TV Critics: Undercover; The Durrells

“A combination of [Peter] Moffat’s skilful plotting, James Hawes’s whipcrack direction and, crucially, all those nagging headlines made Undercover’s thesis compelling enough to swallow. The performances were terrific, too, with Okonedo and Lester bringing enormous commitment and passion to their roles.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“Thankfully Moffat’s writing is so good and the direction so assured I didn’t mind not having a clue what was going on, even if at times it felt like at least three different dramas were playing out in tandem.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“This taut, pacy tale from Peter Moffat might have seemed, at first, to have begun in the wrong place. Subtly though, like poison seeping up your arm, the point dawned.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“More ingredients were thrown in this pot than in a bouillabaisse … the set-up was a touch disorientating. Moffat, whose anger at some real issues seethed under the surface — introduced the angles nimbly enough, yet the most effective reason to watch on was the simple warmth of Maya’s family.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Writer Peter Moffat couldn’t make up his mind what genre to adopt … If you can make any sense of it, well done. I couldn’t.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“A masterclass in ideal Sunday telly — never too demanding, and yet completely satisfying.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It has all the classic ingredients for Sunday night viewing: warmth, nostalgia, beautiful locations and a star in Keeley Hawes.”
Gerard O’Donovan, The Telegraph

“It is essentially like watching a mash-up of The Darling Buds of May and The Railway Children: gentle wish-you-were-here fare, the kind that makes tourist boards rub their hands together and the rest of us wonder why holidays never look remotely like it.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“There was zero dramatic weight, but sometimes a few one-liners and buckets of that elusive quality — charm — are enough … There’s a lot to be said for a show where the sun never stops shining.”
James Jackson, The Times

“Every weapon in the farce writer’s armoury seemed to have been brought out, from crazy monks to terrifying foreign charwomen, drunk sea captains and escaped animals… What rescued it though was the beautiful backdrop and Simon Nye’s dialogue.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express