Review: Paula (S1 E2/3), Thursday 1st June, BBC2

Has no one in TV crime drama ever heard of safe sex? See how much trouble a foolhardy evening of indiscriminate frenzied coupling can get you into? If Paula (Denise Gough), a secondary schoolteacher who must have had some psychological training, couldn’t tell that handyman James (Tom Hughes, in a role that’s a far cry from Prince Albert in ITV’s Victoria) was a wrong’un she really has no business having one-night stands.

ITV confirm transmission dates for The Loch and Fearless

Just when you thought that the summer months would be quiet when it comes to crime drama, a whole phalanx of new shows have been slotted into June and will run throughout subsequent weeks. At this rate, I’ll be watching them during the barbecues. Two of these news shows are on ITV – The Loch and Fearless – and now we know when they’ll be starting.

Review: Fargo (S3 E1/10), Wednesday 31st May, 10pm, Channel 4

Is there anything more comforting than seeing, “THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in xxxx. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred” appear on screen? For two series, Fargo has been one of the real treats on television; taking the Coen brothers’ original tone, darkness and humour and expertly transposing it to a new medium. Series one saw Martin Freeman and Billy Bob Thornton engage in a morality tale of good versus evil, while series two saw two more innocent people get embroiled in things they shouldn’t have been near. And that’s really what Fargo is all about – fate, or if you don’t believe in fate, chance. After the opening episode of series three, it was pretty evident that these themes were about to be explored again.