The Essex Millionaire Murders; The Honesty Box

“Catapulting viewers into the story’s most breathless moments with real-time footage, and packing all the intrigue of a classic whodunit, The Essex Millionaire Murders is about as good as terrestrial true crime gets. ITV have hit the jackpot.”
Emily Watkins, The i

“The two-part documentary tells the grimly shocking story of the 2023 murders of Carol and Stephen Baxter. They were found dead in their home in Mersea, Essex, by their daughter Ellena. What unfolds from there is astonishing – courtesy of interviews with the investigating officers, who only just manage to maintain the veneer of professional detachment as their recounting of the extraordinary case goes on, and with Ellena, who speaks with the stark honesty of someone just coming out of the first shock of bereavement and still trying to come to terms with the incredible facts. There are no bells or whistles here – the makers have enough sense and respect to let the story and its sorrows stand alone.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“True crime documentaries are obviously a burgeoning genre but this was one of the better ones, showing dogged police work, though I would like to have heard more analysis of his clearly psychopathic personality, turning up at the crime scene he had created, comforting the family, being friendly and ‘helpful’ to the police. He was a well-known, popular figure in the local community. It reminded me at times of the murder of Peter Farquhar as dramatised in The Sixth Commandment, a man who also trusted the man who groomed and killed him. How fiendishly cruel humans can be.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The Honesty Box, hosted by Vicky Pattison, is billed as ‘a radically different approach to finding love’ but is, in fact, like all the other shows; which is to say that people bored by their jobs pretend to be looking for love while really hoping to start a new career of brand deals on Instagram. It is a Love Island knock-off, down to the villa setting and the poolside drama, but with a fraction less Botox and lip filler.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Inevitably, all of the players were self-obsessed and incapable of saying anything interesting. The lie detector twist is an intriguing idea for a game show, but it’s wasted on this third-rate version of First Dates.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail