TV Critics: Broadchurch; Richard Wilson on the Road; The Undateables

“Rampling v Baptiste in court is an enticing prospect for future episodes. But for now the pleasure comes from Tennant and Colman’s scenes together, forcing them together, each on the edge of disintegration, in settings including a ladies lavatory and a cemetery during an exhumation.”
Mark Lawson, The Guardian

“Same town, same characters, same success? As writer Chris Chibnall has admitted, the series was originally intended for just an eight-episode run and while the crumbling white cliffs are as spectacular as ever, the innocence of a close-knit community can only be shattered once. Without that shock, and with no new whodunnit to unravel, will the series remain as compelling? On the evidence of last night’s twist-packed opener, perhaps even more so.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Tennant and Olivia Colman were, as ever, terrific. Colman proved that no other actress is as good at utter emotional desolation, while Tennant was in a mercurial mood, reminiscent of his tenure in Doctor Who. Broadchurch continues to be a rich and complex tapestry which respects the viewer’s intelligence and commands you to become an armchair detective. Let’s hope the momentum can be maintained.”
Ben Lawrence, The Telegraph

“The script plunged straight back into the convoluted relationships that criss-crossed the first series. New viewers must have been baffled – even avowed fans would benefit from a refresher course, if not another run through the box set. The narrative took a tip from BBC1’s The Missing, ping-ponging between two timelines and helping viewers to spot the difference with the inventive use of hairstyles. In this case, it was Hardy’s beard – when he was investigating the Sandbrook disappearance of two teenage girls, he was clean-shaven.”
Christopher Stevens, The Daily Mail

“There’s something refreshing, if unrealistic about Richard Wilson on the Road. Armed with Shell guides from the thirties, Wilson, best known as Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave, is taking in the sights of Britain in a way people used to when driving was fun. And all without once losing his temper at a roundabout. Could a modern roadtrip be that harmonious? I don’t believe it!”
Matt Bayliss, The Daily Express

“There are now far too many of these programmes in which a TV personality of yesteryear invites us to tag along on their jolly hols. But the England that Wilson presented us is irresistible. That view of the viaduct from Monsal Head on a high summer’s day, certainly beats the view of a wet January high street as seen from my office”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“There is much debate about what is the most boring television show of all time. Historians point to Channel 4’s short-lived 1988 strand, Paint Drying. Then there was BBC Four’s dull early evening offering Doormats Through the Ages. And few retained consciousness sitting through the 2001 fly-on-the-wall documentary Inside the HMRC National Insurance Contributions Office (Self Employment Services). Even bluebottles have failed to recover from their torpor. Richard Wilson on the Road will give
them a run for their money”
Michael Pilgrim, The Telegraph

“Three years on, and the uneasiness that accompanied the first series of The Undateables has all but evaporated. Yes, that title is crass, and the potential for “freak show” style prurience is ever-present, but this is Channel 4; provocation is what they do. When it’s done well, as is usually the case in The Undateables, it increases the visibility of people with disabilities and the diversity on television in general and that’s all to the good.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Before last night, I’d never watched The Undateables, the show for people who have some sort of mental or physical setback and thus have difficulty dating. It has never appealed, partly because Channel 4’s penchant for marrying entertainment with diversity feels insensitive. I take it all back. This one has got the balance about right, because those taking part were allowed to reveal their characters and depth.”
Michael Pilgrim, The Telegraph