‘This show is just the start’: inside the BBC’s all-person-of-colour A Suitable Boy

It has 110 actors, is based on one of the longest books in English - and it’s the BBC’s first historical drama with no white characters. But some think the series doesn’t go far enough. We take a look behind the scenes

‘Mike Leigh’s office almost went up in flames’: casting directors tell all

As Bafta rewards scripted casting for the first time, those doing the choosing talk us through the process – from being flashed at in auditions to chasing would-be stars around with a tenner

Mrs America depicts one of feminism’s toughest battles – the fight against female misogynists

From Gloria Steinem to Shirley Chisholm, there were some brilliant women pushing for equal rights in the 1970s. In Phyllis Schlafly, they found a formidable foe, says Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore

Brave New World: London reimagined after a disaster

A firm of architects had fun designing a dystopian version of the capital for a drama based on Aldous Huxley’s classic starring Demi Moore

TV tonight: how prison can rehabilitate rather than just punish

A timely documentary looks at US prisoners, many of whom are from BAME communities, working to get degrees while incarcerated. Plus: Michaela Coel’s rollercoaster ride continues. Here’s what to watch this evening

How to watch police shows in the age of Black Lives Matter

The crime genre glorifies police violence but should we ban such shows, or reappraise them with a critical eye, asks Elias Rodriques, a PhD student and novelist

Claes Bang: ‘I’ve been watching a great Danish show … what was it called?’

The Dracula star talks about filming on Zoom, if he could play Bond and the only Kubrick film he’s never seen

Sex, lies and celluloid: how realistic is Netflix’s drama Hollywood?

It’s got orgies, arrests, scandals and eccentrics. But is the central story – about gay and black people triumphing in 1940s Tinseltown – realistic? We sift the ugly facts from glossy fiction

This week’s best culture, at home – from Korean ballet to a David Nicholls-inspired radio play

The Observer’s critics recommend the best new arts shows to enjoy on TV, on the radio and online

Himesh Patel: ‘It felt odd making a show about a pandemic’

The former EastEnders actor talks about shooting a pilot on a deadly virus, telling British stories with a difference – and how playing a bit part as a pigeon changed his career

How 1968 TV drama The Year of the Sex Olympics predicted our world

The desensitising effects of porn, the invasive voyeurism of reality TV, the passivity of mass consumerism … Nigel Kneale’s programme anticipated them all

Covid-19 leaves news and entertainment industries reeling

TV audiences are at Christmas levels, and news website figures sky high, but with few ads or new shows there are fears for the future

Twin Peaks at 30: some damn fine outfits but what do they mean?

It’s three decades since David Lynch’s groundbreaking TV show hit our screens, and the character’s clothes have aged as well as the drama

Emmerdale and Aliens actor Jay Benedict dies of coronavirus

American-born actor also appeared in Foyle’s War and The Dark Knight Rises

Self-Made and The Banker showcase the power of black-owned businesses

The Netflix series and Apple TV movie tell true stories of entrepreneurship at odds with an ongoing Hollywood narrative of black tragedy