TV Critics: Brexit; Brief Encounters; Mascara Boys; Naked Attraction; Eden

“There was perhaps little in this concise recap that you didn’t know or at least felt you knew. Yet it was impossible not to get sucked into the insider titbits. The film was a fair view of things, explained with clarity.”
James Jackson, The Times

“If you have been watching eagle-eyed over the dramatic events that have unfolded in the past eight weeks, much of this documentary will seem like old news. But it did shed some light on a few issues.”
Daisy Wyatt, The i

“Laura Kuenssberg didn’t consider how one consequence of Brexit may be Scottish independence, though that is surely a fascinating front in the Battle for Britain. Instead, she anatomised the whole Eton mess of the last months – the tears, fears, posh-boy betrayals, lies and creative accountancy by means of which Britain has been torn into acrimonious shreds thanks to self-serving ghouls masquerading as our selfless betters.”
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

“It’s unlikely to win any prizes for profundity but Brief Encounters delivered again and again on what many viewers want but rarely get from TV drama – strong emotion and a good laugh.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“The more the beefy emotional stories reached their peak, the less the Ann Summers set-up seemed relevant, and more like a cringe-making sideshow. The set-up – the least important, least watchable part of every episode – dooms the show to being like an ill-advised purchase in the lingerie department. Displayed, taken off, never repeated.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Mascara Boys: Sex Me Up at times offered a poignant look at how the bullied can turn to plastic surgery to cover up their vulnerabilities. But it was mainly a freak show.”
Daisy Wyatt, The i

“Like any addiction, once you start with the grooming and the Botox, you can disappear down a rabbit-hole of self-obsession. As such, this hour of Topshop telly had cautionary value for teenage boys. Yet no psychologist or sociologist was on hand to explore deeper issues.”
James Jackson, The Times

“When it began to screen last month, Eden looked like the set-up for a tawdry reality gameshow, full of exhibitionists acting out scripted dilemmas. Unexpectedly, it makes engrossing television. This is an intelligent bunch of idealists, determined to build a self-sufficient community.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Channel 4’s confusing remake of Free Willy marched on to a third episode, oblivious, it seemed, to the howls, hoots and widespread consensus that this naked dating show represented a final harbinger of the apocalypse. It is surely safe to declare Naked Attraction one of Channel 4’s most exploitative forays to date.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph