“It was challenging, occasionally stomach-turning viewing, but nonetheless an important film”
“The crimes committed by convicted paedophile Paul Gadd – better known as pop star Gary Glitter – were obviously horrific. So a feature-length documentary about the drawn-out process of bringing him to justice made for challenging, occasionally stomach-turning viewing. But Glitter: The Popstar Paedophile was nonetheless an important film. It was mindful of Gadd’s victims and the trauma they continue to live with, and damning towards a society that turned a blind eye towards a monster and allowed him to prey on children with impunity.”
Ed Power, The i
“The film assembles its evidence meticulously, relentlessly and unsensationally, including not just the facts that would end up in court but moments that tell us almost more than the lawyers can. It slightly rushes the years he then spent in south-east Asia, free to exploit vulnerable children in poorer countries, and the legal systems that effectively function as an international ring of enablers for paedophiles and other abusers. But it does its job in reilluminating the horrors of the past, which are also the horrors of the present and no doubt the horrors of the future too.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
“Glitter: The Popstar Paedophile, a film where you felt yourself recoiling in disgust at the details, did have points to make about judicial shortcomings in the Nineties that, effectively, allowed Glitter, or Paul Gadd, to continue his crimes abroad. The facts are not new, but his victims’ suffering continues and the film will serve as an important platform for them to be heard.”
James Jackson, The Times
“It was efficiently made and featured contributions from, among others, lawyers who represented Glitter’s victims. But what was the point of it? Those of us old enough to know Glitter will be well aware that he’s a paedophile. There were no revelations here.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph
“What made this particularly difficult viewing was a thought lurking in the back of my mind. Could this still happen today? Are any of our much-loved household names taking advantage of their fame to cover up sexual abuse? Which of today’s big names might feature in similar documentaries in years to come? Unsettling…”
Roland White, Daily Mail
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