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It’s not often you see a film that really makes you think, then think some more. Not just about the terrible events that hit Josh and Devorah, the subjects and directors of this outstanding documentary, but about how they made the film and why we are watching it.

The New Man begins as an entertaining, self-aware account of an intelligent, boho guy struggling to come to terms with the idea of being a Dad. But despite his angst, Josh seems to have a pretty blessed life. When he turns for advice to friends that include sculptor Antony Gormley and philosopher Slavoj Zizek, it only underlines his liberal, metropolitan elite credentials. Come on, what have you got to worry about?

We are about to find out. While Josh has a pre-fatherhood jaunt abroad, there’s a problem with Devorah’s scan. It looks like one of the twins isn’t going to make it and the other’s life hangs in the balance. Josh’s existential worries evaporate and the advice from his Dad and others, still ringing warmly in my ears, falls to silence.

At the same time, I cant help quietly computing the tragic reality of the situation with its perfect story timing. The knowledge that  Josh is also a successful drama director plays on my mind just as I struggle with the reality of what he is going through.  Others may be wondering why Josh carried on filming. When life and death are at stake what does a film matter? But we want to find out what happens next, while simultaneously guilty at wanting story closure at a time like this. As a result of these complex feelings, we become almost as implicated and involved in the film making as we are in the real events unfolding.

When it comes to those events, the cliché is ‘unflinching’. What that often means is straightforward tear-jerking, with complex characters reduced to emotion-inducing victims. But in The New Man, Josh and Devorah never stop being the couple we have come to know and, thanks to their honesty and wit, like. They still argue, feel guilty and joke as they celebrate the birth of their son while mourning the death of his twin.

Not always easy to watch but consistently brilliant, The New Man creates a unique level of engagement. That’s a pretty spectacular achievement at a time when the personal and confessional are  a major draw for both mainstream and indie filmmakers.

I left the cinema in awe of Josh and Devorah as people and filmmakers, wanting to be their best friend and watch their next film. While that may sound a little creepy, it’s the sort of response that every Hollywood studio would die for.

Watch the film here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Man-Josh-Appignanesi/dp/B01N9OTKM5

Many years after Derby Day told the story of a woman winning the holy grail of horse racing, it finally came true in Australia as Michelle Payne became the first female to win ‘the race that stops the nation.’

Derby Day is the tale of a girl from nowhere who overcomes the odds to win The Derby – all brought to life  by four actors playing everything, including the horses! Taking a satirical sideswipe at the hierarchical world of racing, it has toured all over the country, including a sold out run at racing’s HQ, Newmarket.

Some twenty years on from its debut run, not only has no woman ridden a winner of the Epsom Derby, only two have ever taken part in the race.

Written by Brian B. Thompson and first staged by Yorkshire Theatre Company, Derby Day was named by the FT as one of the shows of the year and won Best Comedy at The London Fringe Awards.  Revived in London and Bristol since, a new production is currently under discussion.

BBC Radio 4 Extra was recently named the UK’s most listened to digital radio station and Trueman and Riley is proud to be one of the station’s many successes. Starring Robert Daws and Duncan Preston as irascible Yorkshire detectives clinging on to their jobs as retirement looms, it has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and 4 Extra for over a decade. Writer Brian B. Thompson explains that, “It  features highly unusual but everyday crimes that touch a nerve,” while the BBC  described it as “Yorkshire’s answer to Starsky and Hutch.”

Images of the Tyne Bridge loom large over Forget Carter, a new book by media historian and former Tube producer, Chris Phipps. It charts Newcastle’s on screen portrayal in films such as like Get Carter and classic TV like The Likely Lads.  From Ian Clement and Dick Le Frenais through to Lee Hall, it also features many of the writers who came from and set their work in Newcastle.

In the book, Brian talks about his involvement in Geordie TV shows including Byker Grove and Grafters.  “Looking back, Byker Grove was a fascinating mix. It had a visual realism you didn’t see on TV, but storylines more familiar from the soap world. It was a bit like Ken Loach had got the gig on Home and Away.”

You can buy a copy of the book at: