Secret Agent Selection; Marcella; Kiss Me First

“It’s a bit like The Apprentice, only instead of the prize being some cash from Alan Sugar, winners get the chance to carry out a bit of state-sponsored murder and sabotage. It was all quite fun and the historical snippets were interesting, particularly the sparse bits of information about real agents.”
Emine Saner, The Guardian

“In between the challenges we were treated to the stirring stories of real-life SOE members, which will prompt some to suggest that under all the souped-up Krypton Factor razzmatazz there was a fascinating documentary to be made. Not me though. Next week the surviving candidates learn hand-to-hand combat. Can’t wait.”
Chris Bennion, The Times

“Inviting the likes of bankers and coppers, translators and drama teachers to measure themselves against the past, Secret Agent Selection is a very contemporary contribution to our nostalgia for vanished certainties. They could have completed the picture by filming the whole thing in black and white. Overall, it was stilted, but quite spiffing.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“The wartime agents were pioneers, inventing the rules for undercover ops. This five-part series respects their history. It doesn’t seek to stir up artificial conflicts between the contestants (unlike Bear Grylls’s atrocious The Island on C4) and there’s no fake emotion when people are sent home — just a curt ‘goodbye’.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Last night some splendid case notes paid tribute to those heroes. As with all good snippets though, you were left wanting more. Instead you got the unreal reality show, a bunch of hopefuls doing assault courses and team-building exercises and blubbing to the camera.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“The final episode confirmed Marcella as the most ludicrously over-the-top detective series ever committed to screen.”
Sarah Hughes, The i

“The creation of Hans Rosenfeldt, who brought us The Bridge, it has imported the Nordic noir template into English: vastly afflicted female detective wrestles with her demons while hunting down a serial killer fired by a higher purpose. It’s bonkers, but let’s face it, Marcella has rejoiced in its own full-pelt absurdity. And Friel has the big eyes to do bonkers.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“Kiss Me First echoes chilling news stories about online challenges in which young players are taunted to suicide. But the virtual world could also be a metaphor for superstrong synthetic drugs: first soothing and seductive, then lethally addictive. If you’re looking for something different on TV, try this.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail