“Lord Reith, who would have hated it, might have coined his phrase ‘inform, educate and entertain' for The Wire.” Read on for the critics' full verdict on last night's TV.

The Wire, BBC2
“Lord Reith, who would have hated it, might have coined his phrase ‘inform, educate and entertain' for The Wire.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

The Wire, BBC2
“It was one of the most unhurried and potentially alienating opening episodes imaginable. And that's why I love The Wire: it assumes that you're intelligent and attentive enough to absorb something bereft of heavy-handedness, and refuses any concessions to the casual viewer. So don't be a casual viewer.”
Paul Whitelaw, The Scotsman

The Wire, BBC2
“BBC2 has now saved me the expense, so hats off to them. But hats back on regarding the transmission time: 11.20pm. Schedulers should have shown a little more daring, especially after the scorn heaped upon them a few years ago for shunting two other marvellous US imports, Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show, close to the witching hour.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

Japan: a Story of Love and Hate, BBC4
“Hallelujah for British director Sean McAllister's refreshingly perceptive film, Japan: A Story of Love and Hate, which picked apart the clichés to reveal the truth behind the regimented façade of Japanese city life.” Paul Whitelaw, The Scotsman

Japan: a Story of Love and Hate, BBC4
“This is a brilliant, original film. Man, is it depressing, though.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

Dispatches: The Trouble with Boris, C4
“Clearly, Antony Barnett had an agenda and adhered to it faithfully, finding example upon example of Boris saying one thing and doing another, or using honeyed rhetoric to conceal general cackhandedness. I imagine that there is also documentary evidence to suggest that Boris is a good thing.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

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