TV Critics: Class of ’92; Unforgotten; Shark Attack

“This two-part series on the fortunes of a non-league club could well have been balls, especially to a non-sports fan such as me, but I found it enthralling. Watching the amateurish SCFC outfit I thought, to recycle an old cliché, that this is ‘attractive football’, a glimpse of the game’s pioneering Victorian days when these now-global superbrands stood, paradoxically, for rather more than they do today.”
Sean O’Grady, The Independent

“It’s clear the class of ’92 consortium could have thrown a lot more money at Salford than they chose, and this is a big part of the story’s charm: big dreams on a small budget. Everybody wanted success, but nobody wanted what success might bring: change.”
Tim Dowling, The Guardian

“Whatever its makers’ original intentions (and I suspect they leant towards fish-out-of-water comedy), Class of ’92 ended up describing the familiar story arc of ambition, setback and triumph — and good luck to Salford in their FA Cup match against Notts County.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“Unforgotten has turned out to be a class act in every way: intelligent, beautifully written with tension hoiked up with every episode. Above all though the quality of the acting has been mesmeric.”
Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express

“Until now, we’ve been wondering why does a slow-burning drama about the death of a lost teenager so long ago demand such a cast? Last night we got the answer. It takes actors of this power to do justice to the emotional depth of the story, as memories of a long-buried crime return to rip lives apart. Next week’s climax will be unmissable.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Writer Chris Lang deserves credit for skilfully balancing a multitude of plots and characters but the upshot of having so many competing narratives in just six episodes is a lack of real investment in any of them, and a lack of time for the fine cast to shine. Perhaps Unforgotten will have a strong finish, though at the moment this feels like a series that has run out of puff before the finish line.”
Chris Bennion, The Telegraph

“Shark Attack: California Killers was more or less what you would expect from a cheap shark documentary series: a pretend detective story, a few past-their-sell–by-date incidents, a lot of juddering, dramatic re-enactment, and some Jaws-style ominous music.”
Tim Dowling, The Guardian

“It was entertaining and informative enough but I’m not sure it’s going to encourage me to go swimming off the coast of California any time soon.”
Virginia Blackburn, Daily Express