TV critics' verdict on programmes - including the Channel 4 documentary The Queen’s Wedding - broadcast on 29 November 2007

The Queen’s Wedding, C4
“I have a loyal suggestion for the House of Windsor: given that their current brand is so tarnished, and that they’ve never been shy of re-branding in the past [ -] why not change their name to the House of Tiny Tearaways? Not only does it have proven popularity, but it isn’t at all a bad description.”
Robert Hanks, The Independent

The Queen’s Wedding, C4
“A typical Channel 4 romp through the archive footage with its agenda fully to the fore.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Daily Telegraph

The Queen’s Wedding, C4
“This was a fascinating if incomplete documentary.”
Tim Teeman, The Times

The Street, BBC1
“Last night’s episode was beautifully written and clever [ -] It’s a street to live on only for those with a high drama threshold.”
Tim Teeman, The Times

The Street, BBC1
“This was superbly crafted drama, every cog whirring in harmony with the next. Even the minor characters had major roles to play, each reflecting something important back about another. The closing scene in which Cath embraced the redeemed Ian - an exact replica of an earlier scene in which Jan had hugged her doomed son - was a masterclass in how to pack a memorable closing punch. In a season that, apart from this and Cranford, has been woefully short on quality TV drama, it was a relief to be reminded just how good an hour of television can be.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Daily Telegraph

All New House of Tiny Tearaways, BBC3
“ -the programme has some real value, and isn’t just a gawp-fest. Almost.”
Robert Hanks, The Independent

Sold, ITV1
“Imagine if they did seventies prison sitcom Porridge now. Over-crowding, record rates of mental illness and heroin addiction, radical preachers stirring up hate. Doesn’t sound all that funny does it? And that’s the problem with Sold as well. The tale of the one good estate agent, determined to triumph by honest means alone, as opposed to the reptilian tactics of his colleagues, has a certain appeal. Or it would do, if you could ignore what was going on in the real world.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Lead Balloon, BBC2
“It’s ironic [ -] to call a show that’s genuinely very unfunny, something like lead balloon. It’s ironic, too, to call its main character - played by Jack Dee - Rick Spleen, when Rick doesn’t really vent any spleen, he just twitters in a low-key, irritating fashion, like a radio you’ve left on in an upstairs room.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

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