The BBC's new drama is almost unwatchably dark

Saturday, August 30, 2025

Hello! Louis writing this week from the Indy arts desk. Gonna forsake my usual impulse for idle chit-chat and get into it, because there's a lot to get through!

Firstly, we have an interview with Austin Butler and Darren Aronofsky, about their new crime film Caught Stealing. As far as I'm concerned, Butler is shaping up to be a generational real-deal movie star, and I personally thought Caught Stealing is bloody great. Clarisse Loughrey disagreed, giving the film just two stars in her review. My advice: see it for yourself and you decide who's right. (It's me, I'm always right – it's a curse.)

Gen Z pop music darling Sabrina Carpenter had a new album out this week; in his three-star review, Adam White describes the American singer as "the Kenneth Williams of modern pop, ooh-matroning over breezy hooks and Dolly Parton riffs". Ellie Muir also wrote a piece diving a bit deeper into Carpenter, and her coquettish Betty Boop persona.

On TV this week, we've had the BBC's King & Conqueror, a programme that Nick Hilton brands "almost unwatchably dark". And there was this piece by Stephen Armstrong, which asks: are you sitting on concert merch gold?

More great stuff below, including a Saturday Interview with Pierce Brosnan. 

Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Written by Louis Chilton

Don't forget to complete your registration

We've noticed that you still have not completed your registration to The Independent. Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism. It allows us to better understand our readers and tailor your experience.

By registering, you'll also gain access to a range of exclusive benefits, including:

Unlock these benefits by completing your registration today. 

Giving up movie stardom was Tom Hiddleston's smartest career move

'The Life of Chuck' is Hiddleston's first substantial movie role in six years. Louis Chilton looks at the career of an actor who flirted with mainstream stardom but refused to settle down

Each week we'll be asking you to pick between two trending pieces of culture –films, shows, albums etc. Two new films to choose between this week: caustic spousal-warfare comedy The Roses, and grimy exploitation remake The Toxic Avenger.

Last week, it was the battle between TV dramas Hostage and The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, which ended up – wouldn't you know it – being too close to call.

A seventysomething Bond? They know where to find me

Pierce Brosnan

From memoirs to dystopian fiction, these are the 21 best audiobooks to listen to now 

The Independent proudly partners with Refuge and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247

Join the conversation and follow us

Download the free Independent app

Please do not reply directly to this email

You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Culture newsletter.

To unsubscribe from The Independent's Culture newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.

This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345

Read our privacy policy and cookie policy