The Stormtrooper Scandal; Outrageous Homes; George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces

“This was an epic tale of greed, naivety, betrayal and digital fool’s gold. It was the emperor’s new clothes soaked in snake oil. What was perhaps unusual about this documentary was that the art curator Ben Moore, the architect of the titular ‘scandal’, agreed to be interviewed — at length. This felt a little like participating in your own takedown, contributing to a film in which, if he watched it, he’d have heard himself being called things such as ‘a posh boy chancer’ and ‘a c***’. He was generous with his quotes and said he was sorry … while showing little real remorse.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Perhaps appropriately, given the heavy online dependencies of everyone involved, a popular phrase (or meme, if memes can be non-visual) from social media keeps running through my mind as the dismal story unfolds – god grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man. It seems to be a bottomless resource, but one without which we might all be better off.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“What director Stuart Bernard inadvertently revealed in this film is how fake the entire art world has now become. Devoid of talent and with nothing to say, all the artists, agents, curators and galleries are conspiring to peddle valueless trash to clueless twerps. Even now, spiralling into bankruptcy with a £500,000 legal bill, Ben Moore can’t see he did anything wrong. Stumbling and mumbling through his interview, he declared: ‘When I say I’m sorry, it’s not saying I regret doing it.’ Why would he regret it? It’s art, man.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The kiss of death for this show is that too many of the contributors are ‘you don’t have to be mad to live here, but it helps!’ types. The viewer’s sympathy is with a husband who retreats from the madness of his wife’s decor to ‘the room of shame’: a beige oasis with magnolia walls.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The title and accompanying publicity makes it sound like more of the late 90s, early 00s thing. Crazy decor! Eccentric owners! Extreme tastes! The spirit quails until you’re about halfway through the first episode and you realise it’s actually something quite different. This is a mellow Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen – still a great charismatic presence, but content to let his natural wit and intelligence shine through. As a result, he has become a warm and rather effective interviewer. And the homes and their owners are not (at least on the evidence of the opening episode) occasions for ridicule or figures of fun.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Given the appalling recent statistics that only eight per cent of creatives in film and TV are from a working class background, Clarke – who grew up on a council estate – is a shining example of why opportunities should be distributed more evenly. His sincerity, empathy and boundless enthusiasm turn the already welcoming TV format of looking at nice houses into a warm hug. Never has anyone been more passionate about passion projects. It’s infectious – you could even say, amazing – stuff.”
Rachael Sigee, The i