Seen and heard: October 2015

An Inspector Calls – BBC dramatisation of the JB Priestley play. Powerful, but made the same mistake as the Alastair Sim film version of showing the dead woman in flashback, thus establishing that all the family did indeed encounter the same person and thus successively and collectively bring about her suicide. The point is that it doesn’t matter whether it actually was the same person or not; even if it wasn’t, their guilt remains. “Well, he jolly well inspected us, didn’t he.”

Countdown to Life: The Extraordinary Making of You – BBC documentary series about uterine development from conception to birth, with memorable contributions from people for whom the process was unfortunately disrupted – lovely people, great interviews.

The Gamechangers – BBC drama about the making of Grant Theft Auto V and the American lawyer who sued the company on the grounds of its violent influence. Gripping performances by Daniel Radcliffe as Sam Houser of Rockstar Games and Bill Paxton as the lawyer Jack Thompson.

Charles III – Mike Bartlett stage play, imagining a future king’s political crisis in the style and blank verse of a Shakespearean history play, with Robert Powell in the title role at Milton Keynes Theatre. Great theatre, making me think about what it must have been like for Shakespeare’s audiences, for whom his references to (for them) recent history and contemporary popular culture would have just worked, as Bartlett’s did for us. Great gags too, such as the ghost of Diana appearing to give Charles a prophecy, and the Duchess of Cambridge behaving like Lady Macbeth quite contrary to her popular image.

Tengami – graphically brilliant puzzle game, set in a world of pop-up paper structures, in which folding the scenery up and down is part of the puzzle-solving as much as the navigation. A bit short, and the puzzle types are quite limited, and not in the same class as Monument Valley, but still a great game on the iPad.

The Face of Britain by Simon Schama – series of five films, in association with the National Portrait Gallery. If you’re going to do lectures on video or TV, this is how to do it, if you have the budget, and a lecturer as stylish and compelling as Schama. Lovely discussions, around five themes (Power, The People, Fame, Love and Self-portraiture), though as the reviewer of the book comments his power-analysis isn’t all that it might be.

The Perils of Man – appealing and well-received Swiss German adventure game, about a teenage girl living alone with her agoraphobic mother who discovers a message from her scientist ancestors and their secret technology which enables her to perceive risk. Good puzzling and voice acting, and some big human themes addressed; but it didn’t quite wrap up into a whole for me.

Rugby world cup, Fiji v. Uruguay at MK Stadium – Polymnia, in which I sing, was honoured to sing their national anthems before the match.

BalletBoyz at the Roundhouse – BBC televisation of the all-male dance company’s 2014 London performance of ‘Serpent’ and ‘Fallen’. with live music by Max Richter and Armand Amar. Absolutely stunning.