Star Wars: Skeleton Crew; Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty; Person of Interest

“On the evidence of the three episodes handed out to reviewers, the latest effort is a commendable addition to the galactic franchise primarily because it knows what it’s aiming for: family-friendly fun. It’s teatime entertainment viewing in the same vein as Doctor Who. Diehard and older fans may feel hard done by, but it is refreshing to watch a show that recognises who and what it’s being made for.”
Jake Helm, The Times

“Disney has made such a botch of Star Wars that it will take more than an adorable kids’ show to get it back on track. But Skeleton Crew succeeds on its terms as a rip-roaring Spielbergian romp. Shamelessly indebted to ET and The Goonies it may be but its heart is in the right place and its spirit of adventure is infectious.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph

“The documentary takes suitably lengthy pauses to showcase their greatest accomplishments and linger over details, each more astonishing than the last. What Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty does for all three artists is make you long to know more. About all of them, about all of art, about how we are able to create beauty out of bloodshed and when we might start doing so again.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Charles Dance, with white Catweazle hair, made a bewitching elderly Michelangelo in Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty, addressing his monologues to camera with wild blue eyes. The non-speaking actor bits, though, added little to the party.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Dance plays the elderly Michelangelo looking back at his life. He’s great, bringing all the gravitas and wisdom you would expect, as he details his rivalries. Aside from his straight-to-camera monologues, though, the recreations are cheap and offer zero in the way of storytelling. We could have a great documentary about the personal rivalries, or a serious appreciation of the artists’ work, but this is neither one thing nor the other.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“If you have an actor of Dance’s magnitude doing the narration, there’s no sense in skimping on the sets, and this series has lavish backdrops, crammed with extras. These depictions were so realistic, and Dance’s script so closely based on the writings of Michelangelo himself, that it really did begin to feel as though we were hearing the artist’s voice across the centuries.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“What we saw was a man apparently persecuted for having mental illness. The problem was we didn’t see what happened next. Was he arrested? His house searched? This was a well-written drama and I could see its point, but it felt too short to do these big issues justice.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“There was a lot to unpack in a short time here and, in an impressive performance that punched way above the weight of the material, Asim Chaudhry made you feel the heavy burden that Shakil was carrying. But despite his best efforts, the drama buckled under the strain of trying to squeeze a big story into a tiny space.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph