The Party; Time

“Tory toffs, eh? If they’re in a TV drama, you know they’re going to be dreadful. The Party (ITV1) is a tale of class division, toxic privilege and cold betrayal. Luke Evans plays the outsider who inveigles his way into this world of grand houses and game shoots, fuelled by homosexual longing. So far, so Saltburn. Throw in a shady death, and you’ve got the makings of a juicy psychological thriller, but one that suffers from a lack of likeable characters.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph

“The Party is enormous fun: pacey, moreish, perfectly cast. Lindsay Duncan as Ben’s calmly furious grieving mother is a standout, but everyone is great – and the scene in which the women verbally eviscerate Jarvis’s fragile wife to help scupper his plans, like lions in beaded gowns gutting a gazelle, is exquisitely awful. There are a few moments when you think it’s about to go completely off the rails (the hologram of Phoebe singing in the family pile’s basement, created by her art college friends, foremost among them), but it never quite does, despite the enormous speed it builds up. There’s no one to root for, no one to invest in – they’re all absolutely awful, and you can just go along for the ride. (Lucy, the exception, remains a cipher.) Whose blood is on Martin’s shirt? Why is he in such thrall to the Fitzmaurices? Don’t know, don’t care, but just desperately want to know. The story’s the thing and it’s a doozy.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Accordingly, The Party doesn’t quite live up to its obvious forebears (the BBC’s 2006 adaptation of The Line of Beauty feels like a clear reference point). A fine supporting cast, which includes Joanna Scanlan and Lindsay Duncan, feels slightly underused. Still, while it could have gone harder in terms of examining its themes of co-dependence, sexual repression and establishment corruption, it sails along very entertainingly. It’s not a party you’d want to attend but it’s one you’ll happily, voyeuristically observe with a shudder. Towards the end, one copper describes the case that unfolds as “Toff v Taff”. As it turns out, he’s not far off the mark. The lingering sense remains, though, that The Party could have been slightly more.”
Phil Harrison, Independent

“The story of a working-class boy thrust into a world of glittering hedonism, opportunity and wealth isn’t new. This echoes many stories — Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty and Saltburn spring immediately to mind — but sings its own plangent song. Martin’s awkward Christmas viewing of Coronation Street with his mum is a particularly heartbreaking sign of his slow estrangement from both her and who he is. A lot of this is down to Solemani’s script, and she also acquits herself well as Lucy, Martin’s heavily pregnant wife, who looks upon this horror show with a keen but helpless and unhappy eye. Both husband and wife are outsiders, but for reasons we will soon discover, cannot really share this bond. Some secrets are just too explosive.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Jimmy McGovern has said that this new, third instalment of his prison anthology drama Time will be the last. For the sake of audiences’ emotional equilibrium, you have to hope so. For the sake of scripted drama, for the sake of art that has a hope of stirring the conscience of authorities and effecting change, you have to hope not.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Once again, McGovern has managed brilliantly to recreate the suffocating, febrile, terrifying climate of prison that was so palpable in the first two series you could almost taste it. Tennant is fascinating as a man cynical and wearied by his job then going home to silent meals and a loveless marriage. But over three episodes his moral “journey” as a character proves interesting.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“As you might expect from Jimmy McGovern, the script is flawless, and you could say pretty much the same about the acting. Tennant is outstanding: calm and professional at work while we can only guess what’s going on beneath. In a final dramatic scene, an error of judgement by one of Bobbie’s colleagues – something that Bobby advised against – has tragic consequences. As the violence unfolded, you might have been grateful that some of these boys are kept away from the rest of us. There was a message here, too: that the kind thing isn’t always the right thing.”
Roland White, Daily Mail

“McGovern’s writing is fuelled by anger at what he witnessed during the course of his research. Offenders are confined to their cells in what is known as the “keep-apart” system. We see the boys pacing like caged animals, yelling and screaming threats or self-harming in despair. The noise is overwhelming. McGovern has criticised some staff as “lazy”, accusing them of preferring to keep the inmates in confinement like this because it makes their lives easier. One such character is Jennings (Daniel Ryan), whose workplace mistake leads to a tragedy, for which he tries his best to dodge any responsibility.”
Anita Singh, Telegraph