Celebrity Race Across the World; The Future with Hannah Fry; Murder in Belfast: Sisters Seeking Justice

“Series four of Celebrity Race Across the World (BBC One) began in the dense prehistoric rainforests of South-East Asia. Snakes slithered. Giant creepy-crawlies scuttled. Crocodiles glided ominously through water. And eight semi-famous people waddled along like asthmatic tortoises in their shell-like backpacks, panting in panic as they wondered what on earth they’d signed up for. Every year, I vow to skip this globe-trotting contest. Do I need another celebrity competition on my viewing schedule? Assuredly not. I’m already watching the blighters skulking around a Scottish castle and dancing around a glittery ballroom. I don’t need to see them on holiday too. Yet every year, I find myself suckered in by its engaging characters, handsome photography and precision editing. As John Hannah’s velvety narration drops illuminating facts, I tell myself it’s educational.”
Michael Hogan, Telegraph

“Who wins, though, is really beside the point. More than any other adventure series on telly, this life‑affirming show takes us to places most people never dream of visiting. We saw speedboat taxis on a river, the harvesting of dwarf coconuts, heard rice-planting songs and witnessed shamanistic rituals. And there’s the promise of orangutans. This is the perfect antidote to Celebrity Traitors.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Depending on who you ask, AI is either a transformative technology that will cure all disease and free humanity from the mundanity of work — or an unstoppable force that will lead to the extinction of our species. However, beyond the headline-inducing doomsday warnings or high-profile hacks by “agents” who have broken out of their sandbox, there’s little in the way of nuanced public discourse on a subject that is having such a profound effect on our lives. In the opening episode of her new series, The Future with Hannah Fry (BBC2), the mathematician left behind the drama of The Celebrity Traitors to present some cool-headed analysis.”
Tim Glanfield, The Times

“Nothing Prof Hannah discovered looked terribly alarming, unless you’re a rodent. She watched a slice of mouse brain being inflated in a chemical solution and placed under a microscope so that researchers could count the neurons. If we do get expunged from the planet, it’ll be good news for white mice. She also played with a mechanical grabber that responded to verbal instructions. Slowly, it was able to pick up a spoon and put it in a bowl. The programmers were highly excited about this, though I’ve seen grabber claws at the funfair do a better job.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The documentary Murder in Belfast: Sisters Seeking Justice, about the McCartney siblings’ fight to bring their brother’s killers to justice, makes you wonder. As it outlines the five women’s ceaseless, fearless actions over the last 20 years, you can’t help but ask: when did the IRA and Sinn Féin realise they had picked on the wrong family to cross?”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian