The Decameron (Netflix)

In plague-ridden mediaeval Italy a group of nobles and their downtrodden servants assemble in a country villa to try to stay safe from the illness. Scheming and seduction, murder and mayhem ensue as a power struggle unfolds and alliances form and shift. External threats from violent marauders put everyone’s lives at risk, along with the ever-present, lurking plague. Can they work together to keep themselves safe? Probably not. Based on a contemporary set of short stories, this 8-part series is colourful and wickedly funny - The Canterbury Tales meets Agatha Christie, but perhaps drags on a bit long. The soft pedal ending sits oddly against the earlier action and violence but pays a nice tribute to the original text.