Race Across the World; I, Jack Wright; Flintoff

“Race Across the World is back, proving once again that reality TV does not have to be fatuous tosh for the hard of thinking. This is a cut above the usual reality guff, the five pairs of contestants being required to travel 9,000 miles from Huanghuacheng in northeastern China via Nepal to Kanniyakamuri on the southern tip of India without a credit card or amobile phone and with only about £22 each to spend per day, the lowest budget in any series so far. Hard-core.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“After the first hour, it’s clear that over four series the programme makers have got very good at this. The setting is in many ways better than ever, not because of the views it affords (though these are still magnificent) but because of the problems it throws up. All in all, RATW5 is a subtle iteration, but a smart one.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“If the first episode is anything to go by, its irresistible combination of emotional intensity with the thrill of adventure is as compelling as ever. Propelled by the highs and inevitable lows of adventure and fuelled by human idiosyncrasy, Race Across the World deservedly keeps millions of us in the palm of its hand.”
Emily Watkins, The i

“Of course, nothing goes to plan – but, as always, the joy comes from watching the pairs come way out of their comfort zones and bask in new experience.”
Hannah J Davis, The Guardian

“Few writers can plot as nimbly as Chris Lang (he also gave us Unforgotten) and it is hard to resist being drawn into this world. As long as you can deal with the fact that there isn’t a single convincing person here, it’s pleasingly escapist.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Set in motion by a minted mogul’s last will and testament, this gripping family thriller is half-whodunit, half-soapy dynastic drama. A homespun Succession with a dab of Dallas and an Agatha Christie-esque mystery at its heart.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Chris Lang’s new whodunit I, Jack Wright, feels like it’s been written by an author unshackled from a winning but repetitive formula. It’s great fun and – ironically for a murder story – full of life.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i

“What leaps from the screen in Flintoff is a man who everyone can’t possibly know because he doesn’t necessarily know himself, having worn masks for so long. And more than that, the simple cruelty of witnessing a man who is tortured by his deeply traumatic memories, when he has given so many other people some of the most cherished ones they will ever have.”
Tom Peck, The Times

“This raw, intimate film about Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s recovery from his horrific Top Gear crash is a welcome ray of hope during a time of male crisis. Directed by Bafta-nominated film-maker John Dower and produced by the team behind Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams – another antidote to the prevailing negativity about young men – this is a thoughtful profile of an admirable figure.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“This 95-minute film by director John Dower, who interviews Flintoff with sensitivity and persistence, makes searing viewing – and not only because of the graphic close-ups of the star’s hideous injuries in the aftermath of the crash.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail