TV's Austin and Autism

The BBC recently aired a series called Austin (named after the main character) who is on the autism spectrum - as is the actor who plays him7, Michael Theo.

If you haven't yet seen it, the overall direction of the story is somewhat predictable, although the journey is interesting. Ben Miller's character (Julian) is a children's book author and Sally Phillips plays his wife (Ingrid), the illustrator. Austin seeks out Julian and tells him that he is his son from before he married Ingrid.

It's a slow start but stick with it. To cut to the chase, Julian is self-centred and the viewers know that the story is engineered to end with him becoming a better person. But does he? To find out, you'll need to watch the last episode - and all the other episodes, even if some of them are a little frustrating.

Interestingly, Billie Piper makes an appearance as 'herself' (but not really herself). Other noteworthy characters include Austin's Grandad, his mum, his step-sister plus the journalist friend he makes towards the end of the series.

Verdict: give it a go. 

Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise

Having watched every single episode of Death in Paradise (most of them twice), there's a lot to discuss. So first, let's review Beyond Paradise which features DI Humphrey Goodman who finished his stint on the fictional Caribbean island of Sainte Marie.

Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) live in Cornwall where there seem to be as many deaths to solve as there were on Sainte Marie. It's not as compelling as a weekly trip to the sun in January but the cast members hold their own, reflecting the setup of their Caribbean counterparts. There's a female DS, the young naive constable with potential, the efficient wordly-wise office administrator, and the annoying off-site boss (a women, which is par for the course in terms of British TV police hierarchy). But where is the bar owner, I hear you ask... this is most likely the Sally Bretton role, as she owns and runs a nearby catering establishment.

It's a cosy watch but I would love Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) to pop by, when he's visiting his relatives in London!

Caribbean or Cornwall

Death in Paradise has seen five British detectives heading up the office on the French island, overseen by the same commissioner (played by Don Warrington, who I first remember from Rising Damp, many years ago) and who now seems to be retiring. The other character to appear frequently in every series is Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) who owns the local hostelry, is Mayor of the island, long-time friend to Selwyn (Commissioner) and mother of Camille, once a DS at Sainte Marie whose career moved her to France, where she has now settled.

DI #1 Richard Poole played by Ben Miller (series 1-3) 

DI #2 Humphrey Goodman played by Kris Marshall (series 3-6) 

DI #3 Jack Mooney played by Ardal O'Hanlon (series 6-9)

DI #4 Neville Parker played by Ralph Little (series 9-13) 

DI #5 Mervin Wilson played by Don Gilet (current) 

One of the great things about Death in Paradise is that the storylines occasionally include visits from some of the gone-but-not-forgotten characters. Long may it continue.