TV Critics: Christian Louboutin; Aquarius; The TV That Made Me; Scrappers

“Luckily, you didn’t have to be overawed by Louboutin’s creative process to find this year-in-the-life snapshot amusing. Toast of London’s Tracy-Ann Oberman delivered the need-to-know info in a voiceover as arch as the angle of those famous red soles.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“The producers had been hoping for plenty of celebrity stories, but Louboutin was so pretentious that he claimed doctor-patient privilege kept his clients’ secrets sacrosanct. Nobody contradicted the 52- year-old Louboutin, least of all this nauseatingly sycophantic documentary.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Luckily for the film, Christian himself is entertaining and amusing; a little ridiculous, sure, as you’d expect and want – but he even shows signs of a self-awareness that is rare in his world.”
Sam Wollaston, the Guardian

“Aquarius can’t claim to be breaking any new ground, but for crime-drama enthusiasts on the look out for something new, it makes for an interesting enough riff on that old favourite formula.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“An opening episode that gave a complex, contradictory period a messy, superficial treatment. Racism, sexism, homophobia and sexual violence were addressed as a grubby box-ticking exercise rather than as individual issues worthy of in-depth exploration. This may yet come in future episodes, of course, but the signs weren’t promising.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“This afternoon assembly of clips and reminiscences may be as light as a Victoria sponge but it’s interesting how many of the choices say something about the guests and which television shows they were most hooked on.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Apart from the broad Bolton accent (which I suspect BBC producers find highly amusing) there is nothing remarkable about this reality show that returns for a second run. I’m not one for scrapping the licence fee but I’d cheerfully demand a refund for this.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express