TV Critics: Kirstie's Handmade Christmas; Catastrophe; Power to the People

“In case you hadn’t managed to “get ahead” this Christmas with Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts, Kirstie Allsopp is here to show you how to make the most unfeasible seasonal gifts for all the family. Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer the days when Kirstie taught us how to make wreaths and crackers, rather than discussing the merits of “celebratory postmodern” crocheted bauble decorations made by a contestant with a hipster beard. Watching the first episode of her “three-part spectacular”, I have never been more thankful to be escaping Britain during the great Christmas rigmarole for the third year running.”
Daisy Wyatt, The Independent

“I’ll be sewing my own Christmas stockings, and stuffing balloons with little treats for a balloon-popping advent calendar like Betsy’s. Or should I do Esther’s origami calendar, origami boxes with smaller origami inside, because everyone loves origami, don’t they? Hey, I know, I’ll do both, there’s plenty of time. We’ve all got loads of time for this stuff, right?”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“A lovely end to a lovely second series of Catastrophe – even better, more confident than the first. Best exchange? Rob’s “Is your email address still impatientshithead@mean.jerk?” Then he leaves, a trial separation that obviously doesn’t work because they are perfect together. That’s the winning combination – filthy, funny, with proper chemistry and warmth. More please.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Catastrophe has not so much got darker this time round as raised its level of jeopardy: two children now; the family savings in hock to Sharon’s hopeless brother; Sharon incapable, as yet, of returning to her job; Rob on a ‘leave of absence’ from his. If the series is to survive, Sharon and Rob cannot walk out of each other’s lives. Yet does anyone believe even these threats would prove terminal were the couple real? It is not just that they have a strong sexual compatibility, they have precisely the same sense of humor: deadpan sarcasm suffused with a love of language.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“As SSE bigwigs tried to explain why its prices had risen because of levies imposed at wholesale, the staff struggled to pass the information on to numerous customers swearing down the phone. When good news came that the company would be cutting prices, the staff looked blank. Forget passing on savings to the customer, it seemed doubtful SSE was passing on any employee perks to its exhausted frontline staff. The documentary made for a fascinating insight into the inner workings of one of the most loathed industries in the UK.”
Daisy Wyatt, The Independent

“If only Capital, two thirds through now, enjoyed a similar compatibility in its depiction of its protagonists (as Catastrophe does). The adaptor, Peter Bowker, has done well in pepping up the dialogue in John Lanchester’s novel, but can do little about its unevenness. My new theory is this: the farther up the social scale you are in this drama, the broader the satirical brush applied to you.”
Andrew Billen, The Times