Sir Bruce: A Celebration; Call the Midwife; Putin: The New Tsar

“The Palladium was the fitting venue for a full-blown, spangles-and-banners, star-encrusted tribute to the original song-and-dance man. And like Brucie’s career, it got off to a slow start, before winning us over.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The show itself was glitzy, spectacular, occasionally a bit cheesy and sentimental but committed to offering a bit of everything in an hour and a bit. Much like the man himself, in other words. And as someone who’s usually pretty averse to these kind of celebrity eulogies, I have to say it worked well.”
Jeff Robson, The i

“It’s like a modern day Camelot, a round table of light entertainment; each paying their respects and expressing their love for a recently departed knight. There are further starry memories, from Claudia Winkleman, Bruno Tonioli and Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman and Anton de Beke. A fitting tribute, I think he would have enjoyed it.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Filmed at the London Palladium, the show began with tap-dancing, then moved to a musical montage of all Forsyth’s TV hits. If you ask me they could have just shown The Generation Game non-stop since this showcased all his skills: showman, dancer, singer and comedian, with those perfect sideways looks to camera. That they eventually gave that gig to Jim Davidson still defeats me.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Call the Midwife is a triumph: a series created by, starring and largely about women which has quietly become the BBC’s biggest drama. Fittingly, it’s now a nine-month wait until the Christmas special – but it’s bound to bring joy when it arrives.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Every week I summon all my cynicism, remind myself that it’s so often clichéd and twee and my tastes are far too sophisticated to fall for such shameless sentimentality, thank you very much. Then what happens? Forty minutes in, like millions of other viewers, I’m blubbing like a human snot machine. It’s mainstream mind control, that’s what it is.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“That Putin might be power-mad and regard himself as infallible was hardly an earth-shattering insight. It slightly took the gloss off what was otherwise an exemplary portrayal of a leader who, largely for ill it seems, has become one of the defining politicians of his age.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph

“It’s an excellent portrait of the man who is certainly going to win at the ballot box. It’s stuffed full of insight and anecdotes from a stellar cast of top-level pundits: foes, politicians, former ambassadors and allies.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian