Funny Woman; Clarkson’s Farm

“As Barbara/Sophie, Gemma Arterton is captivating. Having star power and managing to convey it on screen are not necessarily the same thing, but she manages to get her appeal across brilliantly. When she starts working with a group of Footlights-ish writers and directors, mostly posh, all southern, it really starts to come together.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Can a drama be enjoyable and a bit ropey at the same time? Funny Woman shows that it can. Some of the lines in this adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel are so corny they make you wince as if you’ve stood on an upturned plug. However, I think that’s intentional. Funny Woman embraces caricature and frivolity like a long-lost sister, determined to wear even serious issues as lightly as a feather boa. In that it certainly succeeds.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Technically, Funny Woman is a comedy-drama starring Gemma Arterton. Really, it’s a Gemma Arterton performance with a comedy-drama attached. She is luminous in it, and the show is so dependent on her talents that it’s essentially a one-woman vehicle. The Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel trod similar ground: a woman being funny! In the olden days! But that show had a much snappier script. The charm of Funny Woman rests on Arterton, who makes the six episodes worth watching.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The period detail is delightful, all Routemaster buses and smoky launderettes. And the cast is a joy, especially Rupert Everett under elephantine layers of make-up, playing a seedy theatrical agent. Best of all is Alexa Davies as disillusioned Marj, who works in shoe sales at a department store, where the assistants are so lowly that they aren’t even deemed to be at risk from those predatory married men who haunt perfumes and lingerie.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Funny Woman does feel like a paean to a certain era of innocent, slapstick comedy. Barbara’s own humour has clearly been modelled on many hours of watching and loving Lucille Ball, and this can all be read within Arterton’s performance. The dialogue is knowingly pastichey, which is unfortunately not something all of the cast have the confidence to carry off. But if the show feels less than the sum of its parts, there’s something in its celebration of a plucky, bold heroine, in the vein of The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, that feels comforting, like a warm hug. It’s a nice show, with a nice message – and a very funny woman at its heart.”
Jessie Thompson, The Independent

“In one sense, Clarkson’s Farm is a bit of a sham. After all, unlike most British farmers, the broadcaster has pots of money and is presumably able to afford to write off expensive machinery and spontaneously splurge on solar-panelled chicken coops or a herd of beef cattle. On the other hand, it’s a revealingly immersive journey into the difficulties of making a living off the land.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i

“Clarkson is a terrifically articulate and charismatic advocate for rural issues. From Brexit to HS2, he provides a welcome, hands-on perspective. Naturally, these big stories are somewhat less anarchically joyful than watching Clarkson, and a team of chili chutney chefs, descend into an unbearable coughing fit over the stove.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“It is, again, bewildering to press play on a well-made, good-humoured countryside caper, fronted by a man who comes across as nothing more than a mildly irascible bumbler. You simply cannot picture this guy punching an underling for bringing him the wrong dinner. It takes time to adjust. It’s grand-scale pottering that is comforting and pleasantly distracting.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian