War and Justice: The Case of Marine A; Neighbours

“This documentary, though compelling, is remiss in not considering the real victim. “Nobody seems to worry about him,” said Jeff Blackett, the judge who presided over Blackman’s first trial. “That was a man who might have been spared but was killed.” We don’t find out what happened to his corpse. A stronger programme would have tried to track down his family and comrades and asked what they thought about how he died. ”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

“The documentary was clearly sympathetic to Blackman and his wife, Claire, who campaigned tirelessly to get him out, assisted by the Daily Mail, which raised more than £800,000 from readers to do just that. They were a central part of the film, and were interviewed at length. Forensically and fairly, it laid out the evidence…But what it effectively asked us to consider was, can we reasonably expect people in unimaginably stressful and chaotic circumstances to behave faultlessly when terrified for their lives and having seen colleagues killed? It reminded me of exhausted, stressed hospital doctors who are castigated for making one mistake, which could cost a patient’s life.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“We also saw other, vivid footage of marines coming under enemy fire. Those scenes helped us to understand the unimaginably stressful conditions under which they were operating. Despite the level of access, the film felt as if it could have benefited from more detail across more episodes.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“BBC1 attack on British special forces in Afghanistan was a catalogue of unsubstantiated smears. Even the title was prejudicial: ‘SAS Death Squads Exposed: A British War Crime?’In complete contrast, War And Justice: The Case Of Marine A carefully examined the case of Sgt Alexander Blackman, accused of murder on the battlefield, and allowed viewers to make up their own minds…To  prosecute Sgt Blackman for his decision, taken in the heat of battle, was a twisted piece of legal logic — or, as novelist Frederick Forsyth put it, ‘as bent as a corkscrew’.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It was narratively all over the place, the editing was terrible, the directing was clunky and some of the acting is best forgotten. It also seemed obvious that Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan filmed their much-anticipated sequences separately because they clearly didn’t join in the final wedding party scene. They watched from a balcony, acting their smiles. Still, a show doesn’t spawn so many stars by accident and this was also in its own way fabulous. Neighbours was naff and amateurish, but, like Minogue’s songs, eerily catchy. Its heart was so firmly in the right place it could have been used as a medical textbook. That most people involved with it also seemed to know it was slightly terrible was part of its appeal.” Ben Dowell, The Times

”And then came the big guns – the actors who achieved Hollywood fame or pop stardom after leaving Neighbours and could have been sniffy about a return, but who clearly hold the show in great affection. It says a lot for the show that all of them have remained so loyal…The star guest, though, was Pearce, committing to his performance as Mike as if he was in an Oscar-worthy film. His reunion scenes with the Actually-Far-From-Plain Jane were genuinely touching – two people in middle-age who never let go of their feelings for one another.” 
 Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The challenge for the writers was always going to be wrapping up existing plots, while providing sufficient nostalgia for older fans. They do it very well. After 37 years, the creators of Neighbours could claim its demise will be particularly keenly felt. They would not be wrong. It is not just that the series has a uniquely positive place in British culture…This isn’t a finale mourning a show’s demise: it’s a celebration of its success – and what a success it was.”
Frances Ryan, The Guardian 

“The problem with this cameo-centric approach (which also implements a clip show to ramp up the nostalgia factor) is that it forgets the thing that makes soap operas so captivating: the plot. Instead, this finale has an almost meta quality.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“It was a bittersweet reminder of all the delightful absurdity we’re going to miss now that Neighbours has finally signed off after 37 years. Something that could be said for the finale as a whole – which, I am happy to report, was a tear-jerking, star-packed nostalgia fest that would have satisfied Neighbours fanatics and lapsed fans alike as they tuned in to bid an emotional farewell to Erinsborough.” 
Gwendolyn Smith, The i