TV Critics: The Secrets of the Mona Lisa; Prey;

“This was impressive programme-making. Each piece of the jigsaw got just the right emphasis, sweeping us along on Graham-Dixon’s journey with all the vigour of a thriller.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“This was powerful, insightful stuff and Graham-Dixon was beside himself with excitement, which was very charming to watch. Personally, I was just reassured to learn that airbrushing was ‘a thing’ as early as the 1500s.”
Amy Burns, The Independent

“I don’t know about one of the stories of the century but it is a good one (it got better as it went along), well told, with a satisfying ending. I’m convinced, even if not everyone in the art establishment is.”
Sam Wollaston, the Guardian

“I would have been more impressed by Andrew Graham-Dixon’s revelations of Secrets of the Mona Lisa had Andrew Graham-Dixon not kept on telling us how impressive they were.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“It was fast-paced and well executed; Rosie Cavaliero reprised her role as the no-nonsense DS Susan Reinhardt with gusto. What was most impressive about Prey was how normal everybody looked. There were women without make-up, men with a bit of a paunch and a plethora of regional accents. It was refreshingly realistic.”
Amy Burns, The Independent

“The second series started outstandingly, pacey and believable. Admittedly the opening sequence of Philip Glenister as the stolid prison guard Murdoch and his prisoner Jules (MyAnna Buring) being chased by police dogs was rather how a writing school would tell you to begin a thriller. Everything that followed, however, felt real, down to the cast’s dodgy winter complexions.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“This episode’s principal saving grace was the chemistry between Glenister and Buring. Together they provided a point of focus even when the script and dialogue was thin to the point of transparency. I’m just intrigued enough to return to see what happens next.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“It all rattles along breathlessly without you having to think too much about it. To be honest, since The Murder Detectives, Channel 4’s recent forensic examination of a real investigation, I’m finding a lot of fictional cop shows a bit ridiculous. This is not how it really goes, is it?”
Sam Wollaston, the Guardian

“All the fleeing left no room for wit. But at least Prey proved it could be clever, if only it would slow down for a minute and think.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The thrill of prey is that it’s about things that could happen, not things that actually do. My advice: watch, take regular breaths, don’t think about it too deeply.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express