Off The Telly - What Shall We Watch? Favourite Dramas

Episode Date: March 28, 2025

For this bonus episode, Nat and Jo are reminiscing about their favourite dramas and hearing from listeners about some of theirs. They discuss some fan favourites like Desperate Housewives and Peaky Blinders, plus some noughties classics like Footballers Wives and Cold Feet.Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page chat about all things on and off the telly. What they can’t stop watching, what they definitely aren’t going to bother with, new releases and comforting classics – TV is timeless and no telly is out of bounds. As well as having a natter about what’s on TV, they share backstage goss from the world of telly, whilst also cracking up about the more humbling moments in their lives. Self-confessed TV addicts and stars of two of the biggest shows on our screens, EastEnders and Gavin and Stacey, Natalie and Joanna are the perfect companions to see what’s occurring on and off the telly.Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to 03306 784704.Hosts: Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Richard Morris Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Production Co-ordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries Sounds Editor: Arlie Adlington Music by MCassoOff The Telly is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the galaxy. How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford after all but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlejuice? I don't know. Why do you think it's the sort of thing you're likely to say? Drink up, the world's about to end. Start listening to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, primary phase, available to purchase wherever you get your audiobooks. BBC Sounds and make sure push notifications are turned on in your phone settings so you can always listen to the pod and if my mum can do it then you can always listen to the pod and if my mum can do it, then you can. Hello! Welcome to Off The Tilly! What shall we watch?

And this week it's going to be our favourite dramas! Well, I'll tell you what though Jo, this is really hard because you know when you've cast your mind back. I know. There's been so many. So many things I've been so passionate about that I've absolutely loved. I'm thinking thank God our listeners just send us in voice notes because it's going to be really actually nice to listen to what everybody else's favourite dramas are.

Because I've been thinking back and thinking oh my God there's so many things that I've fallen in love with and I've just been like, oh, I'm devastated that it's finished and it's over now and I can't flip and think of them. I, out of dramas that spring to mind, Happy Valley's got to be up there, hasn't it? Oh god, yes, that was good. The first ever series when that started, I was like, wow, what's this? Sarah Lancashire in that, she was just amazing. What drama would you pick to be in now? Oh, I tell you what, right, I don't know if I'd pick to be in this, but one that I

remember just absolutely loving was the night manager with Tom Hiddleston. And it was Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Coleman, and she filmed it when she was hugely pregnant as well. And then there was Elizabeth Debicki, who went on then to play Princess Diana. And she was in it and she was so just so beautiful with this short, short blonde hair. And then there was Tom Hollander and he was utterly terrifying in it. And but it was the first time that everybody sort of went, oh my God, Tom Hiddleston, wow, who the hell is he? And he was just so sexy and tough and like a little James Bond and he was just brilliant and oh my God, I remember

watching it. Me and my mother just loved it. Loved it, yeah. I loved it, yeah. I was thinking about, do you remember when Broadchurch first came out? Yes! Oh my God, the entire country was just going, who did it? Who did it? Again, Olivia Colman, but wasn't it brilliant? That was a great drama. Oh, it was so good. I think the whole of the country was like, who is the murderer? Oh my God, this child has been found. This is so upsetting. Yet, you know, Olivia Coleman was so quirky

as the detective. So, you know, it was just, there was something that was just slightly just quirky and just different about it. And it was just brilliant. But I was trying to think back to dramas that my mum and dad watched. And I can't really... I remember being young and watching Prime Suspect for the first time. And I was quite young when I watched that and I was blown away by that. I'll never forget Prime Suspect. I loved Cracker. But again, we're going into that kind of crime detective stuff which we've done.

So yeah, I think there's a... Yeah, one other ones were there? You know, dramas. There were like really good dramas. But I mean, we've got to mention adolescence. I know we spoke about it on Wednesday, Zep, but I would absolutely love to do a drama in one take. Yeah. That I would love that challenge. I just think it's amazing

and the energy and how nervous you'd be about dropping the ball and getting to the end of it. I just think I know I'm repeating myself, but I do think that is kind of a really kind of almost a new genre of drama that Valentini's created. Yeah. I like having favourite dramas where I will re-watch them because I re-watched The Fall recently with Jamie Dornan and Gillian Anderson and that was just still just fantastic. And so I like it. I do have favourite dramas and then I'll go right every now and then I'll just re-watch the whole thing again. Really?

And I always remember watching I May Destroy You. That was just, that was like, unlike anything that I'd ever really seen before and the whole storytelling of it and I just thought that was just, that was another drama which I loved and I think I'll probably rewatch that one again. But yeah, let's get into it. Let's get into what our listeners think. Yeah, let's do it. Now before we get into your favourite dramas, we've got a voice note responding to our comedies bonus episode from a couple of weeks ago. Have a listen to this. Listening to your last episode when you were talking about sketch shows, how we don't really have sketch shows anymore. My highlight of like my favourite

one growing up was Smack the Pony on Channel 4. All those women were so funny and just hilarious concepts and just you know where your mind goes and you just think oh it's just hilarious. I love them. Oh brilliant thank you because we asked about skit shows, didn't we? We did. I've never seen Smack the Pony. Well I think, well I'm a bit older than you and I remember it. Oh my god, I loved it. It was brilliant. It was the three girls together and yeah, and

Sally Phillips and oh it was just brilliant. It was so good. Well I need to look that up. I definitely need to look it up because I love sketch shows. Shall we find out if anyone is talking about dramas now? Yes. Hello, ladies. I hope you're both well. I'm a huge, huge fan of the podcast. I'm a drag queen here in the UK, and so I'm constantly traveling for gigs up and down the country. And this podcast brings me so much joy

and saves me from absolute boredom when I'm on trains and coaches and dressing rooms. Absolutely wonderful. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. And please don't stop. We want more and more and more. However, you were talking about dramas, TV dramas, and I had to mention Desperate Housewives.

For me, it's the most incredible drama series ever to have been made. The writing, the acting, the characters were so iconic. It was another sort of show like Sex and the City where everyone could relate with a housewife and it made it relatable to the public. The storylines they covered, they literally covered everything and it's one of those that I'm just really hoping that in some shape or form, they will bring it back eventually because when that was on every week, for me, it was, well, for my household, it was just the highlight of the week.

So I wanted to mention that. Also, I have to say, when you did your episode on holiday shows a few weeks ago, I was really disappointed that nobody mentioned Jane McDonald, my absolute queen, idol, and of course, queen of the seas. So I just, I've got to put that in there. But yeah, Desperate Housewives. And thank you for everything ladies. You're just an absolute joy to this world. Big hugs, big

kiss and keep doing what you're doing. What an amazing message. I so agree with you about Jane MacDonald's show. I remember her shows, you know, would come out and then she'd go travelling and she'd do the cruises. And then when she suddenly started singing at the end and I was like, oh, this is amazing. She's just brilliant. She's got some diehard fans. Completely, completely. Die hard.

Yeah. But she's got it all, isn't she? I mean, she's so good and she's so lovely to talk to and to listen to and she's so great with people. And then she opens her mouth and she's just got the most stunning voice. I love her travel shows. She's an ultimate, ultimate hun. Yeah. And because she's so tongue in cheek as well as, you know, she's just brilliant. But yeah, Desperate Housewives. God, that was just momentous. It was huge. Those perfectly preen greens. Do you remember Eva Longoria walking about in our high heels? And Brie, who was so tightly wound up, wasn't she? Oh, that was going Terry Hatcher. Everybody

sort of wanted to look like her, wanted her hair and just, you know, the clothes and everything. Oh my God, it was really good. It was such a time, wasn't it? Yeah. God. Yeah. Now that's reminding me, Desperate Housewives is reminding me of Footballers' Wives. Oh my God, Footballers' Wives. I loved it. Tanya. Oh my God, it was so good. And didn't

she kill him by having sex with him? Her and older husband. And also Gillian Telforth who plays Cathy in EastEnders, Gillian was in it. Yes she was. She was having an affair wasn't she? Or was it, because wasn't Gillian Telforth having an affair with one of the footballers or his friend or something? Because wasn't she living in the house with them as well? Oh. Oh my God, it was amazing. Footballers, wives. We've talked about this on the pod before, haven't we? How much we've absolutely loved it. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think you're right. Wasn't it good? Very, very camp, very out there. Just a bit

desperate housewives. Brilliant. This is what I mean with the voice notes. It just sparks memories. It's so brilliant. Witness the destruction of Earth, stumble upon the ancient planet of Magra Thea and dine at the restaurant at the end of the universe. Enjoy this dynamic remastering of the original BBC Radio 4 full cast serial, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford after all, but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlejuice? I don't know. Why, do you think it's the sort of thing you're likely to say? Drink up, the world's about to end.

Start listening to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, primary phase, available to purchase wherever you get your audiobooks. Let's have another one. Hi, Jo. Hi, Nat. Heard your shout out for dramas and what's all our favorites. And I was thinking it's quite a broad category. You could almost have divided it into, I don't know, police and medical and stuff like that, family maybe. There's a few that I like, but I was going to go back a bit old school, Spooks,

I can always go back and watch again and again. So many people in that, such brilliant plot lines, and perhaps one of the worst deaths I've ever seen. Poor Lisa Faulkner. And then This Is Us is another one you've talked about and that's a great one that I wouldn't mind rewatching. I've only watched it once but I think I'd go back. And then the other one I always go back to is Grey's Anatomy but maybe more the first ten series because it's not for me now, the later stuff. I think they've gone too far and should have cut it off but the first few series are absolutely brilliant with the original characters and in fact I'm re-watching it at the moment and so yeah that's a really good one for me but yeah I'm sure you've got loads of choices and it's Elizabeth from Wakenham. Thank you

that's reminded me of Cardiac Arrest that I used to watch and it was a medical drama years and years and years ago with Helen Baxendale and I absolutely loved her in it. I thought she was brilliant. They were all very, very young and I think it only ran for one series and then it stopped and I was gutted because I really, really loved it. She's one of those people when I hear her name I can really see her. Yes. Do you remember Cold Feet and how devastated everybody was when she died in it? I can still see the car crash now.

I didn't watch Cold Feet. Oh my God, I love Cold Feet. I love Cold Feet. There you go, another one. Cold Feet. So good. Cold Feet. And then I'll tell you another one that again, Helen Backson, it reminded me of for some

reason Stephen Mangan yeah and I really loved the drama Stephen Mangan did with Tamsin Gregg and it was with Matt LeBlanc Oh my god, no it wasn't extras, it was episodes, episodes. Oh my god I was obsessed with it, it was so good. It was a comedy drama wasn't it? Yes, I was obsessed with it, it was so good. It was a comedy drama, wasn't it? Yes, it was brilliant. Did you like it? I loved it.

I really loved it. It was really funny, wasn't it? And I remember this life, and this is talking about years ago, because I watched this life just as I was going into drama school and I just was obsessed with Egg. I loved him, absolutely loved him. And then I loved Jack Davenport. I remember this life. Yes then I remember Jack Davenport. Yes, I remember watching that. I must have been about 11.

Oh my God. Yeah, you must have been, mustn't you? I remember it. I remember it on BBC Two at nine o'clock. And Millie in it. And I really enjoyed it. And then what was her name? Anna. Anna, who was the one that was all sexy and strong and confident, but she was really in love with Jack Davenport's character. God, this life was so good. It was brilliant. Well, they were solicitors, lawyers. They were, weren't they? Yeah, I think they were all training to be, weren't they? Yeah. Oh my

God. One of my favourite ever dramas and I've talked about it before is Bodies with Max Beasley, Jed McCurio and I've always, oh my God, I've rewatched it. I do not know how many times and every time I rewatch it, I'm just like, oh my God, this is one of my all time favourites. Nah, you will love it. You will love it. Just find it right because it will be, you know, on somewhere online and just watch it because I swear to God you will love it. Oh, it's brilliant. It's one of my all time favorite dramas ever. Bodies. Brilliant. Brilliant. I've got a big list, haven't I, Jo, to get through. I need to do it.

Yeah, that was the drama I loved. What I've sort of realized with this episode is that if it ain't funny, I'm not really bothered about it. But you have loved dramas. You are. No, I do. You're bothered about adolescence. Yeah, no, I do. Look at all those loads of dramas you're bothered about.

There are. There are. It's just that I can't... they don't stick out in my mind. Let's just move on because I've thought of something else that I really like. What is it? The crown. That's yeah, I see, look, I've still not done the whole of the crown. I really, really loved the crown. Which bits were your favourite?

I loved everything about it. I just loved all of it. I loved the beginning. I loved the history. And I love seeing all the different prime ministers through the years. I loved Olivia Coleman as Queen was really, really good, but I loved the relationships between all the family. And I know that we hear about the Royals all the time, but I just watched it and really felt like they were the real royal family and we were in their home. And that you were really, you know, you were seeing them behind closed doors. And I didn't think it was, I mean, who knows, maybe it was over dramatized and the royals hated it, I don't know. But for me, I felt that it was done in a really tasteful way. And I think it probably would have to have been done in a tasteful way.

But I really, I just enjoyed all of it. Margaret was just amazing. And Princess Anne's brilliant. But I just loved it. I love the relationship. I love seeing the Queen get ready for bed and sort of say good night to Philip and they'd go their separate way. And Philip as a young boy and being a bit of a cat and being away and also just the life the Royals lead in just being told what they're doing all the time. This is what you this is your diary this is your thing and the pressure of it all and the media and yeah I just I really I really enjoyed it and I loved it for all of the costumes and the sets and I just really loved it as a drama. Did really enjoy it.

I watched it as far as when Charles went to university in Aberystwyth. That's when I stopped watching. But the build up to that with Claire, what's her name? Foy. The build up to that with Claire Foy and when she was like a young queen and then before she actually became queen and her life was sort of young queen and then before she actually became queen, and her life was sort of slightly, you know, freer and everything. And when she first meets, you know, Philip and she falls in love, and then when they're off on their honeymoon and everything and then she finds out then that she is the queen and oh my god, that was so

I thought that was all incredible. And I loved watching those two together. I thought they were brilliant. Yeah, and it was only when Charles went to university that I stopped watching. And I don't know why. I don't know why. It's not a bad point to start, but I feel like you can always pick that up as well. Because it's a story we know. You're not going to forget what you've watched. So I feel like you could just pick that up at any time. But yeah, I do recommend The Crown to people. I think it's great. Really, really good. Should we have another voice note? Yes.

Hi, Jo Annette. I've been thinking really hard about dramas. And I think I'm gonna have to go with Peaky Blinders. I love that period of time in history because social changes are amazing. It's sort of post-World War I. So you've got women's rights. You've got women's rights.

You've got the coming back of the men and the shell shock and all of that going on. The costumes are amazing. Helen McCrory's outfits are just fabulous. She's just one of the best things in it. Also, Killian Murphy with those lovely eyes. But it's just really, really good drama. And so far, I've yet to see Stephen Knight not do anything really good.

Do you know I hadn't watched any of Peaky Blinders, and it was a couple of months ago that I put it on, and I ended up watching quite a lot of it, because I just got drawn in with the relationship between Killian Murphy and Annabel Wallace, because she just looks so beautiful and her hair and her costumes and she just looks so romantic and so beautiful and he's just so damn brooding and his eyes and just he's so beautiful. He's so good isn't he?

Tommy Shelby. Oh my god I just got drawn in and I was like oh my god this is really gorgeous and sexy this is amazing and I got really drawn into it so yeah. I had a really weird thing me and Mark were really enjoying it and I just had a moment and I don't know what it was and I'm not stupid it's just how I felt and I think it's okay to say it got to a bit where it was just really violent. I know it's very violent, but it was sort of, I just went, I can't do this anymore. It was just a lot for me. And then we stopped and Mark was really annoyed about it. He said, Oh, I can't believe we've stopped watching that. But I just stopped. I reckon I could go back now. But at the time, I have

to agree, Helen McCrory was amazing in that. She was so brilliant, poly grey. She was brilliant and all the Shelby's and the families and like she said, the atmosphere of the time. And they just got it so right, didn't they? It was brilliant. I might go back and be brave, start watching it again. But sometimes things with lots of violence do really affect me. Yes. My mum was like that recently because she got into Dexter and then she finished, I think it was series four and she was so sort of shell-shocked by the end of that and so upset that she said to my dad, I need a breather, I can't go into another series, I just can't, I'm just too sort of upset by this now, it's just, oh my god, it's too upsetting. So I can't go into another series. I just can't. I'm just too sort of upset by this now. Yes. Oh my god, it's too upsetting. So I don't know if they've gone back into it yet.

But you love Dexter, don't you? I was obsessed with Dexter. I watched all of it. Then I watched the one that came back recently. And I now think they're making a prologue to it or something. So whatever of Dexter that they do, I will, you know, start watching it. 17 years I was telling my parents to watch Dexter for and they've only started watching it in like the last month. That'll probably be me. 17 years. Yeah, yeah.

I'll probably beat them. It'll be 20 years. Be in our 60s and you'll be going, have you watched Dexter yet? Yeah. You'll say, not yet. I'll get round to it soon. Oh that was really really great it's made me want to go back and really think about more dramas I love hearing the voice notes because it sparks a memory from that I definitely want to watch Bodies from You definitely want to do that and I really want to go back I think and I want to finish Peaky Blinders. So it's brilliant. Yeah I love it. This does.

It makes you just go oh my god and it prompts you into looking at something new that you've not seen before or it just reminds me of things that I've loved and I just go right okay I'm going to go back and watch that again. Yeah it's lovely having a chat about the telly. Yeah. What a good episode. Well that's it for another bonus episode of Off the Telly, What Shall We Watch? And thank you very much for sending us all of your fantastic voice notes. Now, we think for our next bonus episode, we should do it on your favourite plot twist. Oh, I love it, I love it, I love it. That's going to be a hard one. I'm going to have to start thinking about that now. Oh my God Oh I love it, I love it, I love it. That's going to be a hard one.

I'm going to have to start thinking about that now. Oh my god, I love it. It's brilliant. What twists have shocked you the most? Now obviously we don't want to ruin shows for people so you haven't got to reveal the actual twist but you know unless it's a really old show that everybody's seen. But basically what show would you recommend because of the twist is what we're looking for. What is really a show that you've watched and you cannot believe where it's gone or where it's ended up. So let us know. Voice note us on WhatsApp the number is 033 06 784 704. Plot twists. Oh my god. Already kind of like every episode of Inside Number 9.

Oh I love Inside Number 9. They'd always be like what's gonna happen, what's gonna happen, oh my god. And it would like make you just sort of go, oh. But yeah, this is gonna be good. Surely the biggest one is Dallas. I know. Bobby in the Shower. Eh? Yeah.

It was all a dream and all that. Or Who Killed JR? Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah, we'll have a good think. Or Who Killed JR? Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah, we'll have a good think. Plot twist is a cracker. Oh my God, we're gonna have to have a really, really good thing. Plot twists, let us know what you think.

I hope you've enjoyed this bonus episode. We certainly have. We have. And we will speak to you next Wednesday. Yep, see you next Wednesday, everybody. See you, darling. Bye, Jo. Bye, see you next Wednesday everybody! See you darling. Bye Jo. Bye everyone. Off the Telly is hosted by Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page. The producer is Georgia Keating. The commissioning editor is Rhian Roberts and it's a BBC Studios audio production for BBC Sounds. Hi, I'm Ryland and I'm here to talk about men because in recent years We have all seen the man in Britain undergo radical change as the rule book has been well and truly ripped apart So I'm gonna talk to a range of prominent figures and celebs who have each got their own diverse and contrasting takes on what it means

To be a man today I want to prize open the fault lines of modern masculinity And get to grips with the changing landscape and try to get some answers so that we can pass them on to the next generation. This is Ryland, How To Be A Man from BBC Radio 4. Listen on BBC Sounds. Witness the destruction of Earth, stumble upon the ancient planet of Magrathia, and dine at the restaurant at the end of the universe. Enjoy this dynamic remastering of the original BBC Radio 4 full cast serial, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

How would you react if I said that I'm not from Guildford after all, but from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Beetlejuice? I don't know. Why, do you think it's the sort of thing you're likely to say? Drink up, the world's about to end. Start listening to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, primary phase. Available to purchase wherever you get your audiobooks.