Kathy Burke: Growing Up; The Bay

“In a world where every other 58-year-old female celebrity is doing their best to look 38, Burke’s attitude is admirable, and her cheery jokes about the reality of ageing are funny. She is an interesting and interested person. She swears like a trooper but she’s not gobby or rude like Miriam Margolyes, whose programmes are superficially similar.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“It’s a perfect example of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ television. It passes the time. It occasionally makes you almost think. Burke remains great company. If you hanker for more, you can get it elsewhere with a few clicks of the remote.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The research here wasn’t exactly exhaustive. Much of it was Burke knocking for old pals such as Jennifer Saunders (64) and Bill Bailey (58), and asking: ‘How do you feel about being an old twat?’ Not scientific, but at least it was amusing.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Her investigations were laced with coarse humour and frequently funny enough to make me snort.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“DS Jenn Townsend (Marsha Thomason) is a detective with no distinguishing features. Thomason arrived in the last series as a replacement for Morven Christie, and her character is a void. So the show is entirely dependent on the strength of the crime at its centre, and the cast involved in that storyline. Thankfully, Joe Armstrong has been cast as Dean Metcalf, whose wife has died in an arson attack at their home. Armstrong, son of Alun, is an actor who draws the eye in whatever role he plays – intense but never showboating. He is the strongest card that The Bay has to play this series.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Previous series of this crime drama have been leaden with virtue-signalling characters and storylines. This time, writer Daragh Carville has set political correctness aside and concentrated on strong characters with plenty of secrets — and The Bay is far better for it.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The Bay has always seemed to me like an M&S frock: functional, well-made and does its job, but you’re never going to get very excited about it. This new series, however, seems to offer extra flair and finesse.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The Bay isn’t in the same class as Unforgotten. It’s the sort of crime drama described by critics as ‘serviceable’ – the kind of show that passes the time agreeably enough if the alternative is staring into space (or at your phone). This was certainly an improvement on the last series – more settled at least – but there’s a distance to go before it can truly deserve the accolade of ‘Broadchurch North’.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i