Imagine… Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me; Vanishing Act

This Imagine… (BBC One) justified the retelling of the Davies story by suggesting that his coda, taking up the reins of Doctor Who once again, is a new challenge. It’s different because this time he’s working for Disney+: its TV future clashing headlong with TV past with all the bigger budgets, widened creative horizons and, presumably, executive pressure that will bring. For a writer and a committed couch potato such as yours truly, suffice to say that this was all manna from heaven. Davies was, unsurprisingly, as good at telling his own story as he is other people’s. Even Alan Yentob, always an acquired taste, was humble enough here to take a back seat and let Davies talk with other interlocutors: with Happy Valley’s Sally Wainwright (an old mucker from Granada days when Davies was writing The Grand), and then his long-time producer Nicola Shindler. Those conversations were fascinating, particularly on how hard they all had to work to make gay and lesbian characters anything more than tick-box tokens in mainstream drama.
Benji Wilson, Telegraph

“It was lovely during Imagine … to be introduced to the woman who inspired the character of Jill Baxter in Russell T Davies’s brilliant drama It’s a Sin. Yes, the documentary’s title, Russell T Davies: The Doctor and Me, was designed to titillate Whovians and mark Davies’s celebrated return as the Doctor Who showrunner. They will doubtless have loved the fact that at home in the Mumbles he has a shelf filled with mini Daleks. But there is so much more to him than the Time Lord, as the ensuing 70 minutes showed. They could probably have added another hour to one of TV’s most sparkling writing CVs and still not quite covered it all.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Sure, this is puff as much as documentary. Yet with its riotous interviews and evocative clips, this is a timey wimey treat – whether you’re a Whovian, a fan of great TV or just someone who appreciates a man with a resealable pack of 1,000 Tetley teabags (Davies is an out and proud bulk buyer). It is glorious to spend an hour in the company of his big, blazing brilliance – and a reminder of how lucky we are to have him.”
Michael Hogan, The Guardian

“Vanishing Act, originally shown on ITVX, is based on the real-life story of a psychopathic Ponzi scheme scammer who stole the life savings of her clients, her friends and even her parents before disappearing. Yet this drama treats this as if it is all a bit of a hoot. A light entertainment watch with added designer shoes.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The Caddick story became a national sensation Down Under after her disappearance in 2020. And she achieved worldwide infamy thanks to a hit podcast, Liar Liar, from the Sydney Morning Herald. This is the second Australian true-crime tale to air on British TV in the past month, following The Murder Of Lyn Dawson on Sky — also the subject of an acclaimed podcast. In both complex cases, the extended format of the audio probes gave armchair sleuths far more detail.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The most interesting thing about this bizarrely tacky, gossip rag of a series is the bare facts that were in the news already. When your exhaustive, character-led true-crime drama is less dramatic than the news report that inspired it, you have a problem.”
Benji Wilson, Telegraph