‘So, what are we going to watch?’ Arthur asked, dropping into an armchair. He was fed up of watching an endless stream of superhero nonsense with his other grandchildren. Joe was 20 and attending university; surely he’d be past the superhero phase.

‘How about The Irishman?’ Joe looked across at his grandfather.

‘What’s his super-power?’

‘What?’

‘I take it he’s not a Marvel character then? Green suit, red hair, his power is luck?’

‘What? No! And what’s with the stereotype clichés? He’s a gangster.’

‘An Irish gangster; I bet there’s no stereotype clichés in it at all.’

‘Whatever. It says it’s a 96 per cent match.’

‘Match to what?’

‘To my tastes. You know, based on what I like.’

‘On what you like?’ Arthur tried to imagine what Joe would like. Unless it was sport he wasn’t sure they’d have much in common. Depending on what movie was chosen, it could turn into a long evening. And he needed distraction given his daughter was spending her third night at the local hospital. Maybe they’d be better off going to the pub, but then what would they talk about? Half the time his grandson’s generation seemed to speak a different language.

‘Yeah, it’s Netflix,’ Joe said. ‘It tracks what I watch and whether I like something, then suggests other programmes it thinks I might like.’

‘So, you basically watch what it wants you to watch?’

‘No. Well, kind of. It suggests shows and movies, but I do the picking. Do you want to watch this or not?’

‘I don’t know. Do you have good taste?’

‘I’ve impeccable taste! It’s about this hitman, right, who’s looking back on his life working for the Mob and the secrets he’s kept. It has a load of big names in it – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano. And it’s directed by Martin Scorsese.’

‘So, it’s like The Godfatherthen.’

‘I guess,’ Joe hazarded.

‘That hasn’t been recommended to you?’ He claims to have impeccable taste, Arthur thought, but he’s never watched The Godfather. How could that be?

‘Not yet. It’s probably not available. There’s a decent selection, but it’s limited.’

‘So, you see a selection of a selection?’

‘I see things I’m more likely to enjoy. What’s the point of watching stuff I’m unlikely to like?’