Christmas time. The perfect time to snuggle up in front of the TV and binge-watch a box set or the latest Hollywood offering, before slowly drifting off into a late-afternoon slumber having eaten your own bodyweight in roast potatoes. Sound familiar?
Well, even if that’s not the case, we thought we’d pick out some of the best things available to stream across iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime and NOWTV.
These selections are in no way festive and, to keep it all on brand, they’re all loosely business-related. So it’s kind of like research, in a way?
The Apprentice
The pitch: “Bust-ups and boardroom battles in Britain’s toughest job interview.”
Why you should watch it: You all know the drill. 10 candidates billed as the best of British business transpire to be mostly idiots over a series of team-based tasks from advertising to product development. By now it’s a pretty tired formula but there’s still plenty of fun to be had.
Nathan For You
The pitch: “In this docu-reality comedy, comedian Nathan Fielder uses his business degree and life experiences to help actual small businesses turn a profit.”
Why you should watch it: Fielder is not your typical comedian. His socially awkward, borderline-creepy manner gives rise to hilarious interactions with real-world businesses who are often only too happy to green-light his far-fetched schemes. In one episode, a frozen yoghurt company is persuaded to create its own poo flavoured yoghurt as a publicity stunt. What makes the show brilliant is the convoluted lengths that Fielder will go to exploit legal loopholes and execute his ideas.
Sunderland: Til I Die
The pitch: “This docuseries follows English soccer club, Sunderland, through the 2017-18 season as they try to bounce back after relegation from the Premier League.”
Why you should watch it: You could watch the All or Nothing Amazon series about Manchester City. By all means, a very well made and interesting insight into top-level football. But, wouldn’t you rather watch a warts and all documentary that goes behind the scenes at a club in crisis? Well, maybe not if you’re a Sunderland fan.
The Founder
The pitch: “After a fateful encounter with the McDonald brothers, struggling salesman Ray Kroc becomes driven to change the way hamburgers are made and sold.”
Why you should watch it: Ever wondered how McDonald’s pioneered the fast-food assembly line and went on to become the mega business it is today? The Founder focuses on the early expansion of McDonald’s and the key role played by Ray Kroc in turning the founding brothers’ successful model into a fast-food empire. At first, we sympathise with entrepreneurial Kroc, but soon power, greed and ambition take over.
Trump: An American Dream
The pitch: “Friends, associates and critics reveal the truly American story of Donald Trump, the brash businessman who defied the odds to become U.S. president.”
Why you should watch it: How did a scandal-ridden property tycoon and reality TV star with no background in politics go on to become the President of the United States? This four-part documentary charts the 40-year rise, fall, and rise again of Donald Trump. While there’s no shortage of Trump-based docs out there, this series is one of the best insights into how Trump operates – along with 2011’s You’ve Been Trumped.
