The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies

“Shows with titles that go on forever are already testing an audience’s patience, and must be damn sure they’ve got a good story to tell. So far, seemingly, this one does. The script is by two sisters: playwright Penelope and artist Ginny Skinner. The last time they collaborated, a decade back, was on a graphic novel. This playful satirical thriller possesses a vibe similar to that art-form – colourful, slightly unreal, on the nose.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“In a world of televisual commissioning that draws so heavily on non-fiction resources, it’s refreshing to watch something entirely novel. There is no podcast to listen back to, no Wikipedia page to draw spoilers from. This allows the narrative to bend to the Skinners’ will – and the demands of a primetime BBC1 slot – though it also leaves the show as uneven as some of my local road surfaces.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“This had some things going for it. Rebekah Staton made an engaging Alice, our everywoman heroine and the main victim of Rob Chance, who fights back. But did we need the opening montage where other apparent victims (presumably of Rob’s) testified to camera? It was a sign of a drama that was all over the place, a script (from the sisters Penelope and Ginny Skinner) that chucked in elements of chiller, comedy, potboiler and realist character drama and hoped for the best.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“This was billed as a ‘funny and unpredictable thriller’ and while there were laughs in it, it was shot through with a seam of real righteous anger at manipulative monsters and on behalf of their victims. Written by sisters Penelope and Ginny Skinner, it also had sharp digs at the very idea of celebrity activists – the humble-bragging Robert oozed false sincerity and was virtually bursting with self-regard – as well as cancel culture and the cops.”
Neil Armstrong, The i

“The pity is that a well-told tale about a con artist, breaking his victims’ hearts as he empties their bank accounts, would be welcome. It’s a crime that has become shockingly common, as social media makes it easier for swindlers to invent new identities. But this attempt by sisters Penelope and Ginny Skinner is too muddled, too arty and too clever for its own good.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The show touches on some serious themes around abuse, misogyny and gaslighting, but it is so compelling because it doesn’t forget how much fun there is in the art of the con.”
Leila Latif, The Guardian