Dope Thief; Stacey Dooley: Rape on Trial

“There are holes in the plot – but things move so fast and furiously that Dope Thief gets away with it. It is essentially a heist story, a caper, and you have to stretch your credulity for those anyway, so what’s a little more? Especially when you get a performance like Brian Tyree Henry’s thrown in. He ranges from comedy to tragedy in a single scene and never misses a beat. He is extraordinary and the rest of the cast are up there with him. He gives Dope Thief heart and at times threatens to break the viewer’s. Wonderful.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The bar for US dramas about anti-heroes involved in the drugs trade, set in grim North American locations, is already set higher than Dope Thief can reach. It plays out like a cuddlier version of The Wire, occasionally becoming too soapy with flashbacks to Ray’s lost love. The notes of comedy are nicely done in the dialogue between Manny and Ray, but work less well when applied to violent encounters. And the pair’s ability to cheat death while everyone around them is getting shot, which seems to happen at least once an episode, stretches credulity.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Dooley is the right person for the emotional parts – straightforward, unobtrusive and safe without being soft. But she is underpowered in the interviews with others, such as the deputy national lead on rape and serious sexual offences, Siobhan Blake, and defence lawyers who represent alleged rapists. It will heighten awareness of the problems faced by claimants who enter this profoundly flawed system and the endemic biases that greet them from every quarter. But it is hard to admire a documentary that doesn’t also move the conversation on.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“This was clearly a difficult series to make (it took three years) but it is an important one, not least to show how complex it is to prosecute rape cases.”
Carol Midgley, The Times