RAF at 100; Reggie Yates; Hold the Sunset

“RAF at 100 was an interesting flypast of the service’s history as it celebrates its centenary, given a bit of star power by the presence of Ewan McGregor and a lot of first-person clout by the presence of his brother Colin, a former fighter pilot. The duo were engaging hosts who were clearly passionate about their subject.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“TV is increasingly loath to tackle any serious subject without the sugar lump of celebrity to sweeten the nasty taste, but happily this wasn’t luvvie central with compulsory tears and drama. The actor Ewan McGregor (of Star Wars fame) proved a worthy presenter of a remarkable 90-minuter in which his passion for RAF aircraft was obvious.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“What I wasn’t anticipating was how moving this documentary, presented by the film star and his former RAF fighter-pilot brother, would be in parts. In the end, for all the sleek beauty and edge-of-seat excitement that drew me to the machines featured, what lingered was the bravery of those who had flown and fought in them.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“The McGregor brothers are telling the story of the RAF in the space of 90 minutes, which makes this more of a supersonic low-level skim over the surface. Thankfully, it is not just about Ewan and Colin having pretend dogfights in Spitfires, Messerschmitts and Typhoons, it is about the men who did it for real.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Yates is very good at connecting with the people of Grenfell, in a way some of the journalists who went there afterwards weren’t. He gets them, they get him. This isn’t a ground-breaking investigation. It’s not about blame, or cladding, or politics. It’s about a handful of human stories, it’s about people and a community, and it’s so very, very sad.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Reggie Yates’ documentary was a moving examination of some of the life stories so brutally cut short. The ex-children’s TV presenter and DJ is establishing a reputation as a perceptive and empathetic documentary maker and this was no exception.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“Yates was particularly adept at gently building a sense of the victims as individuals and how their varied life experiences had brought each of them to Grenfell Tower.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“So resolutely mild is its humour that every time the momentum built for it to move naturally into third gear it declined the opportunity and continued pootling in second. The stellar cast seemed to be in dramatic restraining harnesses, able to perform at only 50 per cent of their ability. Yet despite an often weak script their talent has given it a soul that always makes for a pleasant, if not laugh-out-loud half-hour in which John Cleese is usually the best performer.”
Carol Midgley, The Times