Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating; Dispatches: Britain’s Shoplifting Gangs Exposed

“The documentary presented a powerful case, especially when considering the similarities (occasionally in ownership structures and more often in terms of tactics) between some food companies and some cigarette manufacturers, and the effort that has gone into hooking us. Van Tulleken was vague on some of the dates of the research findings he cited, however. Haven’t we known about ultra-processed food for a while? But it was an important programme that, despite the doom-laden music, did offer solutions.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“To my relief, he didn’t go on to berate viewers for their food choices. Instead, this documentary squarely blamed the food industry for the crisis in public health, and the particular focus was on the clever ways in which it makes us buy more of the things that aren’t good for us. Van Tulleken has brought the subject to wider attention, and this documentary was persuasive without hectoring.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Britain’s Shoplifting Gangs Exposed was a lacklustre episode on the trail of a Romanian group responsible for stealing over £120,000 worth of stock from branches of Morrisons. The thing is: the links between organised crime and shoplifting gangs are well-documented. There was nothing new or surprising here.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“In this eye-opening Dispatches documentary, investigator Matt Shea discovered a web of criminal enterprise that takes full advantage of the UK’s inability — or unwillingness — to prosecute law-breakers. His undercover film crew did a great job of capturing all this. It’s all a long way from Del and Rodders on Hooky Street.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It’s a dense hour but it is probably best to cram all your evidence into as short a timeframe as possible, before the gibbering fear it engenders can take over the viewer entirely and leave them incapable of absorbing the rest.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian