Liar; The Human Body; The Vietnam War

“Last night, in the space of a few minutes, Liar went from 50 to 100mph, turning eerily dark. What looked like it might plod on as a middle-class ‘her word v his word’ drama with nice kitchens and scatter cushions became fascinatingly menacing.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The key revelation coming just half way through the six-part series somehow seemed like a massive cheat. Of course, it remains to be seen where the story will go for the next three weeks, but I doubt I’ll be watching. Even a potboiler has to be believable at some level. If this were a book, I’d have been tempted to sling it in the bin.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“The Human Body was interesting because it involved proper science about human growth that wasn’t diluted to Peppa Pig levels as in so many documentaries. I’m not sure we needed all that footage of children dancing and playing drums, but at least the discussion was adult.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“While a lot of segments on last night’s show began in a rather familiar fashion, there was usually a cutting-edge discovery-twist towards the end. We still don’t know it all, not even when it comes to our own bodies, which is why the BBC can stick a new set of presenters on the same subject every decade and still find plenty to say.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Burns and Novick have a great skill for making an immensely complex story immediately comprehensible. The narration is kept to a minimum, but what there is of it is exquisitely written.”
Tim Dowling, The Guardian

“There has never been a more suitable time, with West and East exchanging nuclear snarls once more, to revisit The Vietnam War. Whether any lessons can be learnt is another matter.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express