The Power; Get On Up; Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie

“Prime Video has pulled out all the stops — The Power rollicks along and looks fabulous. From a packed alleyway in Riyadh to an isolated US convent filled with runaway girls, there is the purring sense of a big budget, well-deployed.”
Marianne Levy, The i

“The Power is a clear allegory for how a patriarchal society makes girls feel insignificant, and how physical force effectively defines who makes the rules in society. Heavy-handed though the metaphor may be, it doesn’t feel corny – it’s genuinely thrilling to see how these girls who are underestimated, forgotten and cast aside light up when they realise that they, and their actions, matter in the world.”
Nicole Vassell, The Independent

“Away from the core electrical condition being a somewhat jarringly obvious metaphor for the difficulties of puberty – Periods! Orgasms! Whatever next! – The Power is filled with thrills, and will appeal to a wide audience from teenage fans of Stranger Things to nostalgic adults fresh from bingeing Yellowjackets or The Last of Us.”
Poppie Platt, The Telegraph

“It doesn’t work quite so well on screen, where it feels like we are hopping endlessly about but, given that we don’t get to grips with what is going on until the third episode, moving ponderously slowly towards each revelation at the same time. If there was a flaw in the book it was that – to use a literary term – things went to shit too quickly. So far, the adaptation seems to be following the original’s path, which feels like a missed opportunity.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“For those who aren’t quite as tuned into Black American culture as David Harewood, he has curated a brilliant list of songs and films to introduce them to some of its greats. But for those already aware of who these figures are and the impact they have had, there is little more here than a serviceable recapping of established narratives.”
Leila Latif, The Guardian

“The Homeland actor took us on a fizzing personal tour of the heroes who inspired him, not only with their talent but also by breaking down racist barriers to show what was possible for black people in the creative industries. The clips were brilliantly chosen (hats off to the researchers) as we zipped through Sammy Davis Jr, Sidney Poitier, Stevie Wonder, Richard Roundtree (who played Shaft), Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Jeffrey Daniel from Shalamar and more.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Get On Up talks not only to some fascinating people (Smokey Robinson; Lee Grant from In the Heat of the Night) but gets to some amazing places too – one interview with Stevie Wonder’s producer and early synth pioneer Robert Margouleff, listening back to the master tape of Living for the City in the very studio in which he recorded it, is simply majestic.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“Jason & Clara: In Memory of Maudie was a portrait of excruciating pain, articulated beautifully. It was raw, bleeding grief presented for public consumption, an invitation to step inside the home and broken hearts of Jason Watkins and his wife, Clara Francis, and see what child bereavement looks like to help others.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Jason and Clara: In Memory of Maudie, the ITV1 documentary in which Maudie’s parents tell her story, was never going to be an easy watch. But while my tears were free flowing for almost the entire hour, it was an incredibly inspiring and surprisingly hopeful film.”
Emily Baker, The i

“It sounds strange to say that the programme was infused with lightness and hope, because here were two people who can still be floored by grief. There were many tears, but we also saw the couple laughing and joking about an impending house move, and remembering Maude in happier times. The programme was a loving tribute to their daughter but it also felt like a selfless gift to other families, a tool to help them navigate through the darkest times.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph