“Robb journeyed to Salahuddin’s new home in east London, where he found things not quite as he expected.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.

My Brother the Islamist, BBC3

“It was a gripping yet rather depressing film, made by a chap called Robb Leach, who grew up in sunny Weymouth to become a tree surgeon, while his step-brother, Rich, grew up to become a jihadist called Salahuddin.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

“Leech got understandably cross by how stepbrother Rich shook his hand. Since Rich became a Muslim less than a year ago, he only shakes the hands of so-called Kuffars (like Robb) with his left hand, which he uses for unclean activities such as wiping his bottom, reserving his right hand for greeting Islamic brothers.”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

“Trying to crack the enigma of his stepbrother’s conversion and rekindle the close relationship they once had, Robb journeyed to Salahuddin’s new home in east London, where he found things not quite as he expected.”
Matt Baylis, The Express

University Challenge, BBC2

“If there is any justification for University Challenge in 2011, it is as a rebuke to the presumption of dumbing down in education, not to mention to the increasing commodification of knowledge and the philistine overspecialisation that the rise in tuition fees will surely intensify.”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

Panorama: Finished at Fifty, BBC1

“Fiona Phillips met four unemployed fiftysomethings struggling to return to full-time employment. They are the tip of the iceberg: between now and 2015, according to Panorama, there will be 400,000 public sector redundancies, 60% of them people over 50.”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

Justice, BBC1

“Clever and witty, no doubt, but also a little disorienting, unfortunately. Still, with cuts being touted that would make BBC1 the Beeb’s only outlet for daytime programming, far better for it to have too much ambition than too little.”
Alex Hardy, The Times

Coronation Street, ITV1

“Last night we were treated to scenes reminiscent of a vintage sitcom as Tina hid from prying eyes of Rita under a blanket that made her sneeze.”
Matt Baylis, The Express

Timeshift: Crime & Punishment – The Story of Corporal Punishment, BBC4

“Rachel Jardine’s documentary explored other aspects of corporal punishment, focusing on how it has been used in schools, and also, through the centuries, on social miscreants.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

 

 

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