Comfort TV can be a series, show, sport, or anything you like watching after a long day, looking to unwind before bed. I’ll go first. I like watching Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows, adaptations of Agatha Christie’s short stories and documentaries about the Universe.
Even in ancient times, that is before streaming services like Netflix and Amazon docked on Indian shores, I would record Nigella’s cookery shows and documentaries about the Universe on the DVR so I could play one when I got home after a work day which was sometimes chaotic, usually hectic and always noisy.
Sitting back in your favourite chair, feet up on a footstool with something to eat while the sights and sounds of a relaxing show lull you into a state of restfulness is sometimes just the thing one needs. This was especially true for me when I worked in news media since I would often get back home after work around midnight. My brother would be fast asleep, given his early mornings and I would be too alert to fall asleep.
COMFORT FOOD FOR THE EYES
I don’t know if you’ve seen any of Nigella’s cooking shows (I recommend it, even if you don’t cook to impress). She’s not the greatest chef (in fact, she isn’t even a trained cook by her own admission) but she cooks delicious food without turning up her nose at store-bought pastry, canned goods or poor knife skills. In other words, she’s like us—home cooks. Only with a gorgeous house, a walk-in pantry stocked with decadent goodies from around the world and a garden with twinkly lights that feels both lived-in and ever ready for an impromptu get-together.
The charm of Nigella Lawson’s shows lies not so much in what she cooks (yummy though it is) but the way she talks about food and her obvious delight in sumptuous meals. For the most part, the star of the show is her lifestyle and joie de vivre. With most other cookery shows, one wants to either be able to cook as well as the chef does or better still, eat what they cook. With Nigella, it’s the relaxed but decadent vibes of her lifestyle that one wants to emulate.
Nigella World is a place where it is possible to entertain friends on work days without suffering a mental breakdown, eat home-made pancakes for breakfast while solving a crossword and look like a million bucks while making it all look effortless. That’s the magic of television but also, Nigella makes cooking seem like fun.
COSY MYSTERIES BEFORE BED
Speaking of great recipes, Agatha Christie’s mysteries are another favourite of mine. There is something to be said about murders committed by genteel folk who are kind enough to stick around for Hercule Poirot to solve the case! I love Poirot despite his pomposity, obsessive idiosyncrasies and penchant for keeping his partners in partial darkness. To be honest, I like his affectations.
Agatha Christie is a master of weaving in enough clues to encourage you to make guesses as to the murderer’s identity but often, they’re best understood in hindsight. Watching Poirot solve a case with help from his 'little grey cells' leaves me with a soothing sense of resolution. Like all’s well with the world. That’s a good thing for an insomniac. It’s the mental equivalent of a warm bath, fresh bed linen and a cup of hot chocolate before retiring for the night. Nothing tops it!
COSMIC COMFORT
Did I just say nothing tops Christie’s mysteries? Well, nothing on Earth, that is. Outer space is a different matter. Which brings me to the other constant on my Tata Sky DVR - documentaries about outer space and the evolution of the Universe.
Watching stars form in star nurseries billions of years ago with the same elements we have in our own bodies and pondering the mysteries of blackholes, pulsars and dark matter, all narrated in dulcet tones, is akin to a meditative experience for me.
These documentaries let me revel in the awe-inspiring expanse and beauty of the Universe, reminding me that the immediate is only momentary and will soon be irrelevant, even to me. And before I know it, the knot of the day’s troubles lies loosened by a calmness that extends beyond petty office politics, trivial annoyances, minor car accidents and the hustle-bustle of daily life.
YOUR TURN
Well, you know my favourites now. What are yours? Maybe it’s weekend viewing or the occasional indulgence instead of late-night staples. Be what it may, drop a comment and let me know.
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