TV Critics: Bad Education; The Woman Who Woke Up Chinese; Great British Bake Off; Trauma; New Tricks

“It’s scattergun stuff, but the clearly gifted Whitehall should trust his writing and the performances to carry the comedy more. He resorts to off-colour, physical gags too often here, but that may be just start-of-term hijinks. Shows promise.”
The Independent, Alice Jones

“I fear that it’s all been bolted together with lazy stereotypes. The same laughs are repeated again and again, which makes the jokes increasingly thin. It’s not the worst sitcom around by any means, but it so easily could have been a lot better. A missed opportunity.”
John Crace, The Guardian

“Whitehall’s script included some well-directed jibes at Michael Buble and Mumford and Sons. But more than often, the gags were puerile and unoriginal: poo jokes, accidental nudity and Alfie getting into an unfortunate position with a life-size doll. Only two series in, Bad Education is already recycling plotlines.”
The Telegraph, Judith Welikala 

“The programme demonstrated that you do not have to be a professional speaker to value your voice- although you do need to suffer its loss before you really understand how much it defines you. It is not what you say, it is the way you say it.”
The Times, Andrew Billen

“One of the more classy examples of genre, even if the title is misleading. The film raised interesting questions of how far identity, and attractiveness, are tied to one’s voice but in trying to answer them it fell prey to journey-itis, the television-maker’s desire to trace a satisfying arc.”
The Independent, Alice Jones

“I would like it even more without hosts Mel and Sue, whose act proves that puns are as poor an ingredient of genuine wit as cornflour is to genuine custard. People are surprised that cookery shows do not encourage home cooking. I am surprised any GBBO viewer ever again dares bake so much as a Betty Crocker cupcake.”
The Times, Andrew Billen

“Truly pointless, a programme idea so feeble and so old. Imagine all the other compilation shows of old TV adverts you’ve seen over the years. This was exactly the same.”
The Guardian, John Crace

“There was nothing that hadn’t been shown many times before, yet it is a formula that never fails. I’m not sure if it’s because I can’t help watching and thinking of what fine margins we all live by or whether it’s that these human dramas are far more moving, stomach-churning and gripping than anything else on TV. But they get to me every time and I can’t not watch them.”
John Crace, The Guardian

“Indeed this was an episode full of corkers. There were some rather moving moments too. It is rare that New Tricks can be accused of emotional depth but this was certainly the case this week. And Nicholas Lyndhurst as Danny, the new boy on the team, is an absolute revelation, settling in perfectly.”
Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express