MY REVIEW of the Duchess of Sussex’s new lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan (NetFlix, released on 4 March), will not be partaking of the low-hanging fruit of derision and snark, currently being gorged on by many on the internet. I refuse to hate someone with the confidence to cook tomato and spaghetti in a white cotton blouse complete with voluminous sleeves.
In this eight-part series, Meghan hosts friends, sharing baking, cooking, and lifestyle tips, in fake surroundings (the house is a cottage rented just for the show), while being beautiful and immaculate. It really does look like a perfectly crafted Instagram grid.
“I feel like this is all fake,” her first guest says, meaning the unreal vista outside, but unwittingly making an on-the-nose point about this type of shows. This version of Meghan isn’t remotely authentic, but since when was relatability a prerequisite of lifestyle shows? I thought the pretence was the whole point. I enjoy watching Nigella Lawson’s programmes precisely because they are all so unreal, but what she lacks in relatability she makes up for with enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion. Meghan’s show, however, is devoid of real interest or genuine expertise.
I wish her the very best in whatever she does, but With Love, Meghan failed to make me feel inspired, enthused, or wistful. The hollow execution just made me feel a little bit sad.
Forget the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Brits: the crowning event of the awards season is Crufts (Channel 4 and More 4, Thursday of last week to Sunday). I am a super-fan, visiting the show at the NEC in Birmingham every single year. When I’m not there, I tune into the four days of coverage, presented by Clare Balding.
Also returning this year was the resident vet, Dr Paul Manktelow, the presenter Radzi Chinyanganya, and the judging legend Frank Kane. Presenting for the first time this year was the Paralympian Ellie Simmonds, who was delightfully giddy throughout, as I would be, too.
The coverage strikes a nice balance between informative and educational TV and pure doggy adrenaline: the nail-biting, high-octane flyball, and the final stages of the agility make for exciting, albeit noisy, viewing.
But the real focal point of this canine bone-anaza (please clap) are the pampered and perfectly coiffed super-pooches, all competing to be crowned Best in Show. The cute and glamorous toys, the feisty terriers, the athletic gun dogs, the diverse utilities, and the noble hounds — there is something for everyone (except cat people, of course, but this is clearly a discernment issue that they need to work on. My message is: Come on over to the dog side.)
The tear-jerking stories included in the Hero Dog segment remind me that, while we don’t deserve dogs, we must continue to strive to be worthy of them.
