The Best TV of 2016

And with the bonging of Big Ben, 2016 is over - a year that has tested even the most optimistic of optimists. Though it would probably do us all good to leave it in the past and never speak of it again, I'm going to linger a little longer and ask you to do the same, as I look back on those moments of light that led us through the darkness - the best TV of the year.

Bug

Friday 25th March and the evening's turned cool after a balmy spring day in London. I'm making my way to Found111, a pop-up theatre hidden within the bowels of what was the Central St Martin's School of Art on Charing Cross Road. Opposite, the Phoenix Theatre is bedecked with lights and glitzy signs for its new show Guys and Dolls but there's no such fanfare at Found111. We're beckoned in through a side door - a temporary sign above it giving the only hint that there's something exciting awaiting us inside.

Happy Valley - Series 2 Q&A

Not only is it pancake day on Tuesday, it's also the day that Happy Valley returns, almost two years after its triumphant first series - yay! Last night I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening of episode one in aid of the Community Foundation for Calderdale who are supporting victims of the recent floods near where the show was filmed in West Yorkshire. Last night's screening raised more than £30,000 for the charity and although there were no pancakes, the lucky few of us in the Victoria Theatre in Halifax were treated to a Q&A with writer, creator and director (Wonder Woman) Sally Wainwright and members of the, frankly tremendous, cast. Don't worry, this post doesn't contain any spoilers from the first ep, but I wanted to share a few of my favourite bits from the evening.