Somewhere Boy; The Larkins

“Somewhere Boy is one of those rare dramas that manages to hold several themes in its hands and examine each one with equal consideration. It is about starting again and fitting in; trauma and abuse; family and love; and monsters, both figurative and literal. This lends it the slowburn satisfaction of a really good thriller, though it is much more than that.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Somewhere Boy turned out not only to be beautifully pitched, but also tender, funny and oddly life-affirming — a testament to the writing of Pete Jackson. There are some excellent performances here; Lewis Gribben is perfectly cast as a damaged, lost boy still fiercely loyal to his mentally ill father, and Lisa McGrillis is a tour de force as his lovely Aunt Sue. It is bleak but strangely charming.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It is not an original idea. Yet Somewhere Boy is an unforgettable piece of television. This is largely down to the performances, not just of Lewis Gribben as the lead, Danny, but in every supporting role. At times, you may pause to wonder if this drama – from first-time TV writer Pete Jackson – is manipulative stuff. Isn’t it a foolproof way of plucking on our heartstrings, giving us this bewildered naif with his sad eyes? But the quality of the drama transcends those concerns.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The idea of an innocent emerging from captivity has been done before, far better, in the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Somewhere Boy airs in double doses every night till Wednesday. We’ll have to hope a proper plot emerges, but it’s in hiding at the moment.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Beautifully conjuring complicated and unnervingly dark subject matter, this is a special and shuddering drama that gently – and then forcefully – nudges its way around the grey areas of why people do the things they do, aching with empathy at every turn. It might be one of the best of the year.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“The Larkins has very silly plots and two-dimensional characters. Actually, make that one-dimensional: the ghastly poshos Pinkie and Cuthbert Jerebohm hammed it up so much they made cardboard cutouts look nuanced. But I like its bouncy optimism and lush aesthetic. It is Enid Blyton for grown-ups.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The show is playing to its strengths: broad comedy and sweet romance. It also serves as a nice hour of escapism – imagine yourself in a world where you can afford to have a table full of food, and where it never seems to fall below cardigan-wearing weather so there’s no need to worry about heating bills.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“What’s the point of it? For the life of me, I cannot see why The Larkins exists, or who is expected to enjoy it. It has all the subtlety of a Viz cartoon. Every character is flat as a cowpat, even Ma Larkin (Joanna Scanlan), which is ironic since her bosoms have been inflated to the size of a couple of barrage balloons.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail