CULTURE DIGEST 13: Mayhem and Masterpieces
Monthly recommendations from the team behind the TV Foundation and Edinburgh TV Festival.
Welcome to Culture Digest, your cultural cheat sheet compiled by the staff at The TV Foundation. Whether you’re craving live theatre, a binge-worthy series, or something weird and wonderful to read on the train, we’ve got you covered.
🎭 IRL EXPERIENCES
It’s summer, and that means stepping away from the screens and diving into some live experiences:
OSCAR at the Crown – Part rave, part musical theatre, all showstopping vocals. A queer retelling of Oscar Wilde's exile and legacy, done in sequins, sweat, and stilettos. Dare we say the perfect Pride Month pick?
The Crucible – A charged and timely revival of Arthur Miller’s iconic drama, with the kind of atmosphere only the Globe can deliver.
Evita – Back and belting. Rachel Zegler proves she’s got that star quality in droves. A true “you need to see it to believe it” experience.
📚 BOOKS
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley – A literary, time-traveling crush you didn't know you needed. Romance, history, and sharp prose make this one stand out.
The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank – Smart, funny, and full of emotional gut punches. This one hits different every time you return to it.
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank – One of those books you want to press into a friend’s hands. This Guardian piece explains why it deserves more love.
Panics by Barbara Molinard – Imagine Kafka took up poetry and rage. A haunting and fragmented journey through existential dread and feminist fury.
Sofia Coppola Archive – Technically a coffee table book — but really, it’s a portal into one of modern cinema’s most singular aesthetic minds.
🧠 FEELING INSPIRED?
Want to level up your media literacy or dig deeper into what's shaping the screen industry? Here's what we've been reading and listening to lately:
👉 TV Cinematographer: Stealing the Show at the Emmys (The Ankler) – A great piece spotlighting the visual storytellers behind prestige TV’s cinematic glow-up.
🎧 Podcasts we’re obsessed with:
Culture Study – Pop culture deep dives with a brainy twist.
There Are No Girls On The Internet – Essential listening on digital culture and feminism.
The Protocol – Nuanced, compassionate, and timely. Protect trans kids now and forever.
Deep Read – Big ideas and sharp analysis with zero filler.
📺 TV
You know we couldn’t make a list without talking telly. Here's what’s had us glued:
What It Feels Like For a Girl (BBC) – A gut-punch of a show in the best way possible.
The Rehearsal S2 (NOW) – Nathan Fielder is back, making us question reality, morality, and whether it’s okay to laugh while feeling deeply uncomfortable. (It is.)
Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster (Netflix) – Tense, fascinating, and frankly unbelievable. True-crime energy meets deep-sea horror.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy (Netflix) – A devastating but necessary watch that asks all the right questions about responsibility and spectacle.
Trainwreck: Mayor of Mayhem (Netflix) – Not the flashiest doc, but a strange and compelling look at Toronto’s infamous mayoral scandal. (We hadn’t heard of it either!)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Channel 4)– Still chilling. Still painfully relevant. Still watching.
🎬 FILM
The Ballad of Wallis Island – A poetic, politically charged feature that hasn’t left our heads. Quietly powerful and criminally underseen.
Paddington in Peru – Still wholesome, still hilarious, still making us weep softly in the dark.
Grenfell: Uncovered – Premiered at Sheffield Doc Fest, and received a standing ovation. A devastating look at systemic failure, community grief, and resistance.
F1 – Come for the speed, stay for the drama. High-stakes motorsport as prestige entertainment.
Jaws – Because some classics never go out of style. A perfect summer rewatch — preferably not before swimming.
And finally…
🎲 IN THE OFFICE
Cinematrix – If you stop by the office and catch us in a passionate debate about which actor starred in that 2004 indie drama with what's-her-name... it's Cinematrix. Our unofficial team sport. Equal parts trivia, memory test, and cinema obsession.
Got something we should check out? Hit reply and let us know — we’re always looking for our next favourite thing.