The Clinic; The Plot to Kidnap a Royal; I’m a Virgo; Before We Die

“At just an hour long, The Clinic can do little but scratch the surface of the multitudinous complexities of this heartbreaking (whatever “side” you’re on) subject. But The Clinic delineates the factions and lays out the basic questions admirably, clearly and unsensationally.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“These two very different stories were given equal time in this even-handed documentary, which was a calm and non-judgmental look at an emotive subject.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Princess Anne: The Plot to Kidnap a Royal entertainingly told the story of how Ian Ball attempted to abduct the Princess Royal on The Mall in 1974, shooting four people in the process (all survived, mercifully). And what a nice touch to use tech from the era! No slick CGI reconstructions in this documentary: our visual aid was an old-fashioned miniature model of the street, with retro cars and tiny figurines with 1970s moustaches. It was strangely mesmerising.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The incident has been revisited in documentaries before, but Princess Anne: The Plot to Kidnap a Royal did something different. It recreated the incident using models. Not the state-of-the-art digital kind, but toy cars and tiny people, laid out on a table in a mini-version of The Mall. It sounds silly, but turned out to be inspired.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“I’m a Virgo is as fresh and invigorating as a cold shower. It wakes you up, makes you alert, makes you engage with it in a way few dramas do by giving you something boldly, undeniably different. And vigorous and clever and fun and performed by a young cast who seem to be already at the top of their games.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Creator Boots Riley is more interested in mood than plot, and, though the series initially seems to set up Cootie and The Hero as antagonists, the ensemble spend most of their time hanging out and bantering rather than progressing the story. And the surrealness is asking a lot of the unsuspecting viewer. In the end, I’m a Virgo is more weird than wonderful – but the stars will align for anyone with a taste for the absurd.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph

“It is based on a Swedish drama of the same name but is set in Bristol and possibly something got lost in translation. Even talented Lesley Sharp couldn’t save it from being a crime drama about cardboard cutouts with dodgy accents. But she is still the best thing about it.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“If only the script was as swish as the backdrop. Before We Die, a remake of a Swedish thriller, is more wooden than a Scandinavian pine forest.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail