26 June '12

“It’s not so much a reinvention as a layering process. Coogan knows we know Partridge, so he doesn’t waste time or insult his audience by writing unnecessary scenes to re-establish his character: rather it feels as if we are starting where we last left off and the pleasure comes from Partridge continuing to reveal more of himself than he actually intended.”
John Crace, The Guardian

“Real Partridge purists, though, may have felt that offered an image of the programme itself, which started confidently but later had some difficulty keeping its head above water. It wasn’t that it wasn’t funny – there were wonderful moments all the way through. It was just that it was muddled and a little impure, in a way the Iannucci-scripted series almost never were.” 
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

“The writing has to be commended for its succinct truthfulness, but really it’s Coogan’s delivery that amplifies that truth. His every facial twitch, his every semi-tone of vocal pitch was so finely tuned it could have guided missiles.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

“It had its moments and I suspect it will be a show that creeps up on its audience rather than wows it from the off. Personally, though, I could have done with a few more laughs.”
John Crace, The Guardian

“It’s a bit all over the place formally, dropping in animationvvvs and sketch-like sequences featuring two nuns (one of whom is played by Burke herself). But the mood is consistent throughout – deeply affectionate for the child she was.”
Tom Sutcliffe, The Independent

“It’s written mainly as the stream of consciousness of her teenage self – a whimsical tone that not everyone will love.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

“It’s an inspired piece of writing and casting, as it moves the Yes Minister/The Thick of It political sitcom on from the standard format of blundering minister and devious, more intelligent, spin doctors.” 
John Crace, The Guardian

“As Louis-Dreyfus and her team pour all shades of incompetence over her Vice Presidential duties, we may bemoan the lack of a sweary Malcolm Tucker. But there are more subtle currents at play here.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

“It was a delight, primarily because of the people taking part but also because of its refreshing approach to the most maligned state in the Middle East.”
Virginia Blackburn, The Express