Eurovision Calling; Black Ops

“To call this hour-long whiz through the basic history of the event an ‘ultimate guide’ is a touch misleading. The presenters, comedian Jason Manford and footballer/musician Chelcee Grimes, are fairly clear that it’s more of a beginners’ guide, and Manford aims much of his shtick at newcomers or recent converts. As a result, it’s not likely to enlighten any hardcore fans, but it might convince the previously unpersuaded to have a look.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“I hadn’t expected to enjoy Eurovision Calling very much as I’m not one of those people who wears Euro flag knickers on the night, considers it the highlight of the year and is prepared to pay gazillions for a hotel room to be in the host city on the night (it’s in Liverpool this year so I don’t have to). However, it turned out to be a jolly gallop through almost seven decades of the world’s biggest live music competition.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The programme was a primer for non-believers, in which singer-songwriter and Eurovision fan Chelcee Grimes took Manford through the basics: the history of the contest, the UK’s performance over the years, and the most famous moments. Like the contest, it was a jolly affair.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Eurovision spirit is reaching parts and people usually oblivious to the joys of the event. Comedian Jason Manford admitted that before chancing to switch on the show last year, he’d never even heard Sam Ryder’s entry Space Man. But he has succumbed to the addictive optimism of the competition now. By the end of the hour, he was on stage in a gay pub in Manchester, belting out Conchita Wurst’s Rise Like A Phoenix, the winning anthem from 2014.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Black Ops merges broad comedy with bent copper crime drama to hilarious and nail-biting effect. That’s partly because it has a joke density that distinguishes it from the raft of laughter-lite dramedies that currently dominate the streamers. Mostly, however, it’s down to the show’s two stars. Gbemisola Ikumelo plays the chronically pissed-off Dom with a level of comic timing that makes every sentence a rewindable treat and Hammed Animashaun (Kay) is a natural clown.”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian

“The two of them are a terrific pairing, playing a streetwise but loafing homebody and a wide-eyed, church-going man-child respectively. Their path from quiet contempt to acceptance and friendship is beautifully written and exceptionally well performed. It’s also consistently funny, as is Black Ops as a whole.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“Within the first half hour, we saw our incompetent heroes flounder on the beat, get recruited as spies, infiltrate a drugs gang, face death, get rich, face death again and bury a body. That’s eventful, but the comedy also found time for a series of very funny swipes at institutional racism in the Met, and a send-up of the classic drugs drama The Wire. I’m hooked and I’ll come back for more.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“With plenty of charm and charisma, the only reason Black Ops doesn’t feel like a sure-fire hit is the absence of belly laughs. The comedy ends up somewhere between the slapstick of The Wrong Mans and the dialogue-driven farce of Nightingales. For a show whose premise is predicated on systemic racism, police corruption and drug-fuelled murder, it lacks a bit of bite. And despite a clever title, which conjures images of brutal hitjobs and nerve-jangling interrogations, Black Ops always plays it safe.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent