“Only the flintiest churl would look at this and find nothing to rejoice in.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.

THE HOUR, BBC2

“There are scenes in The Hour where the actors are so magnetic that it’s a wrench when they end… Only the flintiest churl would look at this and find nothing to rejoice in… What I wish would happen, though, just once in a while, is for a drama to have the confidence for not that much to happen.”
Zoe Williams, The Guardian

“The Hour was a very long one last night. Our newsroom heroes were trapped in a country-house party, surely the setting for some biting class humour. Not a bit of it.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

ANGRY BOYS, BBC3

“It appears that something has gone wrong with his self-edit process, or maybe someone else used to edit him and now that he’s successful they’re not allowed to. The main problem is that none of his characters is at all amusing… it’s all gong and no dinner: all taboo-breaking buildup, no actual joke.”
Zoe Williams, The Guardian 

TIMESHIFT: ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR, BBC4

“Our thrill as viewers came not just from the tour of yesteryear, with all its visual scintillation, but from the argument of the hour. Fascinating propositions and supporting evidence hit us constantly.”
Amol Rajan, The Independent

Topics