Harry: The Interview; Spector; The Kardashians: Billion Dollar Dynasty

“Harry: The Interview lasted an hour and 40 minutes (including ad breaks) and left no royal turn unstoned. Via excerpts from his memoir, Spare, and answers to questions from ITV journalist Tom Bradby, the king’s second son, Prince Harry, laid waste to the monarchy – or at least to the myths on which it so greatly depends. He is charming, articulate, and – unless the Windsor clan has reared a world-class actor – telling us the truth as he sees it. In PR terms, it will surely serve its purpose.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“In terms of scoops the interview had little to recommend it, because every bit of the book had been done to death. As a psychological study, though, it was grimly fascinating. Nothing is Harry’s fault, and almost everything can be blamed on the press. He mentioned the tabloids more times than I could count, with a relentlessness that bordered on the obsessive.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Harry: The Interview amounts to what must be the longest ever advert for an audiobook. Bradby, meanwhile, is never one to leave a boot unlicked. It is a level of sycophancy typical of a product that is stage-managed and unchallenging from start to finish. For all that the younger prince rails against press intrusion, he has created, here, little more than a press release.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“I’m glad that the first episode of Spector ended with footage of a young, beautiful Lana Clarkson. When a very famous man murders a woman, she can become a bit player in her own tragedy as all attention turns to his unfortunate fall from grace. It is inevitable that his father’s suicide when he was a child affected Spector hugely. But it’s good that this series isn’t losing sight of the real victim here: Lana Clarkson.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“As well as a comprehensive compendium of recordings, footage and images, the documentary has assembled an impressive roster of interviewees to paint a complex portrait of a violent genius.”
Leila Latif, The Guardian

“Channel 4’s two-part documentary The Kardashians: Billion Dollar Dynasty provides a pithy primer. The star interviewees, however, are Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, whose stormy courtship featured in The Hills, a reality-TV forerunner to Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Montag and Pratt are very much the Salieri to Kardashian’s Mozart. Their bitterness oozes: whenever Billion Dollar Dynasty dips, Montag and Pratt pop up to throw some vinegar on it.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“The Kardashians: Billion Dollar Industry was unable to pierce the veil around the clan. For a family that holds nothing back — Kim’s sister Kourtney even gave birth on camera — they know how to guard their secrets. This documentary was obliged to resort to a B-team of journalists and ‘influencers’ to tell the tale of how Kim, a girl with no artistic talent and less shame, became the world’s most glamorous nobody.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail