Psychopath Night

On the basis of the 30-minute teaser we were able to view, this lengthy exploration of psychopathy seems likely to be one of those shows that doesn’t know quite how seriously to take itself.

On the one hand, there’s plenty of fascinating material. Real-life psychopaths are interviewed including one woman – a high-flying lawyer – who, through the reactions of others, gradually came to recognise her own lack of instinctive empathy as a child and now seems to regard her unusual psychology as a condition to be lived with, much like bipolarity or depression.

But elsewhere, gimmicks abound. We’re promised a revelation about a psychopathic England footballer (our money’s on the fearsome James Milner) and there’s a countdown of big-screen psychos running through the show that adds very little. Expect a mixed bag.