The Traitors; SAS Rogue Heroes

“This thoroughly galling opener proves that after the success of series one (a word-of-mouth hit) and series two (a conversation-dominating behemoth), The Traitors is not resting on its laurels. As a study of human behaviour – of deception, manipulation, self-preservation – it remains captivating. As perhaps the best example of social experiment-style reality TV, it has cemented its place in the cultural firmament.”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian

“The Traitors, like its players, must constantly adapt, so the brutality must be upped. But I think it needs to twist the screws a lot more than this if it wants to hold a candle to last year’s show. First episodes are always hard to gauge and a little ‘meh’, because we don’t know anyone yet. But if we must have reality TV shows, this is probably the best of the bunch.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It’s a difficult thing to pull off, making something that is both profoundly unserious and completely riveting. The Traitors manages to do this. It is so well-made. You will finish the first episode desperate to know what happens in the second.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Television’s nastiest, most deceitful gameshow is back, and it’s more addictive than ever. The Traitors is turning us into a nation that celebrates deception, where the most shamelessly treacherous liar is the winner. But at least we’re honest about it. Backstabbing has become cool.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It’s too early to say whether this series will live up to – or even be better than – the previous two, but it already has bags of potential. While we didn’t get to see a challenge, the very first roundtable – in which the players accuse one another, usually indiscriminately, of being Traitors – was a thrill. The stage is set for yet another excellent series.”
Emily Baker, The i

“There are tweaks to the game’s structure, sly changes designed to move the odds in favour of the show’s antiheroes. How that impacts the denouement remains to be seen. For now, The Traitors has set the stage for another season of backstabbing and blithering, perpetrated by a charming yet shifty dramatis personae.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“With its sober view of sacrifice and its clever use of extreme adversity to bring out different facets of the male psyche, Rogue Heroes earns its stripes, but be reassured that with all that groundwork in place it is, primarily, a right old romp. The wildly incongruous but perfectly chosen rock soundtrack, the cool freeze-frames, the fist fights, the banter and of course the battle scenes are all unashamedly exciting – and the Sicily landing, with Mayne’s men dodging Italian bullets under powdery grey moonlight, is as cool as hell. It’s a thrill to watch O’Connell and his boys charge on.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“Even with its self-reflective interludes (and Dominic West’s supremo Dudley Clarke now feels somewhat superfluous), SAS Rogue Heroes is something rare — an unashamed celebration of tough masculinity. And at such moments, as when the lunatics arrive in the port of Suez to Madness’s Night Boat to Cairo, its energy is impossible to resist.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Season two begins with Lewes dead, Stirling in a prisoner of war camp and Eve in London. It is therefore the Paddy Mayne show for nearly half the series, and as all of those Military Police officers can attest, he’s not a guy you want to spend too much time with. Jack O’Connell is a fine actor but his Mayne is a caricature – all snarling lips, overdone Irish accent and daft aphorisms.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“SAS Rogue Heroes is, frankly, subtle in the way an earthquake is subtle, but then that’s rather the point. War is loud, and war is hell. It is also, from the perspective of this series opener, an absolute hoot.”
Nick Duerden, The i