia, but did try to show the bumpy path that leads in and out of the illness.  Despite the sensational spin, it was great to see yet another series for teens following the path of both Sex Education and Heartstopper in being open, thoughtful and positive about overcoming difficult challenges.  

The English:  A western with a modern sensibility, looking at the start of modern America and the genocide, hucksters and dreamers behind it.  Emily Blunt has the Clint Eastwood type role of the loner looking for retribution as an English lady, Cordelia, searching for the man responsible for the death of her son.  The whole thing looks gorgeous with wide open landscapes, and there is a real emotional heart to the story, which makes it stand out.  There are a few honourable people amongst the thieves, but ultimately the bad guys largely get away with it, while the rest make do with surviving.  Brutal as well as beautiful and thought provoking, and with a black hearted villain played by Rafe Spall that I actually wanted to boo whenever he was on screen.

Slow Horses: We are now on Season 3 of this grubbily impressive spy thriller and I am as gripped as ever by the wheeling and dealing, all made believable and addictive through the impressive acting chops of Gary Oldman in particular, but the whole cast who consistently step up to deliver subtle characterisations whilst also doing the big blustery and actiony stuff too.  It's funny as well as tense and the writing is a dream too, with snarky dialogue and carefully placed little hints to character and plot adding to the richness of the whole thing, even when it is at it's silliest.    There's a season 4 already in the bag and it has just been announced there will be a season 5.  I haven't read the books but am keeping my fingers crossed they can keep up the same standard.

And I was really torn on who should win this one,  as every single one of the above are winners, but in the end....

The winner is:  Succession

Sci Fi/Fantasy

The Last of Us:  Based on a video game that I have never seen, played and hadn’t heard of, this was another remarkable bit of telly, taking a quest through an apocalyptic world populated by zombies and people who have often had to do dreadful things to survive.   The questers may be able to provide salvation to the world but at what personal cost?  So this, like the best quests, has a moral heart that it prods all the way through, right to the moral dilemma at the end of the series.  It's also not scared to go off-piste from the main story and spend time somewhere interesting as with the episode focused on 'Bill' which was not really crucial to the plot but showed why humanity can be worth saving.  Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal have a fantastic chemistry in this, and I can't wait for the next season.  

Dr Who:  One of the grand-daddies of tv science fiction, there haven't been many episodes this year, I understand partly due to costs, but also marking the changing of the guard back to Russell T Davies and (briefly) David Tennant and Catherine Tate before looking to the future with Ncuti Gatwa.   I loved the Toymaker episode in particular, which means that Spice Up Your Life  has been added to my kitchen dancing playlist, and the regeneration was something special yet again, bringing closure as well as new beginnings.   The season also introduced the first (at least that we know about) trans character, with Rose (Yasmin Finney) as Donna's daughter.  I liked that there was a valid story point for her being trans, but did a big sigh at the inevitable grumbles from people who probably never watch the show or understand that it has been 'woke' since before most of the people complaining were born.  

Good Omens: 2023 was the year for season 2, which was quite light and with filler in many ways, but at the same time managed to add depth to the characters and set up very nicely for season 3 which has just been commissioned.  The character development of Arizaphale and Crowley is the main focus for the whole series, and none of it would have been as gripping without the impressive performances of Michael Sheen and David Tennant.  I am pretty sure that their partnership, honed since season 1 by Staged and the pandemic makes a big difference to how well this series hit.  So this was filler, but what marvellous and tasty filling it is.

The Power:  Based on a book of the same name, this story is taking a critical look at patriarchy, and imagining what would happen if suddenly men no longer had power over women.  I love that the women can be just as nasty and self interested as the men, and with as many ulterior motives so that as much as some of the characters (such as Margot, The Mayor,  played by an excellent Toni Collette) believe that a utopia is possible, the reality is a bit more complicated than that. I love Eddie Marsan as the poster man for old fashioned toxic masculinity too.  The first series only really gets started on what happens in the book, and I am hoping there is a second series to get further into what happens next 

Extrapolations:  An appletv production, this is a series of standalone episodes, speculating what might happen in coming decades of the climate crisis.  Starting small but taking a look at different impacts from extinctions to health, economic models, technology, politics, and of course corruption.  Not all of the scenarios felt truly plausible and after a doomladen series the final episode was a bit too hopeful, but hey, I suppose a bit of hope isn't a bad thing.

Silo:  I loved the series of books this was based on, and the first season of the tv series really has just scratched the surface. The Silo is an underground life support system for a community who are still sheltering from some kind of disaster a century earlier.  No-one knows what the disaster was, but they all know that outside is not safe, so continue to live within the police state that the Silo has become.  High production values and plenty of tension with a great cast (Iain Glenn, Tim Robbins, Harriet Walter alongside Rebecca Ferguson as Juliette, the engineer who begins to suspect a cover-up)  meant that it really delivered as an adventure story as much as a sci-fi.  

And the winner is:  The Last of Us

Revival of a play

A Streetcar named Desire:  At the Almeida, this intense play was given extra intensity by the close nature of the staging, the choreography that marked some of the most dramatic scenes, and the fantastic performances.  Paul Mescal was the star draw, and was impressive, but Patsy Ferran and Anjan Vasan both delivered heartbreaking performances. 

The Effect:  Another play with a small cast, but this time at the huge Lyttleton theatre, which made for an interesting contrast; the actors tiny, and dwarfed by the coldness of the stage plus the amount of people visibly watching.  The human dilemma at the heart of this is as emotional as it is thought provoking.  It's going to be on NT Live so I am definitely going to see it again

As You Like it:   This was a gloriously queer version of a pretty queer play anyway.  It ditched language and scenes that were too long or complicated, and replaced the original songs with danceable pop numbers.  Joyous fun, which made the most of the cross-dressing and gender variability of the play and then added some more.  It may not have pleased purists, but it provided a brilliant night out, and so surely Shakespeare would have been pleased with that.

View from the Bridge:  At Chichester, this ramped up the implications of immigration and toxic masculinity to another level.  Whether intentional or not, I was glad to see the back of Eddie, so although it stayed a tragedy, I was glad he got what he deserved.

Private Lives:  A bleak reading of the play, with Stephen Mangan and Rachel Stirling playing the embittered lovers without much of a redemption arc.  Cynic that I am, I decided that I liked this approach enough that I didn't bother to go to see a more traditional rival version with Nigel Havers in the lead

Medea:   This is a powerhouse of a tragedy anyway, regardless of its age, and Sophie Okonedo blew the doors off for me.  Gut wrenching and heartbreaking at the same time, I loved the way the audience was implicated, and played in the round somehow made it more intense.  So I was exhausted by the time I came out.

And the winner is: A Streetcar Named Desire 

New Play

Motive and the Cue:   A play about the making of a play, this was a must see for any theatre geek.  Then add the fact that this is based on the rehearsal records of the real production of Hamlet with John Gielgud (Mark Gatiss) directing and Richard Burton (Johnny Flynn) starring.   Great performances, especially by Gatiss, exploring Geilgud’s character, his fear of being outed as well as sense of his own importance.  Nicely weaving character with discussions of what theatre is all about, it feels quite unique.

Dr Semmelweis:  Mark Rylance is always going to get me to a theatre, and this was an interesting play based on the real life of Semmelweis who discovered the way to prevent purpureal fever but wasn't able to get the medical establishment to take it seriously. It made me pretty cross and sad as the tragedies unfolded, and  using dance (a lot of plays have done that this year) added an emotional heart too.

Untitled, F**k M*ss S**gon: I love a play with a bit of meta analysis going on and this one definitely hit the spot.  With a recurring loop of the same story of doomed Asian woman falling in love and being betrayed by a white man, this was funny and entertaining as well as being very clever in highlighting the cultural clichés that I would say are still easy to find today.

A Strange Loop:  I don't do musicals very often and this one was certainly very different, taking the view of a Black gay man 'Usher' trying to work out his identity through writing his musical about a Black gay man writing a musical.  Very clever and entertaining, even though there were lots of references that I am sure I missed. 

And the winner is: Dr Semmelweis 

Film

Empire of Light:   A look back in time to the 1980s and the culture of the period through the lense of a down at heel cinema at the seaside.  I liked the way that the warm glow of nostalgia was given a serious kicking by the realities of the time, particularly the racism and lack of understanding of mental illness.  

All of Us Strangers:  A beautiful, haunting and sad film, seeping with nostalgia, melancholy and grief, this has just four actors, all of them at the top of their game.  Taken from a Japanese novel and transplanted to England, I can't say much without giving away the plot, but it is both strange and beautiful.

A Strange Way of Life: A very short Pedro Almodovar film, bringing his unique brand of passion, family, identity to a western.  Pedro Pascal is all fiery passion and Ethan Hawke is gruff repression, and the film made me want to watch westerns again.

How to have sex:  A bit of a counterpoint to Sex Education and Heartstopper, showing the less desirable ways that teenagers connect, and the challenges faced when trying to negotiate boundaries and consent.  Taking the typical teen party holiday to Malia in Crete, the aim is to get drunk and laid, particularly for Tara who still hasn't had sex yet.  A completely unsentimental and unblinkered coming of age story, this felt like a scarily realistic representation of the scenarios that teens have to navigate, and with a subtle performance by Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tara, showing the dilemmas she faces in how to handle the experiences and what to do next.  

Barbie: A pink camouflaged critique of the patriarchy with great songs, dances and performances, Greta Gerwig's film with Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken managed to balance a fine line still being accessible to the tweenie Barbie fans and keeping Mattel onside,  but really speaking over their heads to those older kids and parents.  Clever and fun, one of my favourite combinations

Oppenheimer:  Too long and portentious but with great performances and an accessible summary of the story of the making of the Bomb and Oppenheimer's eventual regret.  Worth seeing on a big screen with the sound turned up for the full experience.

Foe:  Not a great film but it contains such great performances from Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan as an unhappy couple, and with great cinematography, it deserves a mention.  It was let down by poor storytelling, direction and dialogue which were just confusing and cringy in places.  But still worth seeing for the good bits which were excellent. 

God's Creatures:  It didn't get much of a cinema release but the performances from Paul Mescal and Emily Watson were outstanding.  Quiet and understated, but showing the shifting emotions below the surface when Paul Mescal's sad and morally ambivalent son comes back home to stay with his mother in a small Irish village.  Emily Watson's dilemma is never spoken aloud but is just allowed to play out through her actions and almost no words.  

Saltburn:   A late entrant, flashy but fun, and with great performances, notably from Rosamund Pike and Barry Keoghan.

And the winner is:  All of Us Strangers 

Best performance

• Paul Mescal ( A Streetcar Named Desire,  All of Us Strangers, Foe, God's Creatures)
• Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)
• Ruth Wilson  (The Woman in the Wall)
• Sophie Okonedo   (Medea)
• Claire Foy (Women Talking/All of Us Strangers)
• Kit Connor (Heartstopper)

And the winners are:  Andrew Scott for All of Us Strangers, and Sophie Okonedo for Medea

TV Moment

The Woman in the Wall:  A brilliant drama with Ruth Wilson which plays with our understanding of reality vs delusion.  Wilson plays a woman who drinks, sleepwalks and has vivid nightmares about her time in an Irish 'Laundry' where she lost her child.   Treating the claims being made by Lorna and the other women as delusions or exaggeration are a way for the community to keep going, knowing their collaboration in the crimes and abuse.  Over the series we learn to trust Lorna, so when the wall is broken open to reveal there is no woman, there was a proper wtf moment for me, where all of my expectations were turned to dust, heightening the sense that nothing can be trusted.  

Good Omens:    It was a bit of a mixed bag overall,  with lots of seemingly standalone episodes, connected by a thin thread of overarching narrative.  But that overarching narrative was a biggie, and it shows how much of a long game is being played here, not just between heaven and hell.  The moment though, is that kiss in the final episode where everything gets turned upside down and the scene is set for series 3.  I actually gasped out loud when it happened, then wailed at the outcome.  So, as a way of getting everyone hooked for the next series, plus an absolute treasure trove of stuff to speculate on over the next year or so I think it is fair to say it was a very clever move

Heartstopper:  Well this young adult drama has my heart anyway, but the scene at the end of season 2 episode 8 was so beautifully done in terms of script and acting, while giving a final unequivocal reveal for anyone who hadn't caught any of the hints laid from the first episode of season one and in virtually every episode thereafter.  For people who had read the books already though, the way this was done (slightly differently placed from the books), made it hit harder.  The performances were beautiful from Kit Connor and Joe Locke and melted my heart all over again.  As with Good Omens, the last 15 minutes of the series have absolutely set out what is going to be the focus of the next season and I can't wait to see how the mental health issues raised are going to be given the Heartstopper treatment.

And the best moment is:  The Woman in the Wall 

Judging Panel Special Award

I have written about this more than any other show this year, and it is nominated a number of times above, for acting, romantic drama, best moment, and it's still in the centre of lots of gender and sexuality based discourse at the moment.  So for the show that has still got a grip on my heart:

The winner is:  Heartstopper