Pistol; Drawers Off; Flight MH370: The Vanishing

“A drama about the Sex Pistols should be a riot. Yet Pistol is so lacking in anarchic spirit that it may as well be a Coldplay biopic. The blame must lie with the studio because – odd as it may sound for a show featuring sex, drugs and a great deal of swearing – the end product feels Disney-fied.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Pistol fell flat for me, but there are two things that might make it worth a punt. The actors had to learn how to play their instruments, and the live performance scenes give a desperately needed shot of energy. The other is Maisie Williams as the late Jordan, who gets the best scene in the series, when she struts through her seaside home town wearing nothing but clear PVC, to the horror of the stuffy commuters and passersby.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“The series never achieves the rollicking kineticism we associate with the Sex Pistols or punk rock or even the pacy flamboyance we’ve come to expect from other Danny Boyle productions, such as Trainspotting or Slumdog Millionaire. The action is intercut with grainy archival footage that efficiently establishes the series’ milieu. But the show’s portrayal of punk rock feels more like an image than a spirit, an escape rather than a way of life. Pistol, unlike the music that inspired it, never grabs you by the throat.”
Amanda Whiting, The Independent

“The brilliant Jenny Eclair is back as host, with just the right amount of supportive cheer and abrasive mockery. She resists the temptation, as the amateurs judge each other’s pictures, to make snide comments. But she isn’t gushing, either. Instead, she gives them space to be politely rude about their rivals. It’s a clever balance, and C4 editors would do well to use Jenny more.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“In the first series of the show, broadcast last year, each of the five contestants took a turn at posing. That idea has now been ditched in favour of professional models, which feels like a better idea. The host is the same: Jenny Eclair, who is just right for the show. She bustles about giving the contestants encouragement and resists the temptation to make innuendo-laden jokes at every opportunity.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Flight MH370: The Vanishing was a sober, unhurried examination of the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777. It is a much-studied subject, about which many words have been written and documentaries made, and while there seems to be no obvious ‘peg’ for this latest foray, running to three episodes, all broadcast this week, it is a serious attempt to examine the evidence.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The disappearance in March 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was both an unspeakable tragedy and a baffling mystery. Flight MH370: The Vanishing faced the difficult task of combining these two elements. To my surprise, it walked that tightrope with considerable skill: no attempt was made to minimise the horror of what happened when contact was lost 38 minutes after take-off, nor to downplay the callousness of the Malaysian authorities.”
Ed Power, The i