My 2011 - part the first

What up, 2012? So far, you have involved board games, phonology reading and Andrew Scott's face being fleetingly on my television screen, so that's a-okay by me.

However, looking back 48 hours it was still 2011, and we were coming to the end of a rather stellar year. And what better way to round up the year than with LISTS. LOTS OF LISTS. I started writing the categories and entries, and got a bit waffly and rambling (as is my wont), so I've had to divide it up into several posts. You lucky people*!

Firstly: TELEVISION, my very best friend.

TOP TEN NEW TV SHOWS (i.e. shows that premiered this year)

1. The Hour

Bel (Romola Garai) and Freddie (Ben Whishaw) oozing elbowy sexual tension by the truckload.

You know when you don't possibly think a show can live up to the ridiculous expectations you have for it? And then it does, and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts? Basically that. We heard rumblings - written by Abi Morgan! Set in the 50s! Romola Garai and Ben Whishaw starring! WHAT FRESH JOY IS THIS?

And then came The Hour -- sharp, sassy and whip-smart, with tension practically thrumming off the screen, both sexual (Bel/Freddie/Hector OT3 of feelings and tailoring) and plot-based (Spies! Murder! Murdered spies!). While Bel, Freddie and Hector's often ambiguous behaviour meant no couple could be 'preferred' at any one time, Romola and Ben's chemistry was utterly staggering (being called 'exquisite'? Most definitely A Thing since this show aired). Politics and passion intertwined deliciously, with the cutural backdrop echoing through the personal plots at the forefront.

Add to that a stellar supporting cast: Anna Chancellor's spiky and enigmatic Lix; Oona Chaplin's fragile yet stoic Marnie; Anton Lesser's heartbreaking Clarence (scenestealer!); and, from Tiny Hamlet** himself, the extreme adorability of the hapless Isaac. The cherry on top was fleeting glimpses of Jamie Parker, naturally.

The Hour is absolutely incredible. Go and watch it if you haven't already.

2. Spy

Chris (Mat Baynton) flexing his skills. I could have picked a more relevant screencap, but for some reason found myself unable to.

I have already done ridiculously lengthy feelings about this show, but I can't really understate how utterly charming it is. Funny, endearing and brilliantly-acted, with one star turn from Darren Boyd as the tall tall bumbling shorts-wearing inept dad of my heart, and another from Jude Wright as Marcus, the most magnificent pre-pubescent little shit you'll see on TV this year. Possibly ever. Also Mat Baynton is in it, and his looks like this, which is excellent.

3. Silk

Nick (Tom Hughes) doing a good line in HAIR and EYES and BEING A BEAUTIFUL CHEEKBONES ALIEN.

The BBC have had a cracking year for new drama; both The Hour and Silk boasted casts that made me want to weep with joy, and plots and performances that pretty much incited a similar reaction.

Peter Moffatt's Silk is excellent; his experience working for the Bar shone through the plots and dialogue, exploring the life of a lawyer with detail and emotion that might be lacking from another writer. Not only was our lead a lady – madness! – she was an absolute killer. Martha Costello: Lady Lawyer Light of my Life. Clever, strong, and fiercely, perhaps dangerously dedicated to justice, Maxine Peake (and her lipstick) were absolutely the star of this show. The star of the year, perhaps.

Aside from Maxine's flawlessness, we had beautiful cheekbones alien Tom Hughes running about in beanie hats and lawyers' robes, having sexy tension with everything that moved (pleasant) and making faces like this (pupil/pupilmistress foreverrrr), rendering me void of all coherency. HOW IS YOUR FACE, etc. Throw in Natalie Dormer's impossible beauty and lol Penry, and you've go yourself a corker.

4. Up All Night

Reagan (Christina Applegate) and Chris (Will Arnett) with their bundle of joy, Amy.

Possibly the greatest show you are not watching -- I appreciate that's rather a douchebag tone there ('there's this show...you've probably never heard of it, etc.), but Up All Night is so preposterously underrated. It is a CRIME.

Reagan and Chris (the fantastic Christina Applegate and Will Arnett) are new parents, and the series documents Chris venturing into house-husbandry (lots of shots of Will Arnett in white t-shirts holding a baby: YUM) while Reagan returns to her job as a senior executive on an Oprah-like show starring her best friend Ava, the GODDESS Maya Rudolph.

Every episode had me absolutely howling with laughter - all three leads have the most incredible comic chops, particularly Maya Rudolph and her face. Parenthood isn't patronised, and the ramifications of a new baby on both parents and friends are perfectly executed, with moments of sumblime tenderness amongst the slapstick. Also, Jason Lee rocks up, having ditched his My Name Is Earl moustache in favour of a salt & pepper look he's totally rocking. Yeah, he may be a scientologist, but break me off a piece of that freaky shit.

5. Holy Flying Circus

Gilliam (Phil Nicol), Chapman (Tom Fisher), Palin (Charles Edwards), Cleese (Darren Boyd), Jones (Rufus Jones) and Idle (Steve Punt).

HOLY FLYING AWESOME, MORE LIKE - AM I RIGHT? Sorry, but caps are necessary when talking about this delightful dramatisation of the Pythons' struggles with censorship and pissy Bishops during the release of Life of Brian.

I appreciate it split the fanbase, and can see why, but I was utterly charmed by the in-jokey, fond parody of the actors and their circumstances, using Python-esque surreality to great effect. Yet again, Darren Boyd floored me with a pitch-perfect John Cleese, while Charles Edwards' Palin was subtle and gorgeous. The taxi scene - you'll know it if you've seen it - was probably the most beautiful piece of television I saw all year.

6. Black Mirror

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Charlie Brooker, you magnificent bastard. Black Mirror was a tripartite examination of 'the dark side of our obsession with technology'; at once satirical and sickening, each stand-alone episode was brilliantly acted and tackled an aspect of technology culture in a way that managed to be both preposterous and plausible.

Episode one saw a haggard Prime Minister (Rory Kinnear) face a Twittersphere braying for him to commit an act of disgusting public sacrifice; episode two was a subtler, aching story of love and coercion, with a knockout central performance from Daniel Kaluuya; and episode three explored what might happen should our entire lives be recorded and playbackable - the most problematic of the three (if I see the 'guy's dickhead behaviour vindicated because his girlfriend cheated' trope one more time I shall scream), but Toby Kebbel and Jodie Whittaker were both fantastic.

7. Episodes

Sean (Stephen Mangan) making doe-eyes and his wife (Bev) - a Mangan specialty.

Upon hearing that Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan were to be reunited in a new show, playing marrieds no less, my precise reaction was something along the lines of sdhfgsjahdfgjahsgdj. My glorious Green Wingers played successful britcom writers whose show is picked up for an American remake, and who naively think their pride and joy won't be bastardised by the production companies abroad.

They find themselves lumbered with a thoroughly unsuitable leading man - none other than Matt Le Blanc, starring as himself - inflated ego and sleazy charm intact. The show may have been shaky at times (treat Bev right! etc.), but Le Blanc was a brilliant parody of an actor, and nobody - NOBODY - can do a beautiful, injured look like Stephen Mangan. I think it's the curls.


8. Around the World in 60 Minutes

Okay, I'm cheating - this is not from the show, but it's apt and pretty!

I only caught this after a tip off from my partner in feelingsy crime, Emma, whose exact words were something along the lines of 'HANNAH HANNAH THERE'S A SHOW ON BBC4 WHICH IS BASICALLY AN HOUR OF PICTURES OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE'. Naturally, I was on it like a tramp on chips (as I believe the vernacular phrase goes), and basically spent the full hour happycrying.

As I have said before, nothing sets me weeping like pictures of the Earth from space; I'm immediately awed, captivated and rendered dumstruck by the vast magnificence of it all. Therefore, this show was basically like an hour of pornography. And all narrated with David Morrissey's dulcet, Northern tones! Televisual bliss.

9. The Great British Bake Off (shh, it totally counts)

Oh, Rob Billington: reducing most of Twitter to incoherent mush on a weekly basis.

Cheater cheater pumpkin eater, I hear you cry - this is not technically a new show, but oof I love The Great British Bake Off. Obsessively so - the way 80% of the population loves The X Factor, I get giddily overinvested in choux buns and and Paul Hollywood's Travolta-esque allure.

This series brought with it one particular, utterly transparent audience-pleaser -- one Rob Billington, he of the swoopy hair, excellent forearms and sexy chipped tooth. By all rights he should have been eliminated in week one, being a bloody disaster area, but the producers kept his lovely face around for many more catastrope-filled weeks, much to our delight. We were, unfortunately, #teamholly (she woz robbed, etc.), but the entire series was an icing-sugar-dusted delight.


10. Great Expectations

Pip (Douglas Booth) and his blowjob mouth. He has other features, of course, but it's the mouth that stands out.

I needed a tenth entry for this list, and - lo and behold! - one dropped into my lap during the Christmas period! As I type this, I have only watched two thirds of the adaptation, but unless the final episode involves ritual animal slaughter and/or a scene in which the entire cast watch paint dry, it is very deserving of the final spot.

Douglas Booth's face may well be the eighth wonder of the world, and with Harry Lloyd and Tom Burke also in appearance, it made for a VERY ENJOYABLE televisiual experience. I may have spent most of the time shipping Herbert/Pip/Drummle like it was my job - great literature is wasted on me.

***

See also:
Top ten TV shows that were new to me in 2011
People of the year
Soundtrack to the year

*if you also said that in a Tyres from Spaced voice, marry me. 
**Joshua Maguire's FAMILY MEMBERS now refer to him as Tiny Hamlet, I shit you not.