Pompeii: Life in the City; 1000 Men and Me

“Dan Snow and his fellow presenter Kate Lister took a novel approach to this jaunty history documentary, by concentrating on how the town of 20,000 inhabitants lived rather than died… But the reconstructed elements were a real distraction. It’s usual on history shows to include shots of extras in costume, silently acting out key scenes. The computer graphics that replaced them were two-dimensional and unconvincing, bad enough to keep me from absorbing Dan’s boisterous explanations.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Snow – the avuncular boffin, author and podcaster – spends most of his screen time during this solid if unspectacular documentary talking at speed and waving his hands – and sometimes, just to mix it up, talking at speed, waving his hands and striding purposefully towards the camera. He’s a human exclamation mark.”
Ed Power, The i

“It was the kind of midweek history programme to be filed under gently interesting. You did learn a few things, not least that Pompeii smells much better today than it did then.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Although Victoria Silver’s six months in Bonnie Blue’s (Tia Billinger) company doesn’t provide much in the way of decisive evidence or insight, it does show the star to be as steely in her approach to her career as she is Stakhanovite in her labours. Silver remains essentially unconfrontational in her approach, and no match for one as robust and unfazed by other people’s opinions as Billinge. The basilisk Blue stare seems to hold her in its thrall.”
Lucy Magnan, The Guardian

“With little new information gleaned and far too much time taken up by TikTok and Instagram clips of Blue’s that already exist online, the documentary feels like little more than a prurient exercise to capitalise on one woman’s infamy. Although, maybe it’s simply impossible to ever truly know who Blue is.”
Oliva Petter, The Independent