The concept of #Unforgotten - 1 historic crime, 4 present day suspects - depends on the casting of the suspects. In series 3, they're exceptional: Alex Jennings, Kevin McNally, Neil Morrissey & James Fleet have never been better, thanks to Chris Lang's breathtaking scripts.

'Do you think - after we've dried off - you might agree not to vote for me? And do you think not voting for me might maybe be something you could consider doing for the rest of your life?'

'Better, always and ever, to raise one's eyes to the road ahead.'

Family dramas have made it hard to focus on fiction recently, but this, by Lissa Evans, got past my defences - a lively, evocative and moving story of friendship, fortitude and doing the right thing. Jolly good.

The exquisite final shot of an extremely fine movie: Ridley Scott's feature debut, The Duellists, photographed by Frank Tidy. Scott has directed far bigger historical films, but he's never directed one better.

Which movie did the source material justice?

I didn't see the Northern Lights last night, didn't even know about them - but I did watch Local Hero on Thursday evening, which is almost the same thing.

Natalie Elphicke, is it? At this point Labour might as well call themselves the Alternative Conservatives and have done with it.

The amount of story and character that Chris Lang manages to fit into 45 minutes of #Unforgotten is extraordinary - and the twists and turns always feel true and earned, never for a second melodramatic. Exhibits A & B: the last two episodes of series 2. Heart in mouth time.

It's been a tough few days dealing with family matters, so it's nice to see that my Q&A book with William Boyd, #TheMirrorAndTheRoad , is gradually gathering ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reader reviews on Amazon (and the occasional, eccentric ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ one)

bit.ly/mirror-road

A particularly aggravating question when you're pitching an English Civil War drama in the aftermath of Brexit...

'This is a court of law, not of morals.'

Ian McEwan's concise, contained adaptation of his novel could easily have been a play, especially under Richard Eyre's simple, sympathetic direction - and it's none the worse for that, giving Thompson one of her best, most dramatic roles.

'You boy! What desperate act of Tory performative cruelty is this?'

'There IS something better than a play!'

If you're going to have your Shakespearean rom-com rewritten, Tom Stoppard is the man to do it - and from Marc Norman's high-concept script, he crafts a love letter to the Bard, to the theatre, and to love itself. A thing of absolute joy.

The best British political thriller ever made, brilliantly written by Martin Stellman and directed by David Drury, with as distinguished a supporting cast as you could ask for: Denholm Elliott, Ian Bannen, David Calder, Robbie Coltrane, Fulton Mackay and Bill Paterson. A classic.

If there's a more comforting show than this - with the possible exception of Detectorists - then I don't know what it is.

Dipping into Judi Dench's book about all the Shakespearean roles she's played, and it's actually a series of conversations with actor/director Brendan O'Hea (self-effacingly absent from the cover). 'Look for the pluses in life,' she tells him, 'Because they are there.' A delight.

An ailing King Henry. An angry Prince Hal. A weary, corrupt country. Modern parallels abound, but aren't belaboured, in Robert Icke's pared down, rebranded Shakespeare double bill. McKellen is the draw as Falstaff, but the whole cast is great, and the staging nimble and engaging.

There's good crime drama, there's great crime drama - and then there's #Unforgotten , which is in a league of its own. Series 1 sets the bar high: Andy Wilson's subtle direction and Chris Lang's layered scripts drawing awesome performances from a fantastic cast. Enthralling.

Welcome sighting of #TheArtOfScreenAdaptation , shoulder to shoulder with Robert McKee and Michael Winterbottom Waterstones Piccadilly.

Where I wish I was at some point most days...