Gone to Pot; The Boy with the Topknot

“Praise be that Gone to Pot: American Road Trip was ever thought up, and marvel that it came to pass. It is by far the funniest thing I’ve seen on TV this year. I’ll admit I was initially sceptical about the premise, but this is an instant classic.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Gone to Pot: American Road Trip was an odd TV show. Who needs marijuana when it felt like tripping to watch Christopher Biggins, having gorged on the devil’s lettuce, pulling a whitey and vomiting into towels on a psychedelic bus?”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Celebrity shows are a tried and tested formula for ITV, but Gone to Pot: American Road Trip pushes new, erm, psychedelic boundaries. It is more educational than your average celebrity show, and it’s certainly entertaining.”
Daisy Wyatt, The i

“None of the grizzled guinea pigs was inquisitive enough to ask any searching questions. I was curious for a little bit of science to explain precisely why a joint will help one’s joints, rather than just take a pot dispensary salesman’s word for it. Watching other people have fun is not always fun, and, really, this lot didn’t seem to have it anyway.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“Gone To Pot: American Road Trip was a hideous concept, a witless show that managed to be both boring and irresponsible, before taking a violent lurch down into the depths of bad taste. As coach trips go, I’d rather spend eight hours in a traffic jam with National Express than watch any more of this.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It was a relief to find that last night’s BBC drama did not embarrass the book, treating it with care (although it did get a bit schmaltzy at the end, as TV is wont to do). The most affecting thing about the book, aside from its exploration of mental illness, is its honesty. The drama captured that well.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“This was a beautifully done drama, where everything seemed spot on, especially Sathnam’s terraced family home in Wolverhampton, with its avocado bathroom suite and mustard yellow sofas. Although I don’t know too many journalists who can afford a flat in central London with a standalone bath.”
Daisy Wyatt, The i

“I was eager to surrender to this soul-searching and impeccably acted critique of multiculturalism. Under all the crude narrative scaffolding there was a moving story about a mother and a son edging towards mutual understanding.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“Mick Ford’s adaptation turned the hidden forces of family life into touching TV drama.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Sathnam’s girlfriend (Joanna Vanderham) was just a cardboard device, a fantasy female whose job was to ask the right questions and forgive everything. This drama promised a lot, but disappointed.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail