“A comic masterpiece, darkly lit.” Read on for the full verdict on last night’s TV.

Benefit Busters

Benefit Busters, Channel 4
“Hayley Taylor, star of the first episode of Benefit Busters, is both wonderful and appalling. She’s someone you want on your TV screen, but not in your life.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

Benefit Busters, Channel 4
“A three-part documentary that sounds worthy to the point of dullness. It was not. It was powerful, incendiary even, but most of all it was a comic masterpiece, darkly lit.”
Helen Rumbelow, The Times

Benefit Busters, Channel 4
“Within five minutes of meeting [Hayley Taylor], the women were bawling their eyes out, passing round the tissues and cups of milky tea. What followed was a curious mix of criticism and compliment… whereby they’re chastised for missed opportunities and cooed over for their choice of outfit.”
Alice-Azania Jarvis, The Independent

Benefit Busters, Channel 4
“This documentary offered a classic case of the end justifying the means. It might be a bit brash and American-looking. Some people might be making tasteless amounts of money out of human misery. But if the results is fewer lives spent wallowing on welfare, instead of busily fulfilled, then who minds?”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Benefit Busters, Channel 4
“Anyone who watched The League Of Gentlemen cannot help but find Benefit Busters reminding them of the foul restart officer played by Steve Pemberton, with her thick make-up, insincere encouragement of the job seekers (or “worthless dole scum”) and obsession with pens.”
Andrea Mullaney, The Scotsman

The Funny Side of the Animals
“What has happened to Clive Anderson? I have not been closely following his career, but has it come to this… Anderson tried to keep up the banter but his eyes were screaming.”
Helen Rumbelow, The Times

Dolce Vito – Dream Restaurant, Channel 4
“After my initial enthusiasm, I was rather disappointed by Cataffo’s performance last night… Still, at least we had some drama – in the form of Vito’s English chef engaging in a cook-off with an Italian. What’s that? He over-cooked it all? Let’s hope the same’s not true of Vito’s television career.”
Alice-Azania Jarvis, The Independent

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