TV Critics: The Missing; Secrets Of The Castle; Honey I Bought the House

“The Missing has been brilliant, a knuckle-gnawing thriller, but deeply human too. Like the best from Scandinavia, it has never let you forget that there’s a human tragedy at its heart.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“The true mark of quality in a drama series like this one isn’t the central characters – although James Nesbitt and Tchéky Kary are both reliably good – it’s ones who stop by only for an episode or two. The Missing is full of such well-drawn, well-acted incidental players, all of whom contain a minor mystery of their own.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Some of the plot twists felt clunkier than previous episodes. It was as if we could hear the gears of the plot grinding as the writers’ wrenched their thoughts towards resolution and the end that must come two episodes from now. But others were fiendishly successful. It’s left us with a whole week of wondering to get through now.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“What’s best about this history series is the way that, like the builders, it takes its time. Tom and Peter, both archaeologists, spent most of the show learning how to make clay floor tiles, a process so painstaking and elaborate that the final product deserved to hang in an art gallery, instead of being trampled under layers of straw and muck.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Secrets of the Castle is not nearly as dull as it sounds, and if you freeze-frame you will notice it also looks rather beautiful, especially presenter Ruth Goodman in that provocative wimple.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“Secrets Of The Castle spent a staggering amount of time telling us about the medieval methods of roof tile manufacture. I rather suspect that this is the sort of thing archaeologists really enjoy. For us at home it was the rare few other bits that proved more appealing.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“There’s no better time for Watch to launch its new lifestyle series, Honey I Bought the House. It’s Don’t Tell the Bride meets Location, Location, Location and perfectly situated to exploit the housing panic.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Channel 4’s The British Property Boom on Monday was a panicked recital of the depressing facts of the housing market — not so depressing, however, that there is not a naff game show to be got out of it.”
Andrew Billen, The Times