Partygate; Beckham

“The drama brilliantly interweaves the permanent in-fighting, complacency and debauchery at the core of government with contemporary news footage, and juxtaposes it with heartbreaking real-life stories of Covid funerals and gigantic fines imposed in comparatively harmless rule breaches. The hypocrisy and amorality of the Downing Street gang is laid bare in painful fashion.”
Sean O’Grady, The Independent

“What bad luck for Rishi Sunak that on the eve of his big speech Channel 4 — in a completely coincidental piece of scheduling, of course! — put out Partygate, depicting the Downing Street lockdown bashes so mercilessly as to leave viewers feeling utter contempt towards the government.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Partygate isn’t subtle, but it is certainly effective at depicting the partying Tories as unthinking at best, selfish and ignorant at worst. Georgie Henley is convincing as the gradually disillusioned outsider, and Ophelia Lovibond – who played Johnson’s partner Carrie in This England – excellent as the well-connected posho. But since we, the British public, know all too well what was going to happen, there is little in the way of tension.”
Neil Armstrong, The i

“Are we supposed to believe that everyone at No 10 was a shrieking toff? Writer Joseph Bullman aims for The Thick of It-style satire – and has stuffed his cast with comedy performers, including Ghosts’ Charlotte Ritchie and Fresh Meat’s Kimberley Nixon – but the result is more like a sixth form attempt at class-based comedy.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Partygate’s ending lets the Tories off lightly. But the searing contempt and bruised regret in the tale it tells before that is enough. It’s still a vital document of a moment of national shame.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“It turns out to be a surprisingly candid look at the life and career of one of the most famous footballers of all time, and it certainly is a rollicking ride. Beckham, the series, joins a long line of recent sport-based blockbusters that are so entertaining they hold plenty of appeal, whether you’re a Manchester United season ticket holder or more of a Victoria Beckham type.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“The crucial question is: is Beckham entertaining? Put it this way, I binged the lot in one sitting. It is a nostalgia trip and a guide to 21st-century fame as much as a peek into the Beckhams’ boudoir (which is ridiculously tidy; David is famously obsessive about how his shirts are lined up). It is expertly weaved so that it contains just enough football, just enough gossip and just enough pop stardom to appeal to a broad demographic, thus burnishing that lucrative brand still more.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“He is an unusual combination of people-pleaser and stubborn bugger, and the Beckham documentary, filmed at his instigation, turns out not to be a puff piece at all. It was Beckham himself who appointed Fisher Stevens, an Oscar-winning documentary-maker for The Cove to direct, and it was an inspired choice. Beckham is a superb, unexpected, complex portrayal – both of an era and of an unexpectedly complex man.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“As a documentary about football, Beckham is fantastic. But as an attempt to needle the cult of celebrity ‘Posh and Becks’ both nurtured and struggled with, it’s hardly revealing. The problem is that David’s entire life has already played out in the public eye. Everything that happens across the four episodes – his red card against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup, the time Ferguson (accidentally) kicked a boot at his head, his move to Real Madrid in 2003 – was already well documented at the time. This series is missing any new insight beyond the headlines.”
Emily Baker, The i

“This cosy but candid series is part love letter to a generational footballing talent and cultural icon, part dissection of the birth of the modern celebrity brand. Director Fisher Stevens’ approach here may not be Paxman-like, but he assembles an impressive cast of interviewees, from Beckham’s parents to Sir Alex Ferguson to Eric Cantona to Argentina nemesis Diego Simeone, and has an impressive knack for getting them all talking.”
Jessie Thompson, The Independent