Shifty review – Adam Curtis’s new show is an utter rarity: stylish, intelligent TV with something to say

The celebrated documentarian’s five-part series charts the decline of Britain’s democracy with a witty, kaleidoscopic selection of archive footage. It begins, of course, with Margaret ThatcherHello and welcome to the latest addition to Adam Curtis’s growing compendium of documentaries I have unofficially entitled How Did Things Get So Shit? Let Me Explain in a Weirdly Uplifting Manner. Previous volumes include The Century of the Self, The Power of Nightmares, The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom, All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace, HyperNormalisation, Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Russia 1985-1999: TraumaZone.Even if you have not had the challenging pleasure of watching, the titles alone should be enough to evoke most of the concerns found therein – the rise of individualism, the fragmentation of old systems, the political vacuums new people and powers have rushed to fill, the death rattle of formerly dependable entities on which western civilisation has traditionally rested and once allowed us to sleep peacefully at night, the creeping destabilisation of all things, and so very much on. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Elon Musk activates Starlink internet access in Iran

washington times

Comments

Similar News

Shifty to The Waterfront: the seven best shows to stream this week

Culture

Elon Musk activates Starlink internet access in Iran

Grosse Pointe Garden Society star Ben Rappaport reveals the show’s connection to Desperate Housewives after fan response

New Michael Sheen interview has fans concerned about controversial Amazon Prime series

Mormon Wives stars Jessi Ngatikaura and Whitney Leavitt defend 'pregnancy roulette' after viewer backlash

JoJo Siwa clarifies sexuality as she and Chris Hughes plan next move

Watch: Visitors sit on and break artwork chair in Italian museum

Play It Again, Charles Burnett

Most ‘unpredictable’ horror movie of the decade is now streaming on Netflix

WMATA train operators arrested, accused of healthcare fraud scheme

Bonnaroo 2025 cancelled after just one night due to severe storms days after co-founder’s death

Marlee Matlin reveals how she relied on mentor Henry Winkler after tumultuous relationship with William Hurt

Skins star unrecognisable as he reunites with cast 12 years after show ended

Eerie sci-fi series dubbed ‘freshest British drama in years’ launched 10 years ago

'Wait Wait' for June 14, 2025: With Not My Job guest Chris Perfetti

Pope Leo's video address to be played at Chicago's White Sox ballpark

The National Weather Service issues Alaska's first ever heat advisory

Mexico's president calls for no ICE raids during Mexico-Dominican Republic soccer match

Rylan Clark says he begged Celebrity Gogglebox editors to cut out risqué ‘career-ending’ remarks

Love Island star jailed for 14 years after role in huge drug smuggling ring exposed

2 Men Are Sentenced in Theft of Golden Toilet

Made In Chelsea star pays tribute to ‘lovely friends’ killed in Air India crash

Australian man shot to death at a villa on the tourist island of Bali

How Prime Video's 'Burn Bar' is changing the way we watch NASCAR

King Charles III marks Air India tragedy with moment of silence during annual birthday parade

David Beckham, Gary Oldman, Elaine Paige and others honored by King Charles III

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez to spotlight Venice's artisanal heritage during upcoming nuptials

‘We’d hold hands and cry’: Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers’ wife opens up about his final months for the first time

Keira Knightley reflects on negative consequence of Pirates of the Caribbean role

Star Wars boss Kathleen Kennedy addresses concern over ‘illegal’ screening of original film

The degrading moment the ‘best TV show’ crossed a line and never looked back

Watch: Idris Elba unveils celebratory stone at old college

Mood swings fuelled Heston Blumenthal's genius. But the highs got higher and the lows got darker

Gary Oldman and Strictly hosts join Beckham in honours

I made Sleep Token's masks on my mum's kitchen table

Love Island’s Georgia Harrison: 'I re-read my MBE letter three times'

One student reflects on how their dad inspires them

Molly Recommends 2 Very Male New Novels

Pop star Robbie Williams named as new Fifa Music Ambassador

Jarvis Cocker is Britpop’s ultimate comeback king in scintillating Pulp show

Tess Daly almost missed MBE after error in letter

Churchill won the war but lost the peace - was that inevitable?

30 years on, I watch Braveheart for first time. It would bring a tear to a glass eye

10 exhibitions to see next - including work from a top Scottish sculptor

Top Chef finalist Shuai Wang cooks Chinatown BBQ with a Lowcountry flair

10 years after the deadly church shooting, a new history of 'Mother Emanuel'

Pop star Robbie Williams named as new Fifa Music Ambassador

Reëxamining Victimhood in Guatemala

A Very Elon Father’s Day

Lessons of Later-in-Life Fatherhood

EastEnders to hold back release of next episode as new boss shares statement

Eamonn Holmes says he has worked with ‘so many horrible’ co-stars

Rylan says Celebrity Gogglebox editors had to cut out ‘career-ending’ conversations

What if being Mr. 305 was a state of mind?

I played the new Resident Evil — and a whole lot more. Here are my thoughts

Book Review:

Trying to Sell a Conservative Book? Go on a Podcast.

A Decade of Bruising Labor. A 6-Mile Work of Land Art.

At National History Day, Students Get Competitive About the Past

Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Busy Caring for a Pony, Pig, Donkey and Malamute

Lenny Henry fights back tears reflecting on mother’s death during tour