“What could have been a tacky experiment was well-made and informative”
“You Be the Judge: Crime & Punishment was a clever programme inviting us to compare the sentence we deem fair with the actual sentence handed down in court. Four panels also gave their assessments, made up of retired judges, retired detectives, ex-cons and victims’ families. What could have been a tacky experiment was well-made and informative. The redoubtable Anne Robinson hosted proceedings, arms crossed, making a welcome return to television for the first time since Countdown.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph
“Aged 80, Anne Robinson has lost none of her wintery vim: she is that rare presenter capable of disdain without seeming to ham it up. Piers Morgan or Jeremy Clarkson would give anything for a tenth of her chilly charm. She has, however, been let down by 5 bosses, who must have asked for the ‘full Anne Robinson treatment’. But this – at times deeply distressing – documentary cries out for more restraint. Her pantomime villain vibes are simply the wrong fit for a documentary full of human suffering.”
Ed Power, The i
“Overall, it felt as if the production was interested less in nuanced debate than a predetermined takedown of the whole system. The programme expected us to form a meaningful, sober analysis from essentially thin case summaries. For victims, no sentence will be long enough. But if a complex and thorny issue is turned into a slightly trivial game show, it will always carry a slight whiff of a mistrial.”
Ben Dowell, The Times
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