Passenger; Beyond Paradise

“There are odd moments that pull you out of the story. Despite that, this is a confident, well-paced and atmospheric series that I hope continues to be as sure‑footed and scary to the end.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“So many thrillers are predictable, but this could be going anywhere. The characters are well crafted, from David Threlfall as an eccentric to Lilly the arsey teenager to Derek the bread factory boss thrilled with his nomination for Lancashire businessman of the year. The best character, though, is Riya, a woman who has been left by her ex-husband to care for his confused mother, ‘batshit Sue’. There’s plenty here to tempt you back for episode two.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The midsection sags a little, but Passenger wants for neither ambition nor ideas: the tone veers deftly from dark comedy to folk horror to backwoods puzzle box, touching on ecowarriors, left-behind communities (Manchester feels tantalisingly out of reach here) and the isolating, anxiety-inducing effects of the teenage addiction to screens.”
Gabriel Tate, The Telegraph

“After the first episode of Passenger, I simply don’t have a clue what’s going on. It’s like the cast of Emmerdale remade The Blair Witch Project. Halfway through, they decided it wasn’t working and tried to turn it into Happy Valley.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“This was a throwback to a simpler era of eccentric sleuths in cosy capers. There was even a pet duck called Selwyn for our oddball protagonist to talk to – a homegrown counterpart to Harry, Death in Paradise’s resident lizard. No doubt Selwyn suspected fowl play. A sole complaint was the intrusive folk soundtrack, which felt like it had drifted in from a fiddly-diddly Guinness ad. Otherwise Beyond Paradise had all its ducks in a row.”
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph

“Death in Paradise is a guilty pleasure perfectly aware of its frothiness and that same amiable quality is ever present on Beyond Paradise. The crimes are convoluted, and in the real world, the ever-mounting body count would put a cataclysmic dent in the local property market. But despite all the mayhem, the programme never takes itself seriously, and therein lies its charm. Beyond Paradise might lack the sunny vibes of its parent, but its return made for heart-warming viewing all the same.”
Ed Power, The i

“Will you probably be able to work out whodunnit by simply looking at which of the potential suspects looks the most shifty early on? Almost certainly. Is following Humphrey and co’s investigation enjoyable enough despite this? Also yes. It’s a solid, easy-to-watch Friday night mystery – one that won’t be killed off any time soon.”
Katie Rosseinsky, The Independent