Brassic; Saving Lives at Sea; Gen V

“Brassic is on its fifth series but there’s little sign of any let-up in its wall-to-wall filth. Thank the Lord. Danny Brocklehurst and Joe Gilgun’s comedy about a group of likeable, funny petty criminals in a fictional Lancashire town is a masterclass in how to do high velocity crudity well, and with feelgood cheer. At times it could rival a Ken Dodd stand-up show for the frequency of its one-liners (not that Doddy did filth).”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Though Brassic gets nominated for plenty of awards, it rarely wins. Which is daft because this is a jewel of a show: focused around the harem scarem – usually illegal – antics of bipolar anti-hero Vinnie (co-creator Joe Gilgun) and his gang of wise-cracking ne’er do wells in the fictional northern town of Hawley, it bowls along, high on a mix of adrenaline thrills and comic capery. It’s that rare beast, a comedy-drama that’s both funny and dramatic.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph

“By kindly wearing cameras, the volunteers deliver dramatic, intimate footage of their rescues, which must make the makers of Saving Lives at Sea nearly as happy as the rescuees. Seeing them resuscitate Dan, who had basically ‘died’ after coming off his jet ski in the Solent, suffering a brain injury and taking in water, was distressing, but it was also a privilege to witness it so up close and raw.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Real-life dramas don’t come much more dramatic than Saving Lives At Sea. It has all the go-go-go thrills of the other rescue service shows, with the added bonus of gale-force winds and waves lashing against the camera lens. This is the eighth series now, and they don’t seem to be struggling for material. Far from it.”
Roland White, Daily Mail

“At its best, Gen V stirs memories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its illumination of the teenage experience via vampire mythology. Beneath the cartoonish gore is a careful intelligence that makes the whole hang together. There is not yet, however, too much in the way of characterisation, though I haven’t got to the end of the series. Hopefully, the stew will thicken a little more in time. Until then, it is enough just to enjoy the frequently extraordinary ride that happily helps fill the time until The Boys returns.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian