TV Critics: The Musketeers; Mr Selfridge; Call the Midwife

“Rarely have buckles been so swashed, or derrings done with such gusto. Moustachios were twirled, bosoms heaved, oaths hurled and blades flashed. We had highway robbery, royal tantrums and enough roistering to exhaust an England rugby squad. The Musketeers wasn’t ironic, it wasn’t subversive and it certainly wasn’t politically correct. This was sheer family entertainment, with something for everyone.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Purists must have been weeping into their leather-bound volumes. While making no claims for it as landmark television, though, I rather enjoyed this undemanding helping of revisionist pulp fiction. The episode galloped along, introducing several apparently unconnected threads that it finally tied into a neat bow.”
Mark Monahan, The Telegraph

“It has a ballsy confidence that reminds me of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and in a good way. The fights were good, the women were comely and the production values high The series would have everything going for it even had Peter Capaldi not been cast as the Cardinal.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“It doesn’t have an awful lot to do with Alexandre Dumas. But it’s certainly fun. And will appeal to teenagers dreaming of adventure and love, of being swept off their feet by handsome men in leather or rescuing hot French babes.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“If you’d thought, because of the time slot and the stunts, that this was going to be Atlantis but with extra camembert, the first episode challenged you to think again. The plots are full of clever intrigues, the characters are stuffed with secrets and there’s an unexpected flurry of 18th-century humour.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“The Musketeers are enthusiastic enough, but lack the necessary rakish charm to make cheating at cards, provoking duels and patronising women look like a proper job - never mind a noble one. Peter Capaldi as the villain, on the other hand, is patently over-qualified.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“Mr Selfridge looks more expensive than BBC’s The Paradise: the sets are bigger, and the cast more numerous. But Mr Selfridge lacks an ogre, a thunderous cad like The Paradise’s beastly Tom Weston.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It was as if someone had actually reminded Jeremy Piven that actors require a little directing to produce their best work, and need not try to outperform the spectacular production design. The result was less exhausting and more engaging, even if he still struggled with portraying the heavier end of the emotional range.”
Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph

“One throwaway line midway through and one news headline at the end and Europe suddenly plunged into the First World War. If this generates proper plots, pacifists, deserters and sons going off to the front, I’ll be delighted. I’ve had it up to my hat brim with Harry’s love life.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Mr Selfridge re-established its reputation as Downton’s racier cousin with the introduction of two intriguing new characters, both well calculated to upset the delicate balance of pre-war society.”
Ellen E Jones, The Indepenent

“An all-pervasive fug of tweeness tended to smother almost any potential excitement, with cutesy little pizzicato strings abounding on the score to remind us that Everything Will Be OK. Given where and when it is set, and the infinite potential drama and wonder of its subject matter, it’s just a pity that it reduces all this to little more than televisual Ovaltine.”
Mark Monahan, The Telegraph