Inside the Bank of England, BBC Two review - economical with the actualité

★★★ INSIDE THE BANK OF ENGLAND, BBC TWO Economical with the actualité

The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street keeps her secrets closely guarded

The BBC is pleased with itself for having insinuated a documentary team inside the Bank of England, but was this august custodian of the nation’s finances really going to let slip any juicy revelations? The Bank’s role is too powerful and too political for its employees to be anything other than extremely tight-lipped.

Apollo 11 review - an awe-inspiring leap

★★★★ APOLLO 11 An awe-inspiring leap

Todd Douglas Miller pieces together archival footage for documentary of first lunar mission

How could this story be told again? Director Todd Douglas Miller has found a way: strip away narrative and give the audience the purity of original record. The result is a gripping non-fiction experience that sits in a unique space between documentary, art, drama and dream.

Blu-ray: For All Mankind

Breathtaking, heartstopping celebration of Project Apollo

Al Reinert's For All Mankind isn't quite what it seems. In a famous 1962 speech, President Kennedy spoke of the knowledge to be gained and the new rights to be won on the moon to be "for all people", though the plaque left on the lunar surface by the crew of Apollo 11 states that the voyage was made "for all mankind". Reinert's 1989 film cleverly dubs "mankind" into Kennedy's speech in the film, not that you'd notice.

Diego Maradona review - entertaining but skin-deep

Asif Kapadia concludes his trilogy of tragic idols with mixed results

There's something unsatisfying about the fact that Asif Kapadia's new documentary on the controversial 1980s sporting legend Diego Maradona has a two-word title. It would have created a neat synchronicity with his previous two films (Amy and Senna), but we soon learn why this is the case.

Eating Animals review - a compelling tale of imminent disaster

The nastiness of the meat industry laid bare

Eating Animals begins as a David and Goliath tale of independent farmers versus industrial farming. Frank Reese specialises in rare-breed turkeys and chickens. He calls his farm the "Good Shepherd Poultry Ranch" because, for him, his traditional way of farming is akin to a religious experience. And when asked which of his birds matters most, the thought of having to choose almost reduces him to tears.

63 Up, ITV review - age is beginning to wither them

★★★★ 63 UP, ITV Age is beginning to wither them

Michael Apted's celebrated series finds his subjects taking stock

The first film in this extraordinary series, Seven Up!, was made for Granada Television’s World in Action in 1964. It picked 14 seven-year-old British children from different social backgrounds, aiming to revisit them every seven years to see how their lives were progressing. Paul Almond directed the first programme, but ever since this has been Michael Apted’s baby.

Freedom Fields review - Libya’s next freedom fighters

★★★★ FREEDOM FIELDS How Libyan women use football to break boundaries

Insightful documentary shows how women use football to break boundaries

Set in the months and years after the Libyan revolution, Freedom Fields follows several women aiming to compete in international football. The documentary finds the players excitedly preparing for their first overseas tournament.

Blu-ray: The Best of British Transport Films

Improbably enjoyable celebration of UK transport infrastructure

The British Transport Commission was created in 1948 by the Atlee government, an ambitious attempt to organise rail, road and water transport under a single unwieldy umbrella (for a time it was the world’s largest employer, with a staff of over 900,000). British Transport Films was set up a year later, the biggest industrial film unit in the UK.

Cannes 2019: Diego Maradona review - entertaining but skin-deep

★★★ DIEGO MARADONA Entertaining but skin-deep study of a tragic idol

Asif Kapadia concludes his trilogy of tragic idols with mixed results

Director Asif Kapadia's documentary on the controversial 1980s sporting legend Diego Maradona premiered at Cannes this week, and there's something unsatisfying about the fact it doesn't have a one-word title. It would have created a neat synchronicity with his previous two films (Amy and Senna), but we soon learn why this is the case.