“Even better the disagreements of historians and novelistswere put at the centre of the thing.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.

The Last Days of Anne Boleyn, BBC2

“For a story that is 650 years old, the downfall of Anne Boleyn has a very modern feel to it: conspiracy, sex, intrigue, sex, backstabbing, sex, family and sex (yes, sometimes together). Or at least that is how The Last Days of Anne Boleyn came across, by making the most of the intrigue and salaciousness – but in a very BBC2 way, naturally (ie with academics).”
Terry Ramsey, The Telegraph

“Fight fight fight fight fight. Who’s fighting? Suzannah Lipscomb, Hilary Mantel, Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory, David Starkey and more. A whole bunch of heavyweight historians and writers. What are they fighting about? The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (BBC2), and some of the details thereof.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“At least it was kept to illustrative dumb show only, apart from a few moments when actors read lines that had the sanction of the historical record. Even better the disagreements of historians and novelists as to what actually happened were put at the centre of the thing, rather than being tidied away in the interests of a simple narrative.”
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

Scott & Bailey, ITV

“This was one of the better episodes. While the series has had some gripping moments, Scott & Bailey remains a strange hybrid programme. Most police series are about the detective work, with a bit of the characters’ private lives thrown in. Scott & Bailey is frequently the other way around.”
Terry Ramsey, The Telegraph

The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs, C4

“It’s not just the shocking abuse they suffered from their assailants, these girls then had to suffer further prolonged attacks in court from the gangs’ lawyers, accusing them of making it all up. Important journalism, and a brutal picture of a double hell.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“You don’t get a lot of art in a documentary like The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs, but Tazeen Ahmad’s film about Operation Chalice, a three-year investigation into the trafficking of underage girls in Telford opened with a moment of heightened television rhetoric. On the screen you saw blurred mug shots tiled on a wall, while on the soundtrack you heard a montage of survivor accounts of the abuse.”
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

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