The Guide #211: What the world is watching, from Brazilian telenovelas to superheroes made of red bean paste
A little while ago the Guide looked at the wave of international post-apocalyptic dramas washing up on our shores, bringing tales of climate catastrophe, violent autocracy and alien invasions from as far afield as Argentina, Nigeria and Korea,As well as revealing just how terrified the whole world is of the prospect of institutional collapse, it also – somewhat more positively – underscored what a globally connected industry TV is in 2025,Streaming networks, satellite channels, YouTube and hooky pirate streams can instantly serve up local content from every continent (Antartica excepted, though I’d love to hear if there’s a penguin mob drama from King George Island that I’ve missed),Still, as intermingled as TV is these days, there are still so many programmes that will probably never reach our shores despite being absolutely massive with their domestic audiences,So this week we wanted to shine a light on those shows by asking some of the Guardian’s foreign correspondents and contributors what people are watching in the countries they cover.
Read on for tales of Jamaican breakfast telly, Brazilian telenovelas and Japanese red bean paste-based superheroes.Brazil | Vale TudoEven if Brazil’s longstanding love affair with telenovelas has been somewhat affected by streaming and by competition from K-dramas and Turkish equivalents, the most talked-about and most watched TV show in Latin America’s largest country is, unsurprisingly, a soap opera.Vale Tudo (“anything goes”) is a reboot of a production considered one of the most important of the genre and a massive success in 1988 and 1989, when Brazil was still recovering from the brutal two-decade military dictatorship, and revolved around the question: “Is it worth being honest in Brazil?”The new version – launched at a moment of profound political polarisation – has shed much of the original’s political focus, but has drawn strong ratings and sparked heated online debates.While many viewers enjoy the reboot, with clips going viral on social media, there has also been criticism of changes to the original plot and of the reproduction of stereotypes often associated with Black women in relation to one of the protagonists.Tiago Rogero, South America correspondentNigeria | Big Brother NaijaYou could write a compelling dissertation on Nigeria’s relationship with neighbourly boundaries and the nation’s continued interest in monitoring more than two dozen strangers locked in a shared home.
The latest season of Big Brother Naija is on now, and it still manages to drive more conversation, especially on social media, than any other pop culture event that isn’t Premier League football.BBNaija enjoys the sort of cultural breakthrough that makes the drama difficult to avoid even if you don’t watch it, while contestants can still expect to leverage their appearances into a life (however temporary) of fame and brand deals.This will endure for as long as the producers maintain their incredible ability to select the perfect mix of contestants who all seem born for the 24-hour stage.Dipo Faloyin, author and contributor to The Long WaveJapan | AnpanAccording to the latest figures available, Japan’s highest rated regularly scheduled programme is Anpan.It’s the latest in a long series of 15-minute dramas, called asadora, broadcast in the morning Monday through Saturday by public broadcaster NHK.
Anpan is based on the life of Nobu Komatsu, whose husband, Takashi Yanase, created the Anpanman (literally, Bean Paste Man) pictures books and animated series that have amused and enthralled generations of Japanese kids.Anpan tells the grit-through-to-glory story of a young woman who experiences the horrors of the second world war and, with her husband, creates a gentle-spirited picture book series in the 1970s whose hero Anpanman – a red-bean-filled pastry with a cape – selflessly helps those in danger and need, even giving pieces of his soft, sweet head to feed the starving.Like most asadora, Anpan is visual comfort food, with a heartwarming, uplifting story that soothes the unsettled mood of the moment.Mark Schilling, Tokyo-based entertainment writerSign up to The GuideGet our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Fridayafter newsletter promotionJamaica | Smile JamaicaTypically most people in Jamaica get their media content from the US, but despite this the local channel Television Jamaica’s Smile Jamaica morning show remains a critical part of the country’s routine.Airing from 6-8.
30am, with a weekend version on Saturdays, it has an eclectic mix of light entertainment and segments on heavy topical issues.So you will get viral dance and pilates tutorials, intriguing interviews with a Jamaican Michael Jackson impersonator and the makers of a new canned curry goat, but also discussions on Jamaica’s firearms laws and the tough subject of suicide prevention after the nation was rocked by the death of former Miss Universe Jamaica contestant Tyra Spaulding at just 26.The show is a great example of Jamaica’s heavy investment in its film and TV industry, with a number of local film festivals every year and the government recently announcing $668m (JMD) for local film productions.Natricia Duncan, Caribbean correspondentPoland | International Fryderyk Chopin Piano CompetitionIt’s perhaps not the usual definition of a TV blockbuster, capable of attracting millions of viewers.Still, much of Poland will be glued to their screens for the next three weeks after the twists and turns of the latest edition of a prestigious piano competition celebrating Poland’s composer and virtuoso, Fryderyk Chopin.
The 19th edition of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition started yesterday.It will see 84 pianists from 20 countries – narrowed down from more than 640 submissions – contending for the top prize, often seen as a golden ticket to play in the world’s greatest concert halls.The event, resembling the Olympic Games for pianists, takes place every five years and draws thousands of classical music lovers to the Polish capital, with tickets selling out a year in advance.This time the host nation has 13 participants, but the US pianist Eric Lu, Canada’s Kevin Chen and Korea’s Hyuk Lee are seen as some of the favourites.The competition is broadcast by Poland’s public broadcaster, TVP, and streamed online by the Chopin Institute, and the winner’s show concerts start on 21 October.
Jakub Krupa, Guardian Europe live bloggerIf you want to read the complete version of this newsletter please subscribe to receive The Guide in your inbox every Friday
Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in Birmingham neighbourhood
Robert Jenrick complained about visiting an area of Birmingham where he “didn’t see another white face” and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in.After highlighting the lack of white people, the shadow justice secretary said it was not about “the colour of your skin or your faith” and he wanted people to live alongside each other.However, he has been criticised by the area’s MP for suggesting he could tell whether Handsworth was “properly integrated” based on whether there were any white people in the area during a 90-minute period.Jenrick made the comments, which were recorded, during a dinner at the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner on 14 March after he had recorded a video for GB News about litter in the suburb.He told the dinner: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling
Has Kemi Badenoch sounded the death knell for one nation Conservatism?
In one popular reading of the history of Tory successes, the party’s last three election-winning prime ministers – John Major, David Cameron and Boris Johnson – all swept into Downing Street on unifying one-nation platforms.But for many people this year’s Tory conference, marked by its hardening rhetoric on asylum seekers and growing overtures to Nigel Farage’s brand of politics, feels a far cry from those broad principles.Kemi Badenoch kicked off the gathering in Manchester with a pledge to withdraw the UK from the European convention on human rights, a move which would have been controversial inside the party just a few years ago but now commands the support of the vast majority of Conservative MPs.The Tory leader has also committed to scrapping the UK’s net zero target by 2050, shattering the mainstream political consensus on the climate crisis.It is no surprise then that insiders are asking whether Badenoch’s leadership – and the direction the party is taking under the influence of rightwingers such as Robert Jenrick – sounds the death knell for one nation Conservatism
Tories set a low bar after misspelling Britain on conference chocolate
A chocolate bar given out by the Conservatives at their annual party conference misspelled the name of the country they are hoping to govern.The confectionery, in a blue wrapper, featured a slogan from the Tory party leader with an incorrect spelling of Britain.“When Labour negotiates, Britian loses,” read the message, signed by Kemi Badenoch.The chocolate bar was included in a goodie bag given out at the party’s conference in Manchester, the Sun reported.Organisers are reportedly blaming the mistake on a “printing error” and have since removed the chocolate from the bags, which also contained pictures of Rachel Reeves’s “fake CV” and a mock copy of Reform UK’s manifesto
Nearly two thirds of Tory members want pact with Reform, poll suggests, with close to half supporting full merger – as it happened
Andrew Rosindell is not alone in wanting a pact with Reform UK. (See 4.59am.) According to new polling by YouGov, almost two thirds of members want a pact, and almost half of them would support a full merger.The same poll found that half of members want Kemi Badenoch to be replaced as Tory leader before the next election, while 46% want her to stay on
Humiliation upon humiliation for the Melster in front of half-full Tory crowd | John Crace
The unbearable lightness of the Tory party conference. A place where nothing ever happens. Where dreams come to die. Where the only joy to be found is in the possibility of forgetting. Oblivion is the hottest ticket on offer
Jonathan Powell to face MPs over role in collapse of espionage trial
Jonathan Powell will appear before parliament for the first time amid questions about his role in the collapse of a trial of two Britons accused of spying for China.Keir Starmer’s national security adviser is due to be quizzed by senior parliamentarians at a private hearing of the joint committee on the national security strategy in the coming weeks.Powell’s appearance will mark the end of a year-long standoff between the committee and ministers, who refused for months to make him available for scrutiny before parliament. The prime minister’s spokesperson said on Monday that Powell “takes his accountability responsibilities very seriously”.The committee, chaired by the Labour MP Matt Western, is in discussions with officials over the date of the hearing
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