TV Critics: Moone Boy; Horizon; Modern Family; My Mad Fat Diary

“Moone Boy has somehow stumbled upon the comedic elixir of intense likeability. The semi-autobiographical storyline, indeed the presence of Chris O’Dowd at all could seem indulgent, but Moone Boy has winning charm.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“Moone Boy is made for the 12-year-olds who might identify with Martin Moone. But it’s also for the 12-year-old in all of us.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Moone Boy is imaginitively spun and its details pop with punchlines. O’Dowd and his old mate and co-writer Nick Vincent Murphy have done a really good job.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

“Last night’s Horizon was an excellent exploration of the placebo effect. As TV, it was a little less dry than some of the films in the strand can be, mainly because it is awfully good fun watching people being lied to and then acting on that false information.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“Despite some unnecessarily ominous narration from Steven Berkoff, this was a quietly fascinating examination of how the brain reacts to expectations of wellbeing.”
Tim Dowling, The Guardian

“The Power Of The Placebo dragged on so long that any beneficial effects had worn off well before the end. The central point was that people feel better because we’re all credulous children at heart. Perhaps that’s why actor Steven Berkoff narrated it as if reading a fairy tale to four-year-olds.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It seems as if the body wants to get better and if we can find some way of triggering that process, a lot of drugs might be unnecessary. One wonders what the pharmaceutical industry will do then.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Some people say Modern Family just keeps getting better; others insist it peaked halfway through season two. But really it’s as sturdy as ever – funny, tightly wrought, adaptable and eager to please.”
Tim Dowling, The Guardian

“It was a beautifully choppy story that used the show’s UDSP – commentary to camera from each of the family members – perfectly. Funny, touching, neat.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

“Sharon Rooney was natural and affecting as Rae. Her performance should provoke a painful twinge of recognition in even the most grown-up grown-ups, yet this is still a programme to make you wish yourself young again.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent