“This surprisingly touching programme was billed as a one-off but felt like a pilot for a potential full series.”

My Millionaire Migrant Boss

My Millionaire Migrant Boss, Channel 4

“This frothy yet thoughtful documentary was a sort of Apprentice for jobseekers. It even starred a shouty, bearded businessman who hauled himself up by the bootstraps. This surprisingly touching programme was billed as a one-off but felt like a pilot for a potential full series.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Find a handful of unemployed British people and make a formulaic documentary designed to confirm lazy stereotypes. This, at least, is what My Millionaire Migrant Boss seemed intent upon during its first half. Then it surprised me. Three of the four showed potential once they had been found jobs that suited them. It was a happy ending, although as a general lesson I’m not sure it told us anything at all.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It was easy to fall for the patter here and think: ‘Yeah, lazy kids, lazy Brits, no wonder no one wants them.’ It wasn’t that simple though. It’s not about one group of people being hard-working and one group lazy (how could it be?), it’s down to what you need and whether you need it more than the other guy.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“I can’t say I warmed to Mr Koukash. Every time he appeared on screen, he reminded us that everything he owned — the luxury hotel, the racehorses, the mansion — had come from sheer hard work. He didn’t once mention the debt of gratitude he owed to Britain, for giving him a haven and a chance to make his fortune.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“An episode so box-of-frogs mad that I’m unsure where to begin. Was Kay Mellor having a private bet to see how far she could push it before ITV said: ‘But with respect, Kay, this is horseshit’? There were so many farfetched twists it made Carry On films look convincing.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

Stacey Dooley: Face to Face with ISIS, BBC3

“BBC3 has carved out a solid reputation for documentaries about serious minded, youth-friendly issues, fronted by such names as Dooley, Reggie Yates and Professor Green. This half-hour film felt disjointed and lacked a driving thesis. Its two key clashes, however, made it worth the entrance fee.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

Restaurant Rescue, C5

“This format isn’t as immediately appealing as Alex’s hotel show, where she gives a make-over to bed-and-breakfasts so awful that they make Bates’s Motel from Psycho look enticing. But the desperate restaurateurs at Riobello, Amanda and Giovanni, were in such deep shtuck that it seemed nothing could save them — and that makes for addictive viewing.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

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