The Stasi: Secrets, Lies and British Spies; The Welsh Valley That Won the Lottery

“The documentary, presented by the immaculate Julie Etchingham, who is always good when hosting political debates because she never makes it about herself, didn’t serve up any traitors on a platter. But it was a fascinating insight into life under the boot heel of the secret police — the random imprisonments, the beatings, the mock executions.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Ever since coalminer’s daughter Viv Nicholson won the pools in 1961, Britain has been ready to enjoy tales of it turning out badly when ordinary folk scoop jackpots. There’s none of that here: the winners are seen buying something they’ve always wanted and are happy about it. It is good news. The bittersweetness in Sarah Howitt’s unpretentious film comes from looking at where the money has landed, and what was there before.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“They could actually have made this documentary at any point in the past 20 years and had enough material for a programme. No wonder it had a nearly two-hour running time. As contributors such as Jeremy Vine noted, Clarkson transformed Top Gear quite brilliantly from a worthy show about cars to an entertainment behemoth. He can be very funny, and smart. But he can also be a boorish bully.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“It was, yet again, a fabulous episode. And the bad news? There’s only one portion of this exquisite misery left.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Perhaps it was inevitable that, after last week’s full-tilt episode of Happy Valley, this one would feel a little flat. For the first time in this series, I’m not writing a five-star rave. Maybe it’s also my Yorkshire bias coming out again because, good as James Norton is in this show, the episode involved him talking an awful lot and his grasp of the accent isn’t the greatest.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph