“After the high drama of Thursday’s general election, it all felt a bit flat.”
The Brexit Storm Continues: Laura Kuenssberg’s Inside Story
“There is nothing truly revelatory in The Brexit Storm, unless you count the fact that it looked absolutely as bad and chaotic to those observing it close up as it did to the rest of us. Kuenssberg was an admirably cool, clear-eyed guide for those who could bear to pay attention.”
“All the television networks like to big up their news journalists as major players, but are they actually as important as they like to think? Despite plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, there were few dramatic revelations. After the high drama of Thursday’s general election, it all felt a bit flat.”
Charles I: Killing a King, BBC4
“Like its sister series in the summer, Downfall of a King, this was history leveraged by the (loose) modern parallels. By the time we heard how Westminster wangled an act of parliament on January 4, opening the door to put Charles on trial, it felt like such a recognisable saga of internecine politicking, you half-expected Laura Kuenssberg to pop up and help to explain things.”
“It’s a compelling story, and the languid Lisa Hilton brings an air of fashion-conscious chic to the often-dowdy world of academic scholarship. But the narrative moved at a funereal pace, padded out with decorative landscapes or shots of Hilton strolling past Windsor Castle, while the re-enacted historical scenes were wooden. Three hours of this seems too generous by about half.”
The Dirty War on the NHS, ITV
“With the slow, sonorous narration of a weary Old Testament prophet, Pilger outlined how the Thatcher, Blair and Cameron governments each stealthily opened the door to private healthcare companies. It was persuasive, worrying, overlong and with a relaxed attitude to letting balance get in the way of a condemnation.”
The Supervet at Christmas, Channel 4
“One of the reliably interesting elements of this long-running show is the way Noel explains each op. His clear, short summaries help us understand why, for instance, Bran the three-legged Alsatian has a displaced hip.”
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