Deceit, Channel 4 review - how Colin Stagg became prime suspect in the Rachel Nickell case

★★★ DECEIT, CHANNEL 4 How Colin Stagg became prime suspect in the Rachel Nickell case

Damning account of the Met's ill-conceived honeytrap operation

It seems unlikely that the Metropolitan Police will welcome Channel 4’s new four-part dramatisation of the hunt for the killer of Rachel Nickell, since it’s a reminder of yet another of the Met’s historic catastrophes.

I Am Victoria, Channel 4 review - improvised drama in need of more substance

★★ I AM VICTORIA, CHANNEL 4 Improvised drama in need of more substance

Powerful performance by Suranne Jones lacks dramatic context

This opener to the second series of Dominic Savage’s I Am… dramas starred Suranne Jones as the titular Victoria, an ultra-driven career woman surrounded by the trappings of material success but spinning into a dark vortex of depression.

Before We Die, Channel 4 review - Lesley Sharp excels as a detective in crisis

★★★★ BEFORE WE DIE, CHANNEL 4 Lesley Sharp excels as a detective in crisis

The personal and the professional collide in brutal crime-gang drama

Perhaps inspired by its ever-intriguing Walter Presents strand, Channel 4’s new thriller Before We Die is based on a Swedish original called Innan vi dör (“before we die” in Swedish).

We Are Lady Parts, Channel 4 review - female Muslim punk band rocks the house

★★★★ WE ARE LADY PARTS, CHANNEL 4 Female Muslim punk band rocks the house

Nida Manzoor's smart sitcom breaks new ground

It’s crazy, but could it possibly work? Writer Nida Manzoor (a veteran of Doctor Who and BBC Three’s sitcom Enterprice) grew up in a Muslim family, but that didn’t stop her being a fan of punk rock, Blackadder and This Is Spinal Tap.

The Great, Channel 4 review - Russian history gets a whirl in the fictional blender

★★★ THE GREAT, CHANNEL 4 Russian history gets a whirl in the fictional blender

Screenwriter Tony McNamara refuses to let the facts stand in his way

History ain’t what it used to be, not on television at any rate. Recently we’ve witnessed the ongoing furore about the factual accuracy or otherwise of The Crown, while Bridgerton has cheekily galloped bareback over the conventional cliches of telly costume dramas.

Best of 2020: TV

BEST OF 2020: TV A terrible year for many, but a priceless opportunity for television

A terrible year for many, but a priceless opportunity for television

Okay, so some people taught themselves the violin or wrote a novel, but under this year’s circumstances, it was inevitable that television (terrestrial, cable, online or otherwise) was going to clean up. With large chunks of the population forced to stay home, what could be more natural than to reach for the remote controller to magic up another bingeable boxset or Walter's latest noir thriller?

Taskmaster, Channel 4 review - comedy show makes seamless transfer

★★★★ TASKMASTER, CHANNEL 4 Comedy show makes seamless transfer

Still utterly daft and joyous

After nine successful series, a Bafta and an Emmy nomination, Taskmaster has moved from Dave to Channel 4 – amusingly, the broadcaster that its creator Alex Horne first took it to but which turned it down. It has made the transition seamlessly – ie, without changing a thing – and is still utterly daft and a joy to watch. But then, when you have a great concept that's well executed, why muck around with it?

The Talk, Channel 4 review - coping with the legacy of racism

★★★★ THE TALK, CHANNEL 4 Coping with the legacy of racism

Black Britons discuss their personal struggles against prejudice

Shall we talk about racism? Currently we seem to be talking about it all the time, and it’s the question non-white parents in Britain sooner or later find themselves pondering as they watch their children grow up in our increasingly confrontational society.

Our Baby: A Modern Miracle, Channel 4 review - trailblazing couple's amazing journey

★★★ OUR BABY: A MODERN MIRACLE, CHANNEL 4 Trailblazing couple's amazing journey

Jake and Hannah Graf are Britain's first parents who are both transgender

On one level this documentary could be summed up as “parents have baby”, but since the parents in question are “Britain’s most prominent transgender couple”, it was a lot more complicated than that. Jake Graf used to be a woman and his wife Hannah was previously a man, and the path to having their first child caused them considerable soul-searching.

A Very British Hotel Chain: Inside Best Western, Series Finale, Channel 4 review - let's hear it for Alasdair the hotel inspector

Inexplicable fly-on-the-wall doc throws caution to the winds

It’s impossible to tell whether this reality-doc series (C4) came to praise Best Western hotels or kill it off entirely. Some viewers have been weeping with laughter at the David Brent-style antics of the company’s Aussie CEO Rob Paterson and his motivational slogans (Smash It!, Give a *** etc), while others have hailed it as a red-flag warning about how not to run a business.