June TV Favourites

The World Cup may be overtaking TV, but there were still some gems this June. These were my favourite shows in June.

1. Death Valley (BBC iPlayer)

Death Valley returned to BBC One for its second series, and the cosy crime series is going from strength to strength. It centres on DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) and retired actor John Chapel (Timothy Spall) uniting to solve murders in mid Wales. There’s been a glut of cosy crime books, and series after the success of The Thursday Murder Club, but Death Valley is an absolute standout. It’s laugh out loud funny and supported by a fantastic cast of regular characters. It’s the perfect no stress program for a Sunday evening.

2. Smoggie Queens (BBC iPlayer)

I missed the first series of Smoggie Queens, so I decided to give the whole thing a watch after series two was released on iPlayer. The series follows Dickie (Phil Dunning) and their eclectic group of friends as they navigate LGBTQ+ life in Middlesborough. It’s the definition of camp fun, and is absolutely surreal at times. It took me a few episodes to get full into the Smoggie Queens’ world, but it’s a really loveable show if you give it a chance to get going properly. 

3. The Mother of All Cons (BBC iPlayer)

Now I’m not a fan of the sort of true crime where 15 bodies end up in a fridge, but I’ve got a niche soft spot for stories like the 2022 Netflix series Inventing Anna. The Mother of All Cons is about the charity ‘Believe In Magic’, which was endorsed by One Direction in the 2010s. Founded by teenager Meg Bahri who was ill with a brain tumour, suspicion started to arise among parents about where the charity’s money was going and quite how ill Meg was. The first two episodes had me gasping in shock, and the series ends with a really moving examination of Meg’s life. It’s a story you need to see to believe. 

4. Kevin McCloud’s Listed Britain (Channel 4)

If you’re a fan of random old buildings, TV doesn’t get much better than this. Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud explores Britain’s rich heritage through our listed buildings. There’s an eclectic mix of buildings on show, from Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral to Tower Bridge, and loads of buildings I hadn’t ever heard of. It’s slow TV, but if you’re interested in history or architecture it is a nice wash. 

5. Amandaland (BBC iPlayer)

The hugely popular Motherland spin-off has returned for its second series. After winning best sitcom at this year’s BAFTA TV awards, the new juggernaut sitcom shows no signs of slowing down. The addition of Abs (Harriet Webb) and a regular role for writer (and Horrible Histories legend) Larry Rickard has helped Amandaland stay fresh. It's hugely popular with parents, but having just lived through secondary school myself, it represents modern day teenagers perfectly.

Written by, Eleanor Patamia