The Great British Bake Off; Matlock

“Ah Bake Off, that warm dollop of sugary comfort in a fast-changing, occasionally terrifying world, please do not change. Last night brought the 15th final (the eighth on Channel 4) that felt much like every other final, only slightly different. Which is just as it should be.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“In her second series as co-host, Alison Hammond has settled into the tent - adding hilarity with her mishaps and adding heart with her pep talks to wobbling contestants. A surprise but worthy winner was the cherry on top of a resurgent series.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Watching in late November, when half the country is underwater and the rest is clearing up after gale-force winds, it all looked idyllic. Even a splash of rain, with bakers sheltering under clear plastic umbrellas, couldn’t dampen the scene. To cap it all, as the champagne popped, Paul performed a flying leap to catch the cork, like cricketer Jonty Rhodes plucking a ball out of the air.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Visibly shaken by his scone slip up, you could practically see the 20-year-old Dylan internally painting himself into an anxious corner. It was heartbreaking, but the dash of emotional peril did brighten up an otherwise pretty dull finale. Bake Off has been described as stale (an accusation that, frankly, the final did little to counter) but it’s at its most interesting when human idiosyncrasies are added to the mix along with raspberries.”
Emily Watjkins, The i

“The show is a perfect vehicle for Kathy Bates, who is convincing in every iteration of her character’s complicated personality. It doesn’t labour the generation gap, other than allowing Matty to use her invisibility as a superpower. Instead, it morphs into a mystery that touches on corporate greed and human suffering. Not what you’d expect from the pilot, but it is worth a closer look.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“This is a drama where credulity feels so stretched the show might as well be made of elastic. The viewing experience is redeemed by the brilliance of Bates, who enjoys being an older woman who has the upper hand. Whether she is doing fake folksy charm or kick-ass, her charisma and comic timing make it impossible to keep your eyes off her. Even if it’s to wonder why she has done something as disappointingly average as this.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“There are a few bumps in the road. All the younger players talk at breathless high-velocity as if they’re auditioning for the latest Shonda Rhimes, which makes Bates’s calm and measured presence, not to mention her clarity of diction, feel like a comfort blanket. She puts them in the shade a little too much in what’s intended as an ensemble show. But that’s a minor caveat. This is nostalgia-hued TV that’s not trying to be gritty, right down to a nod to the old Columbo trick of replaying how Matty put the clues together with a reprise.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph