“This documentary was trying so hard to be serious-minded and not to snigger up its sleeve that it ended by being obsequious”

Millionaire's Ex-Wives Club

Millionaires’ Ex-Wives Club, BBC2

“The sums involved were astonishing, but the stories were ultimately the same as in almost any divorce. It’s all about the money and it’s nothing to do with the money. It is enough to make a cat sick.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Lynn Alleway’s documentary initially felt a bit prurient for BBC2 but the second of the two wives’ stories was jaw-dropping. If it’s true, this is a real-life McMafia.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“We’re used to seeing these ghastly caricatures of wealthy women on Channel 4, where they can’t get enough of high-heeled harridans with tiny dogs. Every shot, every edit is set up to mock them. But when BBC2 does it, the joke is lost in translation. This documentary was trying so hard to be serious-minded and not to snigger up its sleeve that it ended by being obsequious.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Much like most divorce cases, not enough things added up in this documentary. It all felt desperately sad, despite the rubbernecking on these other worlds and Tchenguiz in particular brilliantly showing no shame for her glitzy lifestyle.”
Bernadette McNulty, The i

Kiri, Channel 4

“Jack horne, who wrote last year’s Bafta-winning National Treasure, is a brilliant dramatist, and Kiri is already unmissable. He has an ear for naturalistic dialogue, there’s a depth of characterisation across the board here, and the performances have been exceptional.”
Chris Harvey, The Telegraph

“All the sympathy and tension generated in the first episode was wasted as the drama turned into a wordy, preachy piece of bad theatre. Some of the speeches were as dry and wooden as last month’s Christmas trees. This was toe-curlingly bad.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It’s week two and Kiri, which had three stand-out scenes, continues to deliver quality. I had just a few niggles. If you were Tobi, wouldn’t the first thing you would say to your son be, ‘DID YOU KILL KIRI?’ rather than reminisce about trips to the Thames Barrier?”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“With two parts left, and the Warner family looking ever more suspect, there are certainly more twists and turns left in this compelling social drama.”
Nick Mitchell, The i

When Beyoncé Met Jay-Z, Channel 5

“There is a nuanced, perceptive film to be made about the union of two of the greatest and most influential musical talents of the age, but this was the usual unedifying mix of talking heads, often-before-seen footage and a laboured voiceover script filled with pointless snark.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian 

“This is a serious assemblage of acting talent. All three of these brilliant actresses are bringing out every drop of humour and pathos in Mellor’s scripts, even if the writer who created Band of Gold and Playing the Field is not quite the dramatist she was.”
Chris Harvey, The Telegraph

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