Walter Presents: our Top 5 shows of the year

Walter Presents has delivered a lot of fantastic TV for us this year, showcasing great series from across the globe.

I make it that I’ve reviewed 40 series that those wonderful folks at Walter Presents have made available for us since the start of 2023 – that’s about one every 9 days! Plenty of top-drawer entertainment to keep even the fussiest of viewers happy.

But what’s been the best? Keep reading to find out my Top 5 picks of 2023…

5.  ‘Top Dog’ (Sweden)

Josefin Asplund (‘Snow Angels’, ‘The Circle’, ‘Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ and ‘Vikings’) and Alexej Manvelov (Tom Clancy’s ‘Jack Ryan’, ‘Before We Die’, ‘Jordskott’ and ‘Chernobyl’) co-star in this odd-couple pairing of a lawyer and an ex-con. It’s a classy crime drama, with some excellent acting performances from its lead players and a sharp script. Read our preview of ‘Top Dog’.

4. ‘The Bank Hacker’ (Belgium)

Jeremy (Tijmen Govaerts) is a computer nerd who is spotted by Alidor van Praet (Gene Bervoets) and is convinced to become involved in a plot to rob a bank (the same financial institutions that Jeremy blames for his father’s suicide). Based on real events, this is real feast for the eyes. It’s witty, charming and hugely entertaining. Read our preview of ‘The Bank Hacker’.

3. ‘Faking Hitler’ (Germany)

Gerd Heidemann (Lars Eidinger) is a journalist (and Nazi obsessive) at Stern, a German national newspaper. He gets wind of a story about the discovery of journals written by Adolf Hitler and heads to East Germany to investigate the authenticity of diaries. Superb acting and script, and wonderfully nostalgic 1980s feel. Read our preview of ‘Faking Hitler’.

2. ‘Carmen Curlers’ (Denmark)

Wannabee inventor and entrepreneur Axel Byvang (Morten Hee Andersen) overhears a farmer’s wife discussing the cost of getting her hair done for her son’s confirmation and decides to invest in a new product that enables women to style their hair at home. Featuring a fabulous 60s influenced theme and soundtrack, everything about this series reeks of Scandinavian class and quality. Read our preview of ‘Carmen Curlers’.

1. ‘Actor’ (Czechia)

Set in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s, ‘Actor’ is about Stanislav Láník (Jan Cina), a budding actor and also a brilliant mathematician who is recruited by the Soviet KGB as an informant. It’s a thought-provoking, intelligent character-driven drama that perfectly replicates the fear and tyranny of living in Eastern Europe after the war. Read our preview of ‘Actor’.

You can watch all of these boxsets and much more on Walter Presents via C4 Streaming.