TV Critics: The Best of Men; Jennifer Saunders; Russell Brand

“Most of the main characters were thinly written and the minor ones a parade of cliches we have come to expect from a medical drama set in the good old bad old days… But it had heart and it had soul and if the story rather than the characters was the thing … well, what a story.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The odd bit of slapdash writing aside, you never quite lost sight of the fact that this was all true and that true stories sometimes can be truly splendid.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Gannon’s Poppa possessed most of the qualities the British sought in their heroes before James Bond: he was clever, physically unimpressive, eccentric, anti-authority and slightly ridiculous.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“It was the most profoundly boring programme I have ever seen, skimming over every opportunity to show us what it is that fascinates people about horses, or to allow them to demonstrate their expertise.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“I felt like I was being shown some tranquil film stills to distract me and ease my transition to the afterlife while someone – Saunders perhaps – gave me a lethal injection.”
Harriet Walker, The Independent

“The spectacle of horses vaulting over artificial gates was considered ideal for prime-time television 40 years ago. Things are rather different now. After 40-odd minutes of watching the normally very funny Ms Saunders reacquaint herself with equestrian sports, I for one felt glad of that.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“A powerful, opinionated, if somewhat shambolic documentary.”
Andrew Billen, The Times