TV Critics: Top Gear; Lethal Weapon; Five Gold Rings

“If a few clunking elements still need tinkering with, the all new Top Gear nonetheless impressed as it left the starting grid. This was a roaring return – and a vast improvement on last year’s car-crash attempt at reinventing the wheel.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph

“The new series of Top Gear isn’t firing on all cylinders yet, but it is at least a handbrake swerve away from last year’s potential crash.”
Nick Mitchell, The i

“When you’ve invented the wheel, you know the odd change of driver doesn’t matter, and the snags will get ironed out, one way or another. The new Top Gear is safe as Volvos and definitely getting there.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“A good trip, imaginative and potentially amusing. And it looks fabulous. Trouble is, it’s exactly the kind of thing Clarkson, Hammond and May used to do. I’m sorry, M LeB, but it’s bloody hard to watch without thinking about what was before.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Lethal Weapon, despite its bountiful if bloodless violence, is curiously relaxing. It may be the one decent scheduling move ITV made all last week.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“Phillip Schofield wants us all to play along with his new gameshow by downloading an app to our tablets and smartphones. It’s a clever plan, because if we’re struggling to synchronise our iPads with the television, we might not notice that Five Gold Rings is nothing more than a game of electronic hoopla.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail