“The first task of any TV drama is to tell a good story, and in this, Say Nothing excels”
Say Nothing, Channel 4
“A history, a tragedy, at times a caper as well as a brutal thriller, Say Nothing is a sensational amalgam. The first task of any TV drama is to tell a good story, and in this, Say Nothing excels… It is a bravura tapestry, with none of the characters underwritten and all of them superbly played.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph
“There are two ways of looking at The Marvellous Miniature Workshop. One is to consider that it sounds … a bit weird? A bit of a reach? Are miniatures really a thing? The other is to look at the premise and shout: ‘Making models of rooms and buildings that look like the originals but teeny-weeny?! This is all my Christmasses come at once!’ It is for all those of us in the second group that the workshop exists.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
“The Marvellous Miniature Workshop delivers an ambitious twist on The Repair Shop, tapping into our memories to release the emotions. Instead of fixing a tattered teddy or broken bicycle, Sara Cox’s team of model-makers consult archive photos as they reconstruct a place from the past — a 1960s hospital, a colliery, a schoolroom, even a former family home. The format could easily be extended to fill an hour at primetime, with two builds per episode. It would be a mistake to attempt three, though, because the pleasure of the show is in its careful slowness. To rush it would spoil everything.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail
Mammoth, BBC2
“Yes we can laugh at this swaggering alpha’s outmoded tastes and borderline offensive views. But the beauty of this series is that the comedy flows both ways: when Mammoth looks aghast at the things that pass for normal in 2020s Britain, it can be hard to deny that he has a point.”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian
“I have no idea what younger viewers would make of this. They probably wouldn’t laugh once, partly because they’re so po-faced and partly because you really need to understand the references and enjoy wallowing in the nostalgia. Angel Delight for dessert. Demis Roussos on the record player. A bar in the living room complete with optics. Mammoth waxing lyrical not just about an episode of The Professionals, but a specific episode featuring Keith Barron. It’s like one of those ‘Do you remember Spangles?’ shows you get on Channel 5, but with jokes. A winning combination.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph
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