I Fought the Law; Educating Yorkshire; The Inheritance

“This harrowing, heartbreaking four-part drama has two great strengths. First, the awareness that although the overturning of a law that had existed since Magna Carta is technically the most astonishing part of Ann Ming’s tale, it is not the most televisual. The second great strength – as is almost always the case – is casting Sheridan Smith in the main role. Ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances are what she does, and few do it better.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“This is such an impressive turn from Smith, who seems to inhabit Ming’s very skin, her sensible mum’s tonged hairdo and Next blouses belying that she is a small, human dynamo. Ming reportedly has said she couldn’t have thought of anyone better to play her than Smith and this drama proves her right. It is one of the best performances of her career.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Sheridan Smith is well versed at bawling emotion and grandstanding speeches, and these get a good workout here. But she also has to give us a woman at the end of her emotional tether, her world just inches from imploding at any time. It’s an impressive performance, simmering in the limbo between anger and despair.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph

“Ann is clearly a force of nature, the kind of woman who snaps at her husband, ‘Leave the talking to me,’ before wading into a confrontation. Smith portrays her with such empathy that we love her from the first. By the time the fourth episode airs, I suspect we’ll all be in awe of her, too.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Over four hours, I Fought the Law covers its ground meticulously, placing Ann neck-deep in a punitive and bureaucratic legal morass. It’s the sort of David v Goliath story that television loves; the involvement of the real Ann, a retired surgical nurse who is now 79, goes a long way in assuaging any ill-feeling over yet another true crime adaptation.”
Annabel Nugent, The Independent

“The drama’s pacing falters during scenes with Ming’s husband, Charlie (Daniel York Loh), whose character seems unrealised. All this aside, I Fought the Law honours Ming’s extraordinary fight to reshape British law, and I’m sure it will resonate with other families failed by the system. Thanks to this series, Ming’s pursuit of justice – and Julie – will not be forgotten.”
Hannah Bentley, The i

“What an incredibly careful and delicately performed editing job is routinely done here: to make these children hilarious, but never the butt of the joke; to show their vulnerability, but also their strength; to render their triumphs and tragedies serious, but never overwhelming. It shows us the nuance and the nuts and bolts of their developing personalities, their muddled impulses and motivations, the gently irresistible force of their forming identities.”
Phil Harrison, The Guardian

“Unheard and unseen behind the camera, the show’s interviewer(s) do a great job of coaxing moving insight from their subjects. Despite following predictably upbeat narrative arcs (bounced along by a jaunty pop soundtrack), it’s a show which sensibly places its trust in viewers’ interest in making sense of emerging humans.”
Helen Brown, The Telegraph

“At a time when generational divisions are fraught, and new moral panics about the world our young people are growing up in erupt every day, this understated, quietly groundbreaking documentary is a tonic. Its message is clear and undeniable: the kids are alright.”
Emily Baker, The i

“Educating Yorkshire is accessible and streamlined in its presentation of the material, organising its footage into simple, uplifting narratives. This is what made the show so popular, but it’s also what prevents it from being great, and leaves it ultimately superficial as a work of documentary filmmaking.”
Louis Chilton, The Independent

“A flawed format is not a dealbreaker in this genre… but The Inheritance is an overcomplicated hotch-potch. The Inheritance could turn out to be playing a cunning long game, but there are enough reasons here to vote it off in week one.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“What the show really needs is to develop the back story, revealing how Elizabeth Hurley came to die. Some gloriously hammy acting, wrapped in Versace, would enliven what is otherwise just another formulaic game show.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Sure, there’s a certain schadenfreude in seeing some of the more hapless contestants nominate themselves to be the deserving winners, despite having contributed precisely zero to the task. Some players have worked out a way to play tactically, but it all feels a bit too forced to be truly gripping. If only there was a bit more for Hurley to do. She might be playing dead, but in the first couple of episodes at least, she’s the only thing keeping The Inheritance alive.”
Katie Rosseinsky, The Independent