TV critics' verdict on programmes - including Channel 4's shock documentary Half Ton Mum - broadcast on 2 January 2008

Half Ton Mum, C4
“The film itself wanted to have its cake and eat it, a zero-calorie enterprise that nonetheless left you feeling a little guilty about consuming it.”
Thomas Sutcliffe, The Independent

Half Ton Mum, C4
“Most people watching aren't worrying about the obesity issue and its implications. No, they're thinking: ‘Eurrggh, that is really gross, but also weirdly fascinating.' The film is about satisfying that gruesome fascination. Fat porn, basically.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

Half Ton Mum, C4
“Those ridiculous titles for documentaries that Channel 4 is so keen on are jolting, if not outright offensive. But Half Ton Mum was sad, and sensitively told.”
Tim Teeman, The Times

My Fake Baby, C4
“My face remained frozen for the duration of My Fake Baby.”
Tim Teeman, The Times

My Fake Baby, C4
“It was harmless, said one woman: ‘Men collect toy planes - what's the difference?' The programme seemed to take her word for it, because we never learnt what motivated its subjects.”
Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph

Lockdown, Five
“This could have been a revealing and insightful documentary, but it was spoilt by a really unpleasant tone.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

Lockdown, Five
“A hushed commentary and grainy footage of prison yard stabbings created the impression that these weren't really humans, but super-violent predatory beasts.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Three Men in Another Boat, BBC2
“Behind it all was the assumption that I ought to care, though, because the people making this harmless, pointless and largely dull journey were famous; and everything famous people do is worth watching.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Three Men in Another Boat, BBC2
“If I'd been the producer of Three Men in Another Boat, I'd have been tempted to shove Rory McGrath overboard.”
Michael Deacon, Daily Telegraph

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