Anna Richardson: Love, Loss & Dementia; Heartstopper

“There could have been deeper delving into the insufficiency of government provision, but the priority here was in showing the relentless cruelty of this disease: the agonisingly drawn out process of a person disappearing inside themselves, the endless sacrifices made to provide care and the enormous shame and guilt felt by those left behind. Richardson hoped we might be at a watershed moment – with possible cures and preventative treatments on the horizon – but her harrowing film could not be clearer: time is running out.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“Richardson does a good professional job of warning what a diagnosis looks like for those further down the track.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“Sadly, dementia sufferers who have only recently learned of their condition are given cursory attention here. Similarly, when attention-grabbing facts are presented, they are barely expanded upon. The broadness of Richardson’s approach is understandable, with the show seemingly wanting to touch on the multiple issues raised by the disease, but it results in a jack-of all-trades, master-of-none programme, which – given the prevalence of dementia – is unlikely to be illuminating to many.”
Leila Latif, The Guardian

“Though the young couple Jordan and Anya were articulate, courageous and willing to discuss any aspect of Jordan’s diagnosis, Anna avoided some of the toughest questions, such as whether they wanted children. And she failed to challenge any politicians or NHS policymakers on why, when so much money was spent on Covid hysteria, the cash isn’t available to tackle a much bigger killer in dementia. But Anna has started the conversation. Now we have to keep talking.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Early on, it seems as if this season might need to find a little more grit for its oyster. The tension of Charlie and Nick’s will-they-won’t-they has long since dissipated. As with any romantic story in which the leads get together, this makes it trickier to keep the spark alive. But it soon finds new, if still gentle, maturity.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“I’m way outside the target market for this kind of carry on and, yes, the level of teenage self-involvement on show can feel alienating now and then. But somehow critical faculties get suspended when it comes to Heartstopper. Because for all its penchant for sentimental navel-gazing and public information leaflets slipped none-too-subtly into the script, Heartstopper is that rare thing, a show that always has its heart in the right place.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph

“As the characters mature – and the actors portraying them move rapidly into adulthood – it’s clear that Alice Oseman (who has written all the scripts for the show) understands that for the characters and show to remain believable, things need to change. Whereas before the show was chaste and tame in its representation of serious issues, now it’s taking a grittier perspective – one that doesn’t hide from depictions of sex and trauma. This once quietly radical show has taken a bold step forward in how it handles the depiction of young LGBTQ+ lives, and will leave you with a feeling of gratitude that it actually exists at all.”
Alim Kheraj, The i