Hail Satan? review - the detail of the devil

★★★★ HAIL SATAN? The detail of the devil

Documentary reveals the comedy and politics of America's satanists

As Penny Lane’s documentary shows, America and Satanism have a long history. From the Salem Witch trials to the moral panic triggered by the Manson murders and films like William Friedkin’s The Exorcist in the 1970s, mass panic in America of the occult is nothing new.

The Day Mountbatten Died, BBC Two review - the IRA's audacious strike at the heart of the British Establishment

Everyone remembers Lord Mountbatten’s death but a score of other people died on that sunny August day

It was a lovely summer’s day in southern England, much as it was in County Sligo. I was with my parents, driving to visit a very elderly relative. We arrived not long after the news of Lord Mountbatten’s death was announced and my great aunt was distraught, more over the death of someone she saw as a war hero than over the general carnage, I suspect.

Kathy Burke's All Woman, Channel 4 review - warts and all

★★★★★ KATHY BURKE'S ALL WOMAN, CHANNEL 4 What is beauty, and why is there so much pressure to achieve it?

Comedy legend asks what is beauty, and why is there so much pressure to achieve it?

What’s the next level above national treasure? We’ll need a name for it by the end of All Woman, Kathy Burke’s new Channel 4 documentary.

Inside the Secret World of Incels, BBC One review - involuntary celibacy, violence and despair

★★★ INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF INCELS, BBC ONE A disturbing documentary about men who feel rejected

A disturbing documentary about men who feel rejected

A sad story of lonely men, Simon Rawles's atmospheric and beautifully shot documentary has no narration, apart from the occasional faint, off-camera question from the interviewer. This makes everything more depressing. We’re alone on a nightmare ride, starting with Catfishman. “I catfish females.

The Day We Walked on the Moon, ITV review - it was 50 years ago to the day

★★★ THE DAY WE WALKED ON THE MOON, ITV It was 50 years ago to the day

You've heard it all before, but this was an entertaining ride

It was on 16 July 1969 that Apollo 11 lifted off from Florida en route for the Moon, and exactly 50 years later, as we nervously anticipate the dawn of commercial flights into space, the event resonates louder than ever. Here, Professor Brian Cox called it “the greatest achievement in the history of civilisation.” According to veteran broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald, it was “the most magnificent thing that ever happened.”

Inside the Social Network: Facebook's Difficult Year, BBC Two review - how big can it get?

★★★★ INSIDE THE SOCIAL NETWORK: FACEBOOK'S DIFFICULT YEAR, BBC TWO How big can it get?

A force for good or Big Brother in the making?

Not everybody is on Facebook, yet. So far, Mark Zuckerberg’s social media monolith has only managed to scrape together about 2.3 billion users, roughly one-third of the planet. But as this fascinating documentary revealed, Facebook’s plans are huge and its ambitions boundless.

The Brink review – behind the scenes with Steve Bannon

★★★ THE BRINK Funny and frightening fly-on-the-wall documentary

Funny and frightening fly-on-the-wall documentary

Donald Trump’s former strategist, alt-right propagandist and all-round provocateur Steve Bannon comes under the spotlight of a smart, dynamic, behind-closed-doors documentary, as he attempts to turn his brand of far-right populism into a global movement.  

Armstrong review - the man behind the leap

★★★★ ARMSTRONG The man behind the leap

Documentary offers a sombre but interesting look at the first man

You wait 50 years for a moon landing documentary, then two come along at once! With Apollo 11 still showing in cinemas, along comes Armstrong. But while the former focuses solely on the lunar mission through archive footage, the latter is the wider story of the man behind those famous first words.

Cyclists: Scourge of the Streets?, Channel 5 review - can we make the roads a safer place?

★★★ CYCLISTS: SCOURGE OF THE STREETS?, CHANNEL 5 Can we make the roads a safer place?

Provocative documentary unlikely to promote harmony on the highway

Healthy, efficient and carbon-neutral, cycling ought to be a transport panacea. But in the dash for lycra, perhaps not enough attention has been paid to letting bikes and motor vehicles co-exist peacefully. This deliberately provocative Channel 5 documentary, which has sparked an angry backlash from within the cycling community, found plenty of ammunition from both sides.