Series 7 - The Contenders [2001] - Region 2 DVD

Writer-director Daniel Minahan stages credibly ragged action sequences (with the camera crew jogging to keep up and sometimes getting in the way), clever performances that hint at complexities the show tries to tidy away (especially from the underrated Smith), chilly or funny interview segments, and deep black satire ("reconstructions" are used for sequences the cameras missed or, crucially, where the show's makers want to cover up part of the story they don't want tell). These techniques skewer exactly the way real lives are transformed into soaps by contrived "reality TV" shows. --Kim Newman