“The programme is a portrait of the late Queen’s life but also a means of looking back through the decades at our own, more ordinary lives”

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Queen Elizabeth II: Her Story, Our Century, BBC1

“Given the length and sheer eventfulness of her life, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Story, Our Century (BBC1) did feel a bit whistlestop, some might even say perfunctory. However, it boasted an absolute A-list of talking heads, seemingly chosen to be all-encompassing. Barack Obama and the footballer Jill Scott. Queen Camilla and David Attenborough, and the nation’s knicker-magnet, Tom Jones. Maybe the BBC took the view that everything had been said in depth when she died in 2022 and, actually, that’s a fair call. Plus there is potency in brevity and this was still a quality film, powered by the BBC’s access to remarkable footage from the royal archives, including some of Elizabeth as a child playing with some sort of bag and dancing with her little sister, Margaret.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The former prince Andrew’s downfall from his association with Jeffrey Epstein gets a mere two minutes. Producers mention his payout to Virginia Giuffre but not that his mother allegedly helped pay it. There were two documentaries about the queen that the BBC could have made. One, a nuanced exploration of her reign and British history that respects its audience. Two, a hagiography aimed at Daily Mail readers. Commissioners chose the second option. Luckily, only critics like me have a duty to watch it.”
Frances Ryan, The Guardian

“Dame Sheila Hancock recalls her childhood as an evacuee during the Second World War, comforted by a morale-boosting radio message from young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. “I loved her. Quite honestly, it did mean a lot,” Dame Sheila says. The programme is a portrait of the late Queen’s life but also a means of looking back through the decades at our own, more ordinary lives, in which the monarch was a reassuring constant.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

The Murder Line, ITVX

“Don’t come to The Murder Line for prestige drama. The stakes are too diluted and, as everyone gets deeper into difficulty, the coincidences flow too freely. But as a mischievous yarn, with characters made to entertain and a story that never stands still? It’s on the edge of excellent.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

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