Arlene Foster, Eamonn Holmes, and more, reveal the shows they watched during lockdown

Presenter Eamonn Holmes said he’s been ‘glued to’ Michael Douglas in The Kominsky Method.

“Douglas has an acting studio and advocates a certain acting method. It’s about romance, ‘bromance’, ups and downs. It’s side-splittingly funny and can also move you to tears.”

Eamonn said he’s also been enjoying Call My Agent, which is based in a talent agency in Paris.

“It’s subtitled but it’s also funny, clever and sharp.”

And popular Netflix shows Schitt’s Creek and The Queen’s Gambit have been part of his viewing repertoire.

“Schitt’s Creek, a incredibly wealthy man loses it all except for a backwater town which he owns and where he tries to rebuild his life, but old habits die hard. Very amusing.

“The Queen’s Gambit - who would have thought that you could watch seven episodes of a drama about chess? It’s beautifully shot and is a drama about a young girl and how a board game transforms her life.”

Eamonn also enjoyed the “darkly funny” Resident Alien on Sky One, where an extra terrestrial being lands on Earth.

“He assumes the likeness of a human and the only person who can see what he really looks like is a 10- year-old boy. The plot revolves around the alien trying to kill the boy. I know that sounds awful but it’s very funny.”

And finally, property show Masters of Flip on ITV Be caught his attention.

“A husband and wife team present a highly addictive property makeover show. Oddly enough after working together on TV they got divorced,” he joked.

When she wasn’t steering us through a global pandemic, First Minister Arlene Foster relaxed with her favourite detective show.

She said:“I’m not a big fan of box sets or Netflix and though I used to watch EastEnders I haven’t found myself keeping up with the soaps lately at all. I feel like most of them have moved on.

“I do enjoy Lewis though - my mother and I have a love for the detective series genre and we will chat about each episode on the phone. But other than that, and I don’t want to sound boring, I spent more time reading really. For me de-stressing is more about enjoying a nice walk in the idyllic countryside near where I live. I am very lucky in that.”

Line of Duty actor Adrian Dunbar said he’s been looking at documentaries mainly.

“That’s what I like to watch. I watched a bit of the Sky series Little Birds which was interesting.

“Mostly it’s been documentaries, news, nature programmes I love.”

The Line of Duty star has also been reading during lockdown.

“I’m reading a good book at the minute called Shuggie Bain set in Glasgow. A bit of reading, a bit of telly, trying to get out now and again, cause you need to do that as well. That’s something we’ve all been missing, seeing something new. We’re all desperate to travel really.”

Comedian and News Letter columnist Tim McGarry said he’s been reading, rather than watching TV, but when he did pick up the remote, he also enjoyed The Queen’s Gambit.

“Football is keeping me sane and the mighty Leeds Utd are keeping me and everyone else entertained.

“The one Netflix show I binge watched and loved was the superb Queen’s Gambit. It has inspired me to take the game of chess up again. I have spent hours playing online chess and discovered that I will never be a grandmaster...or a master, grand or otherwise.”

He added: “If readers have 15 hours to spare- and let’s face it, you probably do- I can highly recommend the 30 half hours of Pop Goes Northern Ireland on the BBC iPlayer. It is a year by year chronicle of the Troubles. I’ll be honest there are not many laughs in it but it was made by our company the Hole in the Wall Gang Limited and we are very proud if it. And don’t panic I don’t get any repeat fees.”

Comedian Shane Todd has developed a strange relationship with Married At First Sight Australia.

“My wife watches it, but I’ve been in the room when every episode has been on. By default I’ve seen every minute of every episode, I’ve read the odd article about it, I’ve gone on social media to look at some of the people and see what way they are now, but I don’t categorise myself as someone who watches it.”

Shane is also a fan of Sky Atlantic drama Your Honor starring Breaking Bad’s Brian Cranston and recommended a mini-series about LA’s Comedy Store.

He said he used to love watching true crime programmes like Making a Murderer and Staircase but didn’t find them suitable lockdown viewing.

“I knocked all that on the head at the start of lockdown because I just wanted escapism. It’s amazing television but just not what I want to watch at the minute.”

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