My Mum, Your Dad; Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos

“My Mum, Your Dad is full of genuinely poignant moments that had me laughing and crying more than once. The people are fundamentally decent – or at least they seem to be so far, which is more than you can say of most reality shows. It feels more like balm than a harrowing of the soul in pursuit of social media buzz and other low-denomination rewards.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“The show reminds us that people in midlife are just as vibrant as Gen Z; it’s also heartwarming to see the strength of these parent-child bonds. Perhaps it will get tackier, but on the evidence of one episode it’s glossy, watchable fun with its heart in the right place.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“My Mum, Your Dad is a decent idea spoilt by the inanity of its delivery. It should make a point of being the antithesis of Love Island and, to be fair, in some ways it is — there are no bedroom cameras, for example, so there should be no wobbly love-handles sex. There aren’t any cruel set-ups. However, it drainingly apes some of Love Island’s lamer gimmicks: booming music, slow-motion walk-ins, extra housemates sent in to stir up tension, stylised schmaltz.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“My Mum, Your Dad has piqued my interest and, if the first episode is anything to go by, shown that reality TV can be both interesting and moving. The show is clearly a mash-up of previous formats but there are several elements that make it fresh, and therefore gripping, as opposed to background fodder for scrolling on the sofa.”
Emily Bootle, The i

“While there is much to admire in a show that aims to tackle the ageism that is a feature not just of reality television but of the TV industry as a whole, there is a flaw in My Mum, Your Dad that even the title gives away. This is a series about middle age as seen through the eyes of youngsters, complete with the ruthless judgment and misplaced embarrassment that comes with that. But far from being washed up, these men and women are still in the prime of their lives and have wisdom and life experience to burn.”
Fiona Sturges, The Independent

“The whole documentary is a treasure-trove of newsworthy snipes and seemingly minor revelations that coalesce into a picture of a government at loggerheads and in permanent crisis.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“I must be a masochist because Laura Kuenssberg: State of Chaos sucked me in from the outset with the promise of a political bitch-fest.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“In truth, regardless of which way you voted, it was all a bit re-traumatising to revisit the bedlam so soon. But her entertaining second draft of history will be useful to perhaps unborn professors of 21st-century Britain.”
Jasper Rees, The Telegraph

“In the event, little of what was revealed here will have come as a great surprise to anyone who has kept half an eye on Westminster politics; the same audience who were likely to tune in to Kuenssberg’s programme. All in all, however, it was a useful and, in some ways, tragic reminder of a slice of recent history that feels strangely distant because of one simple intervening factor: Covid.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i