9/11: Inside the President’s War Room; Back to Life

“9/11: Inside the President’s War Room gives the sensation of being in the room in a way that few documentaries ever have. That day has often been described as a disaster movie no screenwriter would dare imagine. Here, it is a horrifyingly tragic but also propulsive story, with twin narratives following the president’s movements and the developing carnage on the ground, minute by minute.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“Bush’s presence alone made this latest hour-by hour rundown of 9/11 stand out among so many others, even if it felt like the Bush Legacy Foundation account of his defining day. Did this matter? Not when there were so many revelatory, close-up details of what exactly Bush and his men were doing as they scrambled to get a grip on the fast-unfolding chaos. This was a vivid account for posterity — told on the president’s terms.”
James Jackson, The Times

“When two hijacked airliners slammed into the World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001 the world changed in ways we are arguably only beginning to understand. For that reason 9/11: Inside The President’s War Room made for fascinating and disorientating viewing. This impressive documentary, co-produced by the BBC and Apple, succeeded in conveying the sheer terror and panic of 11 September – and the shockwaves that reverberate to the present day.”
Ed Power, The i

“What was really astonishing was the roster of former politicians describing the events of that day, headed by President George W. Bush. The fact we are still feeling the repercussions made this show all the more relevant and absorbing.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Back to Life is back on its near-perfect original form. Creators Daisy Haggard and Laura Solon have expanded their world without losing sight of the terrible event around which it turns. They have added more wonderful, acutely drawn characters, but also created space to take in others’ grief and explore its ramifications down the years. The show has lost none of its delicacy or nuance, nor have its makers disturbed its heart and soul – in fact, they have only added to it.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Like its protagonist, Miri Matteson (Haggard), Back to Life has been away for a long time. Wonderful, then, to be able to report that series two is an out-and-out triumph. A large part of this is Haggard’s performance, entirely convincing as a relentless optimist on whom mishaps and tragedies pile up like iron filings on a magnet. Another part of it is Haggard and Solon’s writing, which manages to ruminate gently on the meaning of forgiveness and freedom without ever being above a filthy joke. But it’s also down to the ensemble – rarely has there been a show where every one of the supporting cast is so fully rendered.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“Written down, the premise for Back to Life sounds like the elevator pitch for a classy but depressing HBO drama that might bag Kate Winslet an Emmy nomination. So it was to the immense credit of Daisy Haggard, who stars in and co-wrote the series, that it was both profound and charmingly funny as it began a second season. The long-term devastation caused by violent death was not shied away from. Yet as Haggard’s Miri Matteson adjusted to the world outside prison, the comedy also mined the absurdity of everyday life for gentle and contagious laughs.”
Ed Power, The i

“It’s funny how comedians often make for such good dramatic actors. In Back to Life, returning for a second series, Daisy Haggard is once again showing a range of behaviour from neurotic meltdowns to depressive introspection. This is a series with a premise so dark it makes Ricky Gervais’s grief-com After Life look like Terry and June. It says much about Haggard’s talents that it’s somehow so endearing too.”
James Jackson, The Times