A Very Royal Scandal; Jamali Maddix: Follow the Leader; M&S: Dress The Nation

“Is the series self-admiring? Yes, inevitably. But there is much to admire. It is also complex, touching on Maitlis’s guilt at the hurt caused to Beatrice and Eugenie and the fact that the conversation wasn’t about Jeffrey Epstein’s victims but about dismantling the Queen’s second son. It is not perfect, but it is highly entertaining and, in my opinion, a better piece of television than Scoop.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“This is the second recreation of the 2019 encounter that proved so disastrous for the Duke of York, and it definitely feels like one too many. Why are we seeing this again when anyone who wants to revisit the actual interview can do so on YouTube? Who cares about the planning meetings and the editing and Maitlis worrying about what to wear.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“To know that these cults exist is nothing new. The precise badness of their approach is not what makes Follow the Leader an excellent series; it’s down to how Maddix handles the material. He’ll likely receive comparisons to Louis Theroux (whose production company is behind this show), but he has his own unique approach. One of Theroux’s greatest strengths is an ability to sit in awkwardness, while Maddix continually diffuses it. Despite that diametrically opposed technique, their interviews both lead subjects to confess a myriad of uncomfortable truths.”
Leila Latif, The Guardian

“Dress the Nation was nothing more than an M&S advert. ITV have got a pre-existing partnership with the retailer, making this new fashion series just another cog in the advertorial wheel. Everything here was slick, clean and painfully on brand – the PR messaging that M&S clothes should appeal to both mothers and their daughters was crowbarred in at every possible moment.”
Emily Baker, The i

“There is a clever twist to Dress The Nation, which puts the finished products on display for M&S shoppers to judge. The show is presented by AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay, who specialises in dad jokes like ‘Ready, thready, go’. They are joined by two M&S experts and a special guest. For episode one it was Scary Spice Mel B. That’s quite a line-up.”
Roland White, Daily Mail