'The silliness of the programme was a shame, because there is a point to be made here.' Read on for the critics' full verdict on last night's TV.

Cutting Edge: Cotton Wool Kids, C4
“We need to stop worrying about the kids and start making more shows like this that exploit the comedy value in a crazily neurotic parent.”
Helen Rumbelow, The Times

Cutting Edge: Cotton Wool Kids, C4
“The silliness of the programme was a shame, because there is a point to be made here: we do protect our children too much.”
Robert Hanks, The Independent

Cutting Edge: Cotton Wool Kids, C4
“... in spite of opening up an interesting debate, this programme didn't do a lot with it.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Arena: The Strange Luck of VS Naipaul, BBC4
“... fine Arena film.”
Robert Hanks

Arena: The Strange Luck of VS Naipul, BBC4
“The subject is given a smooth ride, which is OK, except that if anyone deserves a bit of a going-over it's Naipaul. Race, women, prostitutes - they do get a mention, but only briefly. His playground spat with Paul Theroux is ignored. Instead Naipaul moans on about his Nobel not being properly recognised in this country, he tells us how he couldn't damage other people, how much he cares for animals, and how wonderful his agent is for quadrupling his earnings.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

Arena: The Strange Luck of VS Naipul, BBC4
“Not that the director's profile of the Nobel Laureate Naipul wasn't interesting. It's just that it was broadcast a week after the publication of a biography - The World Is What It Is by Patrick French - which contains revelations that somewhat overshadow Adam Low's interviews.”
Michael Deacon, The Daily Telegraph

In Search of Medieval Britain, BBC4
“Doubtless the goal was accessibility, a gentle run-in for BBC4's Medieval Season. But In Search of Medieval Britain satisified neither as a travelogue nor history lesson. It was just an empty factfile, offering no tangible or coherent sense of the world it set out to evoke.”
Gerard O'Donovan, The Daily Telegraph

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