Minx; Shetland; Changing Rooms; Sins of our Mother

“Minx is actually rather tame, if you’re relaxed about the sometimes racy language. It trips along lightly, with plenty of fun deriving from the odd-couple chemistry between the two leads (less can be said for the thinly-drawn supporting characters, including a ditsy but big-hearted glamour model named Bambi and Doug’s straight-talking black secretary). Lovibond has decent comic timing and when her character becomes annoying, Johnson’s scruffy charm compensates.If only it weren’t so predictable - when Joyce reacts prudishly to a feature on sex toys, you know full well that she’ll have discovered their delights by the end of the episode. The moral messaging is all over the place, and ultimately it’s a bit awkward that the most likeable character in this feminist comedy is a man.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“As the series continues, it reveals an America in which the real damage to women’s equality is happening in board-rooms and halls of government rather than on porn sets; one of Minx’s best scenes sees Joyce confronting her country club’s owner about his underhanded offer to exchange financial support for sexual favours. All the sex and shouting makes for a zingy set up, but although it makes a change to see a pop-feminist protagonist undergo a meaningful character arc rather than emerge full-formed, Joyce’s griping feels more frustrating than refreshing – not least because of its inconsistencies.”
Emily Watkins, The i

“Minx is brisk and bouncy and very enjoyable, with each 30-minute episode careering around with a pleasingly bulldozer-ish attitude towards comedy. Slapstick and tickle, if you will…The chemistry between Joyce and Doug is excellent, and Lovibond and Johnson, resplendent in their 70s gear, give the impression of having a great time with it all. It brings together a solid team…It’s Lovibond and Johnson’s performances that lift the show and, along with its contagious sense of joy, make it very moreish indeed. It operates with broad brushstrokes, but I’m not complaining; sometimes it can be a relief to watch a series that is mostly just trying to be funny.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

”I have heard of low-key exits, but Douglas Henshall’s farewell to Shetland so quiet, dropping pins would have made more noise. (Spoilers ahead.) There was no dramatic killing-off for DI Jimmy Perez, no final, violent showdown, no riding into the sunset in a taxi like they do in EastEnders. To mark the end of an era, all he got was to sit on a low stone wall in his peacoat and receive a chaste kiss from Meg as he told her he had quit the police and wanted her.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Beneath the Scandi stylings, Shetland is resolutely middlebrow, rather like Ann Cleeves’ other creation, ITV’s Vera. The plot didn’t always convince, the dialogue was awkwardly expositional, a few accents creaked. However, Henshall’s quietly powerful performance lifted it – a sad-eyed truth-seeker, his peacoat collar turned up against the dark forces of evil.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“He (Lawernce Llewelyn-Bowen) as always, overdressed: a frock coat and a polka-dotted cravat, plus an elaborate umbrella with what appeared to be a silver head as the handle. If the design work ever dries up, he’d be perfect as the next Time Lord. Changing Rooms first bounced onto our screens in 1996, and has lost none of its energy”
Roland White, Daily Mail

“It gets more complicated, more horrifying, pulling in more friends, more family members, more fanatical beliefs, until it reaches its awful end point. The problem with this documentary is that there isn’t really an end point. Vallow and Daybell were arrested in 2020 after the discovery of human remains on Daybell’s property, but the legal process has been long and drawn out; they are currently due to stand trial in January 2023. This imbues everything with a vague and jarring sense of coyness, a feeling that it is leaving hints, unable to tell the full story, despite the implication that it is all there to see if you look hard enough. There are moments where you wonder why it is leaving out crucial details, such as autopsy results, until you realise that those details have not yet been made public by the police.” 
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian