The Gilded Age; Jack Dee’s Help Me Tiny Big Brain

“After a slow-burning start, where The Gilded Age was inessential viewing, the HBO show hit its straps last year. The fourth series continues to exude confidence. The stakes are higher, the plotting more pacey, and it’s even playful enough for eyebrow-raising celebrity cameos (there is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance from Matt Damon and David Letterman in the opening episode). The finale sees the arrival of The OC’s Peter Gallagher as the Van Rhijns’ new neighbour and love interest. No fighting over him, ladies. The show’s flaws remain. Fellowes isn’t renowned for the subtlety of his dialogue. Stilted lines clunk and thud inelegantly, like hob-nailed boots at a ball. The wily women continue to outshine the mediocre men. Arch exchanges between Coon, Baranski and Cynthia Nixon are far more fun than boring old business meetings. Every cup of tea comes with a slice of cake, a sidelong look and a saucer of passive-aggressive barbs.”
Michael Hogan, Telegraph

“Why Lord Fellowes, the mastermind behind Downton Abbey, decided to permit his show to be used as a toy for a couple of Hollywood celebs is anyone’s guess. The original intention of The Gilded Age, when it first aired in 2022, was to dissect and satirise America’s most privileged people. But what more blatant abuse of privilege could there be than to elbow your way into a high-prestige historical drama? If Letterman and Damon had wanted speaking roles, those would undoubtedly have been available. Perhaps the duo decided against, knowing Lord F’s reputation for solid tin dialogue.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“A doctor with a fully qualified moustache races up a carriageway towards an immaculate stately home. “I fear we should have sent for you sooner!” says the lady who greets him on the doorstep as the screams of a woman in drug-free labour rattle the windows in their frames. Oh, ya think? is not Dr Moustache’s reply. When this many cliches assemble so quickly, it can only mean one thing: Brownstone Abbey – AKA Julian Fellowes’ Revenge, AKA What Did We Do to Deserve This?, AKA The Gilded Age if you insist on its official title – is back for a fourth and, no one has said let alone promised, final season.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Watched as family viewing with kids, this is no less daft than the Netflix phenomenon Floor Is Lava, but as viewing for grown-ups it’s really only the occasional glimmers of Dee’s cynical side that offer any reason to watch. “Before the break our big brains were cracking number sequences while their comedians were placing balls onto receptacles with a vacuum cleaner,” he says in presenter mode, adding drily, “I, of course, was phoning my agent.””
James Jackson, The Times