Dead Calm: Killing in the Med?; House of the Dragon; Peacock

“Whenever news comes through of a boatload of desperate people drowning in the Mediterranean as they try to reach Europe from Africa, it barely registers – so it seems horribly likely that Dead Calm: Killing in the Med? will not be a landmark documentary. Especially during an election campaign in which the main parties are competing to be the toughest on repelling migrants, it probably won’t cause attitudes to change. But it should. The film makes a specific, devastating allegation.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“While the evidence was powerful, it was difficult to know how widespread these alleged practices are. Steele’s own interviewing of those in power was weak, and the most damning moment came in an off-camera admission by an interviewee who had forgotten that his mic was still recording. On an emotional level, however, it struck home, whether in the sorrowful testimonies of two men who survived the Adriana sinking, or the words of the British founder of a search-and-rescue operation who simply could not understand how anybody in his line of work could willingly send people in need of help back out to sea.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“This slow opener starts to build up the story with steady, elegant layers, allowing it to weave its melancholy magic. I still think it is strange that a show about dragons should be so bashful, but somehow, despite this stubborn tendency to talk everything through, House of the Dragon once more becomes unmissable and thrilling television.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“CGI creatures and landscapes have always been mainstays of the Game Of Thrones universe, but this prequel has nothing else to offer — no memorable characters, no reason to care what happens. Even the script appears to be churned out by Artificial Intelligence — and the acting is similarly robotic.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“This setting has plenty of comic promise, but writers Ben Murray and Steve Stamp have broadened things out so we get equal amounts of Peacock’s private life, including his bored girlfriend’s attempts to spice up their life with a threesome, and that houseboat couple coping with parenthood. This leads to some amusing setpieces but none of it coheres into a satisfying sitcom. It leaves the sense that a fair amount of comic talent – both acting and writing – is in need of a better home.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph