Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors; Immigration: How British Politics Failed

“There is much time and space given to survivors, who range from a woman in an abusive relationship when she was a naive teenager to a chief inspector of police who kept her suffering hidden for years. But the risk of voyeurism and exploitation these things always carry is tempered by the fact that at least equal space is given to politicians, lawyers experienced in the field (including Cherie Blair) and assorted other experts who tease apart the layers of the problem and examine the evolution in our understanding of each.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“These were all important and well-told stories — brave women recounting the horrific violence they suffered, some now hiding in refuge shelters and unable to show their faces. There was a high calibre of famous interviewees too. This was depressing but hugely important television.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Her Majesty is, dare I say it, a more engaging watch than the Prince of Wales. Where the Prince has a tendency to talk in sentences that feel rehearsed with the Palace comms team, the Queen speaks from the heart.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“From the first moments of this 80-minute documentary about her work to raise awareness of domestic violence, her irreverent personality shone through. Her commitment to this cause is patently genuine. So is the empathy she shows. It’s this that makes her such an effective advocate.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The first half of this two-parter gives a good sense of the mess that immigration policy and any attempt to discuss it has become. It takes in the unforced errors of those in power. It also addresses the disinclination of the left to accept that those whose jobs and resources were most under threat by the advent of others might have a justifiable grievance, and not simply be motivated by racism. And it examines the media influence at play.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Mostly it was a well-curated reel of ‘immigration best/worst bits’, from Gordon Brown’s ‘bigoted woman’ hot mic moment to Farage’s controversial ‘Breaking Point’ poster to David Cameron promising to limit immigration to ‘the tens of thousands’ to Nick Griffin, the BNP chairman at the time, saying on Question Time that the indigenous people of Britain had suffered a ‘genocide’. What fun, eh?”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The BBC, keen to appear impartial, has constructed this documentary as a series of interviews with politicians and other interested parties, reflecting all views. Notable by his absence is Gordon Brown, but we do revisit the infamous moment from the 2010 election trail when he was overheard labelling a member of the public as ‘a bigoted woman’ for buttonholing him on immigration. It was a reminder that we haven’t really moved on: concerns about immigration and accusations of racism still go hand in hand.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph