The return of three hit TV shows couldn’t come at a better time

I won’t be watching Matt Hancock taking a shower or eating a spider. Those televised daily Covid briefings were enough to put me off him for life, writes Charlotte Cripps

Hancock’s stint in the jungle seems far less ominous – but really it’s not (AP)

The news is grim – the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, austerity, and Matt Hancock joining I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

But at least the long-awaited return of not just one but three hit shows has arrived – and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Personally, I’d been dreading the return of The Handmaid’s Tale’s season five on Channel 4, but it’s not half as torturous as I had anticipated. I ended up binge-watching as many episodes as I could lay my hands on. It’s always fun to watch the tables turn – Fred is dead and Serena’s future is looking less stable by the minute.

The White Lotus season two is also back on Sky Atlantic this week – we gave it a five star review, with our critic Nick Hilton commenting that “there is nothing more enjoyable to watch on television right now”. This time it’s set in a five star resort in Sicily rather than Hawaii – but much like the first season, a murder mystery unravels against a backdrop of wealth, privilege, and sex.