Chess Masters: The Endgame; Michael Sheen’s Secret Million Pound Giveaway

“Could the BBC succeed in making chess sexy? Not quite but they did make it pretty darned exciting. Chess Masters: The Endgame attempted to exploit the game’s popularity boom by turning it into TV entertainment. The result was quietly compelling and full of chequered charm.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Inevitably the ‘ultimate mind sport’ has had to wear reality TV clothing, with the old ‘one of you will leave the competition today’ shtick in place to create tension, but it has a wholesome nerdy charm that is seductive.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Chess Masters: The Endgame could have been gentle and charming if somebody involved had had some faith in the game, in the potential for people to be interested in explanations of its finer points, or allowed Sue Perkins off the leash a bit to make more jokes – yes, even in the face of such a terribly serious game! Instead, it feels thin, tired and scared.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The title is far more feelgood than the documentary itself. It will be eye-opening for viewers oblivious to the problem; viewers, perhaps, who are more cosseted by their class, wealth or environment. For others, it is confirmation that the financial system is rigged and that the poor continue to be exploited at every level. But to see that laid out with such clarity is useful and important.”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian

“He made the commitment and he honoured it, and whatever you think of Michael Sheen – he does seem to rub some people up the wrong way – this is a very generous thing to do. Are the banks going to change their ways because Michael Sheen has made this Channel 4 show? Of course not. But he is willing to put his money where his mouth is, and wouldn’t it be nice if other celebrities did the same?”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Sheen’s gesture was genuine and generous, and the kindest thing to say is that it was a nobly quixotic enterprise. It was also profoundly pointless. Sheen calculated that banks make £44 billion a year from interest on personal debts. Chucking a hundred grand at that is like trying to empty the Atlantic with a teacup.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail