The Fortune; The Vardys

“A plea to TV writers: if you’re worried the opening of your thriller isn’t strong enough, change it. Don’t cheat by starting with a glimpse of the ending. Russell T. Davies did it on Sunday night with Tip Toe on Ch4, showing us a body hanging from a lamppost on a Manchester street before flashing up a caption that read, ‘Ten days earlier’. The same trick was played at the start of The Fortune, as a shadowy figure crept onto a boat moored at the dockside and, aiming a pistol with a silencer at another shadowy figure, pulled the trigger. Then we spiralled back to the real beginning of the story — which was, in fact, a more original and interesting set-up. Fraught businessman Denis Lawson kissed his wife and son goodbye, before setting off to a hotel … where he unpacked his suitcase, checked his phone, ran a bath and blew his brains out. To lose an actor of Lawson’s quality in the first five minutes is a blow, but The Fortune has an exceptional cast.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Anthony suspects his dad and Amanda were having an affair (they clearly weren’t). Could Martin be Amanda’s real father? A bit obvious, surely, for a four-parter. One of the best performances in this largely hammy tale is that of Paula Wilcox as Amanda’s mother, who is in a care home with dementia (the confused old lady part seems to be the fate of all older actresses eventually). She seems to have known Martin, though initially she thought he was Bruce Forsyth from the photo, a rare moment of humour in a largely humourless drama. Is she the key to everything? And what is going on with Amanda’s lacklustre partner, Jimmy (Matthew Lewis), who seems to be harbouring secrets of his own. Do you care? After some thought I’m afraid I have decided that I don’t.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The Fortune comes from the makers of last year’s The Feud, and it is a vast improvement. Unfortunately, The Feud – a drama about a kitchen extension – was pure folderol, so the bar here is limbo-dance low. In the spirit of coming to praise, not to bury, I would note that it is impressive to have cast both Stephen Tompkinson and Eleanor Tomlinson in the leads. Presumably Katherine Parkinson, John Hodgkinson and Greg Donaldson were unavailable. In addition, I will say that there is something strangely compelling about second-guessing what’s going to happen and very often being right. When the US series 24 was a monster-hit back in the early Noughties, people used to play a drinking game, downing a shot each time Kiefer Sutherland said, “Dammit Chloe!” You could try something similar with The Fortune and Eleanor Tomlinson asking what is happening to her. It will at least provide an escape.”
Benji Wilson, Telegraph

“If you are tuning in to the new three-part reality show The Vardys you will be disappointed. There’s nothing missing from that sentence. Whatever the reasons or expectations you have for tuning in, you will be disappointed. This is because it is very bad and very boring. That will make every viewer down in the mouth. Those who tune in for more specific reasons – being a fan of Leicester City’s beloved former striker-god Jamie V or wanting to hear Rebekah V’s take on the “Wagatha Christie” libel case she brought against and lost to Coleen Rooney – will be even more let down.”
Lucy Mangan. The Guardian

“While Jamie mutters drily from beneath a baseball cap, the refreshingly unfiltered Rebekah displays a neat turn of phrase. “He’s my rock,” she says. “And like any rock, you occasionally have the urge to pick it up and throw it through the window.” There’s an amusing moment when she spots his unfortunate trouser bulge during a photoshoot and intervenes to save everyone’s blushes. Odd flashes of insight aside, the couple might be warm and likeable but their uneventful series lacks sufficient soapy intrigue. Wagatha Christie might merely be a subplot, but it’s by far the most gripping storyline here. Is it too late to commission Birkins at Dawn instead?”
Michael Hogan, Telegraph

“For fans of Jamie Vardy this might be an interesting series since there is a lot of football in it. Otherwise, we watch a lot about how their children struggle with the move to a luxury villa in Italy and are homesick. There is too much theatrical nonsense about how she can’t get baked beans there. (As a family friend said, they transported a piano to Italy so it can’t be difficult to import a few tins of beans. Quite.) In fairness, there is a horrible bit when their villa is robbed and their jewellery stolen, which must have been frightening. But Vardy pointing out the difficulties of their private-plane millionaire lifestyle does feel, to quote Friends’ Chandler Bing, slightly like complaining your diamond shoes are too tight.”
Carol Midgley, The Times