“This is a sober history, elegantly delivered, in which Schama speaks of his own experiences but manages not to make the programme all about him”
“When Schama is on form there is no guide quite like him to serenade the viewer through history. He was eloquent explaining how at times of crisis it is not always politicians but artists, writers and musicians who are the true agents of change. More time could have been spent with Ai Weiwei, whose studios were destroyed by the state, so much do they fear his art. But it was a fine episode and one that should be required viewing for all the fake news and conspiracy theory hawkers.”
Carol Midgley, The Times
“This is a sober history, elegantly delivered, in which Schama speaks of his own experiences but manages not to make the programme all about him.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph
“In hewing so closely to Schama’s own life, the overall scope is perhaps too narrow, with little time spent on events outside of Europe and the US. Thankfully this narrative does not come across as self-indulgent. Instead, it serves to emphasise that we are all living through events that will come to fill history books and be the subjects of documentaries themselves.”
Rachel Sigee, The i
“Exploring how music, literature and art fought against communist repression, he built to an impassioned denunciation of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. His plea was all the more heartfelt for being obviously unscripted, delivered with anguished winces and despairing smiles.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail
“Russia, in whatever form, is the big authoritarian bogeyman: in a programme about the wielding of misinformation and the undermining of democracy, the idea that the west might also be guilty of those things is, aside from a couple of brief citations of Donald Trump as a toxic anomaly, absent. Schama’s heart is, of course, in the right place. His championing of dissent and freedom over repression and mendacity is correct and admirable. But so far, his History of Now is fighting old battles.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian
“Reality shows, particularly I’m a Celeb, are perfect reputation rehabs for disgraced celebs, but never before has the attempt been so shameless and so successful. Has Matt Hancock’s time on I’m a Celeb been fruitful? For him, yes. As far as he’s concerned, the public like him just as much as they like Jill Scott or Owen Warner. As far as he’s concerned, it worked. But for us, the viewing public? I’m not sure. At the end of it all, I feel more gullible and manipulated than ever.”
Emily Baker, The i
“In the end, the slimiest thing in the jungle did not win. The disgraced former health secretary and MP who opted to be covered in toads, spiders and eels, rather than do the well-remunerated job he was elected to do, was not crowned king of the jungle but only came third in the final of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian
“ITV pulled off a coup by signing up the controversial minister. The broadcaster has been amply rewarded for its gamble. Hancock made this series far more talked about than usual. Ratings rose from 8m to 11m. It’s been a resounding return to form for the khaki-clad franchise.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph
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