Howards End; Alan Shearer: Dementia, Football and Me; The Queen’s Favourite Animals

“The decision to have the American writer Kenneth Lonergan adapt it paid off, as the clarity of his approach seemed unencumbered by preconceptions of Forster’s novel and his analysis of the tectonic shifts of British class and society. This was a drama that radiated quality at every turn.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“Lonergan has definitely captured Forster’s subtly perceptive yet warmly human tone and if he and director Hettie Macdonald can up the tempo a little as the plot thickens, this could rank among the BBC’s finest literary forays.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“It’s a lively, nuanced adaptation that fizzes with energy, the naturalistic dialogue at times feeling almost modern.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It feels as if, perhaps, I’m not the only person who hasn’t read Howards End. This adaptation seems to have been knocked up from a plot summary.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“The production, like novelist E.M. Forster’s original, was a static affair. The characters spent most of their time sitting at tables or in audiences, or reclining on chaises longues and feather mattresses.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Shearer is a bit awkward, doesn’t have Gary Lineker’s ease and wit. But he’s serious, engaged and engaging, and proves he can make the step up from Match of the Day punditry and go it alone.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Shearer was more relaxed and engaging than in his Match of the Day punditry role, where he can come across as dull. He cracked self-deprecating jokes about his lack of both intelligence and hair, and was warm and sympathetic with the families of dementia suffers. Shearer might not be the most charismatic presenter but he was admirably impassioned.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Shearer’s presenting style may not be up there with the greats, but the light humour derived from his happy-to-be-there manner manages to cast some lighter moments in a documentary centred on a worrying subject.”
Alex Nelson, The i

“I love an animal show as much as the next human but I did wonder how The Queen’s Favourite Animals, which everyone knows to be a) horses and b) dogs, could stretch to an hour. The answer was with difficulty, many talking heads and enough filler for a petrol station baguette.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Most of the documentary was padding and filler. It was a 30-minute show, dragged out for three times that long. And it still managed to skate over the most interesting bits.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail