TV Critics: The Wrong Mans; London Irish; Being Paul Gascoigne

“The Wrong Mans will not be winning any awards. People won’t be dissecting it at dinner parties or cherishing it in boxed set form. However, it achieves exactly what it sets out to do: a blokey, midweek, madcap comedy that actually makes you laugh.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Corden’s already a Tony Award-winning Broadway star. On the evidence of this punchy and promising opener, Hollywood could soon come calling too… This was a neat conceit, delivered with panache. It might have an annoying title but The Wrong Mans is on the right track.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“It’s a shame that the combination of ordinary blokes and extraordinary setting won’t feel original to anyone who’s seen Shaun of the Dead or any other Simon Pegg/Nick Frost collaboration. Unlike Pegg/Frost, Baynton/Corden isn’t yet a natural double act with natural chemistry. Instead, they came across like the straight man(s) in search of a comedian.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“This is pretty crude, most of the humour based on mix-ups and misunderstanding… So far I’m not convinced by a comedy/thriller that isn’t doing it for me as either.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“Matthew Baynton and his more famous writing and acting partner James Corden have spoken of how, for The Wrong Mans,  they hit upon the idea of a comedy about idiots who find themselves in the criminal underworld. If they think that’s new, they could check with  Bob Hope, Woody Allen, Steve Coogan or countless other comedy actors. In this case, however, an old one truly does prove to be the best one.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“Kat Reagan’s character Niamh is a mildly irritating kook in the tradition of Phoebe Buffay… It may be unchivalrous to note it, but, at 35, Keenan is knocking on a bit for a role as studenty as this. It’s testament to her energy and talent, then, that her performance was so enjoyable, regardless.”
Ellen E Jones, The Independent

“To find this comedy funny you have to buy the idea that a man who has lost a hand in an armed robbery is a fair target for comedy insults. Bronagh, the nasty, brutish female lead, says near the end that she has had more enjoyable smear tests. That breeze you feel is from women nodding their heads in vigorous agreement.”
Andrew Billen, The Times

“This is a portrait of a man trapped in the tragic cycle of alcoholism, with all the shit that goes with it, the whys and the lies… It’s desperately sad, but not always unlovely to watch. Because of the affection he’s still held in by the British people, which is very touching.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian