TV Critics: Brits Behind Bars; The Last Man on Earth; Britain’s Nuclear Secrets; Plant Odysseys; Epilepsy and Me

“Brits Behind Bars: Cocaine Smugglers gained remarkable access to the Peruvian drugs trade. Director Dimitri Collingridge and producer/cameraman Guillermo Galdos evidently have remarkable powers of persuasion. But all this terrific material was put to somewhat unfocused use.”
Jane Shilling, The Telegraph

“The insight that Channel 4’s Brits Behind Bars: Cocaine Smugglers provided into every level of this hierarchy was truly impressive. I’ve seen documentaries about grocery shops with less access than this.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“If this sitcom is to keep momentum beyond the first few episodes, it will need to come up with some more ideas even stronger than a booze-filled paddling pool. Until then, it can at least claim to be one of the more original new shows on television.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“The production values, reminiscent of Breaking Bad, are high, but the jokes low. Also the premise is old and frequently revived, as by ITV2’s Cockroaches this year.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“Jim Al-Khalili explains everything from the original principles of atomic power to its future applications with his usual clarity, never once patting the collective head or aiming clear over the top of it.”
Julia Raeside, The Guardian

“A thrilling, sometimes chilling social history of the Brits and their atom splits, from the first paper-and-string attempts to build an A-bomb to the weighty, almost philosophical issues today’s nuclear authorities face in tackling the management of waste.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“This is when an evening in front of the telly feels like time spent in enjoyable self-improvement, as educative as reading a book. There was no padding in the show: the series’ only real fault is that these half-hour episodes could easily stretch to an hour and never be dull.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The film unflinchingly displayed an enclosed society that I had never for a moment considered. Such drizzly, low-key, necessary documentaries will not appear on television once BBC Three has its budget knackered.”
Andrew Billen, The Times