Britain’s Nuclear Bomb Scandal: Our Story; After the Party; A Man on the Inside

“Grenfell, the Post Office, infected blood, Hillsborough … Britain has witnessed a long series of injustices where walls of silence and lies have stopped the powerless inconveniencing the powerful by telling their whole truths. To that list, in the section where further disclosure is still urgently required, we should add the UK’s nuclear testing scandal. This calmly scathing documentary sets out the case.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“Sadly, I don’t think this will become the new Post Office scandal, with the nation galvanised and the Government forced into action. I hope I’m wrong. But the crucial thing about Mr Bates vs The Post Office was that it was a drama, expertly crafted to draw us into the story in a way that real life often cannot. The MoD rejects studies that show a link between the veterans’ ill health and the atomic programme. Then again, in a statement at the end, it also said: “The protection, health and welfare of those involved in the atmospheric tests was a vital consideration,” which seems a pretty hollow claim.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“This weighty documentary reminded us that the US, Canada, France, China and Russia have all paid compensation to their nuclear veterans … but not the UK. The journalist Susie Boniface, who has spent years investigating this scandal, said the government was “gaslighting” these brave men, which was a good word. Is the government hoping they will die soon and that the problem will disappear? She likened it to Hillsborough, the infected blood scandal and the Post Office scandal, when “what is right is tipped upside down”.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The best TV performance of the year is by an actor most British viewers won’t recognise, in a New Zealand production that most won’t see (few people flock to Channel 4 for a drama fix these days). The actor is Robyn Malcolm in After the Party; if Kate Winslet or Sarah Lancashire played this role even half as well, they’d have the Baftas all sewn up. I was reluctant to watch it because it was billed as a story about sexual abuse allegations, which is nobody’s idea of a good time. But I’m so glad I did, and it’s in no way as grim as that description suggests.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“Like Mare of Easttown or Happy Valley, After the Party is built round a middle-aged female character who has seen too much of life not to know precisely how awful it can be. And the character is played by a middle-aged actor in whom you believe utterly when she is on screen. Malcolm’s is surely the performance of the year, and perhaps of her lifetime. It’s a portrait of a woman whose inability to compromise, to sigh and turn away from perceived danger or injustice, is both a flaw and heroic.”
Lucy Mangan, Telegraph

“Why is it always murder, and why is the heroine always a detective? It’s a common complaint, with so much TV obsessed with crime - from cosy period mysteries to gory urban serial killer rampages. And the answer is simple, as the New Zealand domestic thriller After The Party proves. Even with strong writing and a solid cast, all dramas need a compelling hook to hold their viewers. Mere feuds and resentments aren’t enough.
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“A Man on the Inside, a new US comedy starring Ted Danson, is based on the documentary The Mole Agent, an Oscar-nominated Chilean film by Maite Alberdi, from 2020. In the film, a private investigator hires an elderly man to go undercover in a nursing home. Straight away you can see the potential for comedy, but also for a dud. Old people’s foibles – “Where are my glasses?” “They’re on your head!” etc – are rarely that funny to anyone other than old people. Moreover, old people sparking up for new adventures can easily feel patronising, given that those adventures are generally written by younger people in baseball caps. A Man on the Inside, however, is so well put together that it banishes any such quibbles. I went in to it with the sick bag at hand just in case, and came out grinning from ear to ear.
Benji Wilson, Telegraph

“Over time, the mystery that brought us into this world disappears amid a sea of subplots and unconnected adventures, and without that foundation, everything feels wobbly and inconsistent. A Man on the Inside is truly a time to shine for Danson, who proves the glue to keep things together. If it weren’t for his strong performance, the whole thing would collapse.”
Tilly Pearce, The i

“By the end, the mystery has been solved, Charles has regained his connection to the world and (most importantly) the source material has been exhausted. However, Schur is the master of the second season reinvention, having turned both The Good Place and Parks and Recreation on their heads after their first outings. A Man on the Inside has so much promise that we should hope he is able to repeat the trick again.”
Stuart Heritage, The Guardian