Grand Slammers; Moulin Rouge; Grand Designs

“Grand Slammers wasn’t an original idea, but it was a lovely programme. Of course, it was a convenient tie-in to ITV’s (and very good) World Cup coverage, but it had bags of heart and passion, not least from Lawrence Dallaglio, the one-time marauding back row, who knows the rehabilitative power of sport in his life.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“It was an enjoyable watch, with the players delighted to be back in one another’s company. Programmes of this type usually have a self-imposed time limit, to inject some jeopardy. But, in this case, the prison had only given the film-makers five weeks’ access. Five weeks to fashion a team from a ramshackle bunch with no knowledge of the game is not very long.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Ben Cohen is an excellent coach, sharp and energetic, but has zero tolerance for the prisoners mucking about, furiously cutting them down with a crack about his time being more precious than theirs. Cohen’s limited patience is, however, explained by his own story – a life blighted by a crime for which the perpetrators were too lightly punished. This turns out to be more compelling than any narrative the programme-makers extract from the inmates.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“It was obviously assumed that the vivacity of the girls and glamour of the setting would be enough, even after it became clear that they were not going to get the warm heart around which it could all cohere. But it is not (not least because the Moulin Rouge does not appear to be at all glamorous – it looks cheap and bare and the makers capture none of what we must presume is still a fantastic live atmosphere). It sets out to be a series of six fun and frothy half hours, but it can’t-can’t quite make it.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“It’s a documentary taking us behind the scenes at the Parisian cabaret venue, and it would make perfect daytime viewing if it weren’t for the breasts.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The tension in a surprisingly gripping episode came from the gulf between Rosa and Craig’s ambitions and their resources. But that’s how it has always been on Grand Designs – a series that has remained remarkably consistent across the more than 200 episodes that have aired since 1999. It’s a monument to imaginative architecture – but even more so to pressing on with an ambitious project even when everything seems stacked against you.”
Ed Power, The i