TV Critics: Taboo; Let it Shine; Endeavour

“Taboo’s strength is that, despite borrowing from westerns, gangster flicks and even Dickens, it still manages to feel utterly original.”
Ben Lawrence, The Telegraph

“There were moments when Tom Hardy was unintelligible because he was speaking in tongues, and moments when he was just unintelligible. But the show has atmosphere and a strong story. It might just turn out to be excellent.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“If you could fathom what Hardy was growling, Delaney’s closing run-in with Jonathan Pryce’s East India Company boss suddenly put things on a knife-edge, promising just the sort of conflict you’d return for.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Yes, it’s dark, it’s grim and laughs are likely to be in short supply. But after a fair number of decorous, mediocre and formulaic dramas in the main channels’ prestige slots, the BBC’s new offering feels like a breath of plague-scented air.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“Offering a step up the ladder rather than the promise of instant stardom may be laudably realistic, but it made the whole thing feel a little low rent. Could it be magic? Not on this evidence.”
Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph

“Gary sounds like an English Andy Murray after a fistful of sleeping tablets. What with his voice, and the format’s sheer lack of variety, as one boyband wannabe follows another, this is going to be a long eight weeks.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Barlow has said it will avoid the nastiness of other talent shows, and Nice Gary is true to his word. Even if it doesn’t make you sick, I am not sure all the generosity and goodwill is the best idea.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“This Sixties detective drama has become the most gripping and satisfying crime thriller on TV, as well as a superb period piece.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail