“There were bits that were funny, in a way close to Alan Bennett. Apart from that, the whole thing was more or less relentlessly sad.” Read on for the critics' full verdict on last night's TV.

The Last Word Monologues, BBC1
“There were bits that were funny, in a way close to Alan Bennett. Apart from that, the whole thing was more or less relentlessly sad.”
Wiliam Leith, The Guardian

The Last Word Monologues, BBC1
“As far as last words are concerned, the only on that suits here is ‘dreary'.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

The Last Word Monologues, BBC1
“[It] left us with nothing to do, no gap to fill between appearance and reality. Nothing to laugh at all.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

The Last Word Monologues, BBC1
“If I had really believed in Hancock as a dying woman then I would have had a quiet blubber, but wonderful performance though it was, it was manifestly just that, a performance.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

Masterchef: The Professionals, BBC2
“It used to be about food, with a bit of ambition thrown in to liven it up. Now it's all about ambition.”
Wiliam Leith, The Guardian

Masterchef: The Professionals, BBC2
“The realisation that these toilers in professional kitchens were unable to follow a recipe well enough to make a reliable duck à l'orange or a chocolate mousse just distressed me.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

Pierrepoint, ITV1
“What made the real Pierrepoint so intriguing also made him irritating to watch.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

Comedy Lab: Headwreckers, C4
“These sketches contained nuances that cannot be conveyed on the page, but even with nuances they were about as funny as pleurisy.”
Brian Viner, The Independent

The Hairy Bakers, BBC2
“Emanated a sort of gentle happiness, and that's a real achievement.”
Wiliam Leith, The Guardian

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