Race Across the World; Waco: American Apocalypse; Secret Life Of The Forest

“The race part of Race Across the World is by far the best bit – it’s genuinely nail-biting when they’re scrambling to get somewhere before a deadline (the last ferry off Vancouver Island, for example), and when it reaches the final leg your stress levels will be off the chart. But the show also mixes in some travel experiences, which sit awkwardly with the purpose of the show because if you’re racing to get somewhere, should you really be making a detour to see some bears, however good bears might be?”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“The secrets and tensions within relationships, magnified and then inevitably resolved on the journey – a process these people have chosen to undergo in a foreign country, on national television – are what make Race Across the World a top-tier reality show, and this year’s cast could be the best ever. We already have a hint of why brothers Marc and Michael have never been close, and before they’ve reached Tlell, Claudia and her father, Kevin, have revealed exactly why they are so fractious. Ladi and his daughter Monique seem to just have a regular generational clash going on, but maybe there’s more to it.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“There is a clear winner after just one episode of the new Race Across The World. Step forward, the wonderful people of Canada. This is the third series, so you’ll know the drill by now… Here’s how it works: Weary contestant, probably a bit frazzled and fresh from a row with their travelling partner, to passing motorist: ‘Excuse me, is there any chance that you might drive two complete strangers, plus a camera crew, for about 250 miles in the pounding rain? That’s if you’re not doing anything else this morning.’ The People of Canada: ‘Why sure, hop in’.”
Roland White, Daily Mail

“It’s early days, but it’s shaping up to be a good series (this is its third). Canadian people seem exceptionally kind, helping with lifts and food and generally being what you’d hope strangers would be. Claudia got a bit teary over her dad, who had divorced her mum when she was 12, and their relationship had clearly been strained at times. She said his solution to problems had been to “walk away”. Or, it seems, call a taxi.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The dynamic between the racers is the glue that holds the series together. Not one team made it through this opening episode without a spat – a sure sign that the casting is spot on. Without their bickering, their celebrations at something going right and, more often, their frustration at problems, Race Across the World would be just another travel programme. And while the series does take time to extol the stunning beauty of Canada (killer whale and bear sightings had me looking up flights within 10 minutes), we’ve already got enough of them.”
Emily Baker, The i

“It’s 30 years since the 51-day Waco siege, the largest gunfight on American soil since the Civil War. Tiller Russell’s Waco: American Apocalypse can make a fair claim to being the “definitive” documentary on it. It is a thorough, balanced, immersive and eerily atmospheric examination of a horrific stand-off in which 86 people, including 25 children, died.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Netflix’s documentary is even-handed, giving equal time to the law enforcement agents involved and to surviving members of the cult. Of course, they disagree: on who shot first when agents arrived at the compound following allegations that the cult was illegally stockpiling machine guns, and on who started the fires. But there were also tensions on the law enforcement side over potentially disastrous decisions to steam in with guns and tanks. Those in charge also disagreed over whether Koresh was a conman or really did believe himself to be the Messiah.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“Virtually every shot here was a thing of beauty, whether it was badgers doing their household chores, a swarming nest of wood ants, or close-up shots of colourful moths. We were at Dalby in Yorkshire, where a family of beavers were filmed going about their daily business. Apparently, it’s almost impossible to sex a beaver, which is a phrase you probably don’t read very often. They have no external sex organs.”
Roland White, Daily Mail