“They promise salvation while in fact being slavishly devoted to their own advancement.” Read on for the verdict on last night’s TV.

FATHER & SON, ITV1

“Beautifully written…laid out its stall with both bluntness and compassion. Unapologetically adult drama, exploring the cross-generational impact of gang violence without resorting to mawkishness or queasy tabloid moralising….Not that it was entirely immune to cliche.”
Sarah Dempster, The Guardian

“[Dougray] Scott’s accented Manchester bad guy, something produced with so much obvious personal pain and disbelief that it’s not surprising he forgets to act while he’s doing it. Jaded is certainly a good word for this gangland drama.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

MARY QUEEN OF SHOPS, BBC2

“I’ve had enough of intrusive, faux-saviour women telling poor people how to run their lives. They promise salvation while in fact being slavishly devoted to their own advancement.”
Amol Rajan, The Independent

“If there has ever been a TV makeover candidate less open to suggestion, I have yet to see her…The makeover may have flopped, but from the ashes of disaster rose one of the oddest and most gripping documentaries of the year. Extraordinary.”
Sarah Dempster, The Guardian

“Maher and Sons didn’t need a revamp: it just needed a couple of members of staff at the BBC to notice the place on their journey to the tube each day.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

DAVID JASON: THE SHOW MUST GO ON!, FIVE

“The show surpassed even my highest expectations…it was impossible not to warm to these spirited players, and to feel a little reassured by the existence of their association. You had to will their success, because of Jason.”
Amol Rajan, The Independent

“A slice of Middle England at its very best… the play was dreadful; but the audience loved it. And that, in the end, is what it’s all about.”
Sarah Vine, The Times

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