Catch Up TV reviews: The School That Tried to End Racism, Murder in the Car Park, Hitched at Home
David Farnor | On 28, Jun 2020
What’s available on-demand on Freeview? Keep up-to-date with our weekly catch-up TV column, including reviews of shows on ITV Hub, new releases on All 4 and a guide to My5.
(For BBC TV reviews and round-ups, see our weekly Best of BBC iPlayer column. Or for reviews of the shows on All 4’s Walter Presents, click here.)
The School That Tried to End Racism (All 4)
“Does this seem fair?” “No.” That’s the immediate conclusion reached unanimously by a class at Glenthorne High School in London, after they’ve been spread out across a playing field according to their answers to such questions as “Have you ever been asked where you’re from?” or “Have you ever been warned about racism?” If the gulf that opens up between the white people and the people of colour in the class seems unsurprising, the visual representation of society’s ingrained inequalities and prejudices makes it clear to these young people just how that systemic imbalance has already begun to shape their lives. The social experiment continues as the class are encouraged to take a test to determine their racial biases, then are separated to talk with the interviewers about their thoughts and concerns. It’s a fascinating look at growing awareness among young people, one that also highlights how people – particularly white people – can feel guilty or awkward about asking the wrong question or saying the wrong thing. The kids, who are winning and compassionate as they learn to be more open, are a wonderful reminder that communication is the first step to bringing people together to a place of understanding, which can then build to long-lasting, systemic change.
Murder in the Car Park (All 4)
In March 1987, private investigator Daniel Morgan was murdered with an axe in a south London car park. With no witnesses, the case remains unsolved 30 odd years later. Enter Channel 4 to trawl through the evidence and piece together what happened. The result is, on the surface, your typical true crime doc, intercutting the investigation and talking-head interviews with the people involved in the investigation and related to Morgan to re-enactments of the events with good intentions but a slightly clunky feel. But what emerges is an exploration of why the cast has remained unsolved, including alleged police corruption. At a time when we’re all questioning the way that police treat people and victims, this is a surprisingly topical watch.
Hitched at Home (All 4)
It wasn’t long into lockdown that the world witnessed its first quarantined wedding, with John Krasinski bringing together the cast of The Office for a reunion that stormed into the marriage of two unsuspecting fans. It was an episode of Some Good News that went immediately viral, thanks to not only its celebrity cameos but also its heart-warming determination to celebrate a couple making a commitment to each other. Channel 4 recreates that same warm sentiment with this one-off documentary, which sees the omnipresent Fred Sirieix turn wedding planner for Londoners Louise and Patrick. Hoping for a big wedding in an orchard, they instead make do with a small ceremony in their garden, with family and friends tuning in via Zoom, and it’s testament to the sheer number of stops pulled out that their occasion is a sweet affair – complete with speeches via video, and an appearance by Wet, Wet, Wet frontman Marti Pellow – a performance tellingly tailored not for its star power but because it’s what Louise and Patrick wanted for their first dance. This is lockdown telly with its heart in the right place.
Available until: 1st July 2020
