RICHARD CURRIE

Season 4 arrived in full woke armoury. I'm a huge fan of the show, from it's odd decade defeating, Americana feel, set it seems in the lush valleys of Wales, it glows unashamedly in fun happiness and stupidity. But season 4 shoved every tick box in your face. Even discovering that I used to know one of the fine actors in it didn't allow me to enjoy it as much as the first series. A college needing and allowing three students to run a therapy sex clinic was quite a stretch, but in places it did hit the mark. Aimee and her fantastic alternative reality, Adam and his Dad, gotta just love Ruby. And Otis' aunt and her glowing mask did make me chuckle. The final episode was all out tying up every loose strand possible, not allowing the viewer for a second to wonder what if. Eric finding God - literally - was a bit silly, but it was overall a lot of good fun.

Based on an extraordinary true story, it follows two families so desperate to find safety in the West, they conjure up an idea that is as crazy and dangerous as it is simplistic and beautiful. That is to make an air balloon - secretly - and fly it over the border. What follows is a cat and mouse chase between them and the Stasi. Failure on either side is not an option. Not a single dull moment in the whole film. Utterly compelling.