JUNE 8 2019 LISTENER 67
THE DOC IS IN: All of this
year’s batch of Load-
ing Docs have reached
their funding targets
on Boosted and are in
production. The theme
this year is Power, and
the stories include My
Breakup with God, in
which a Christian turns
her back on the church; He Hekenga Tūhura, in
which Sir Hector Busby reflects on his legacy
of Polynesian navigation; and MEME Me, a short
about the “Nek Minnit guy”, Levi Hawken. See
the list here: loadingdocs.net/power. All the previ-
ous Loading Docs since 2014 are available at
loadingdocs.net; last year’s theme was Impact:
loadingdocs.net/shorts/#2018.LISTER-MANIA: Sally Wainwright’s new drama
series, Gentleman Jack, has received almost
universal acclaim in the UK. Suranne Jones has
depicted the extraordinary Anne Lister, Hali-
fax landowner and businesswoman, with great
verve and charm, and the series has brought to
light a woman who, despite being born in 1791,
was able to live life on her own terms. Her rela-
tionships with women came to light in coded
diaries that she kept for most of her life, which
were decoded by historian Helena Whitbread.
In this video made by the Calderdale Council,
Whitbread discusses Lister’s life and her “volu-
minous journals”: tinyurl.com/NZLLister. There is
also a website devoted to Lister: annelister.co.uk.musical based on the Greek
myth of Orpheus and Eury-
dice by US singer-songwriter
Anaïs Mitchell. The Brits are
making a bit of a showing:
Sam Mendes is nominated
for directing The Ferryman, by
Jez Butterworth, and actors
Paddy Considine and Laura
Donnelly are also nominated.
The magnificent Janet McTeer
is up for leading actress in
Bernhardt/Hamlet; Ruth Wilson
for her Cordelia in King Lear;
and Bertie Carvel for playing
Rupert Murdoch in Ink. And it
turns out that Tim Minchin
isn’t the only Australian
who can write musicals: you
may remember Eddie Perfect
from Offspring – he is nomi-
nated for writing the musical
Beetlejuice.
The Rookie (Three, 8.30pm).
After eight seasons of Castle,
it looks as if Nathan Fillion
has another hit series on his
hands. The Rookie, which
finishes tonight, has been
renewed for a second season
of 20 episodes after maintain-
ing consistently good ratings
in the US. The series addresses
many of the moral dilemmas
of modern policing, although
it’s funny how it all turns out
okay in the end. In the season
finale, there is a terrorist threat
involving a haemorrhagic
virus.TUESDAY JUNE 11
Te Ao with Moana (Māori TV,
8.00pm). Clearly, being an
amazing musician, singer,
actor, director and culturalOnline
Catch of the Week
which became known as the
eighth wonder of the world.
However, when nearby Mt
Tarawera erupted in 1886, 120
people were killed and the
terraces were buried.
In the 20th century, geo-
thermal energy was harnessed
for electricity; Wairakei Power
Station, near Taupo, was
just the second geother-
mal plant to be built in the
world. In addition, scientists
are searching for interesting
microorganisms in geother-
mal waterways.
In the second episode, nifty
animation takes us back to
when the country was formed
and there’s a look at our larg-
est volcano, Mt Ruapehu, and
why Fiordland is different.
The third episode turns to
the future and what might
happen to Auckland should
there be an eruption in the
volcanic field on which our
largest city is built.SVOD HIGHLIGHT: What’s
good in subscription video
on demand. David Tennant
as a demon, Michael
Sheen as an angel, Jon
Hamm as the Archangel
Gabriel, Benedict
Cumberbatch as the voice
of Satan and Frances
McDormand as the voice of God. Sounds like
Good Omens, the book by Neil Gaiman and
Terry Pratchett, has been adapted with just the
right amount of fantasy and comedy. Available
on Prime Video from May 31.My Breakup with GodThe Rookie, Monday.