The Change; Neil And Martin’s Bon Voyage; The Studio

“The Change is ambitious, surreal, moving, and above all hysterically funny. It is unlike anything else on TV. It’s not easy to weave an ecstatic, rousing and laugh-a-minute TV show out of a toxic patchwork of midlife despair, domestic inequality, sexism, misogyny, culture wars and ecological and political crises, but Bridget Christie has gone and done it again.”
Chitra Ramaswamy, The Guardian

“Throughout, troubling subjects are handled with deftness and delicacy and a tender, largely reconciliatory message of growth and redemption, where Christie’s life-affirming imagery plays happily round the screen like a maypole dance. Whatever its minor flaws, in a world of big streaming shows, where drama is often done by committee or algorithms, this is a hearty and pleasant reminder of British television’s ability to deliver small, hugely personal visions to the small screen.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“As befits modern TV comedy, it’s not laugh-a-minute, but The Change is a beguiling and unusual thing (wrapped in the traditions of British sitcom) with a language and rhythm all of its own. Occasionally Christie’s roots as a stand-up are revealed, as the show slips into the didactic, but there is so much verve and zeal in the writing that you can forgive it.”
Chris Bennion, The Telegraph

“The Change is a tender, curious, hilarious treasure: a rare and special specimen that must be protected like the last mushroom of its kind in the forest.”
Julia Raeside, The i

“Ever since Paul Whitehouse took his old mate Bob Mortimer fishing, TV producers have been on the lookout for older men simply enjoying each other’s company and this fits the bill nicely. Here two blokes in their sixties, who now wonder if having a freedom pass entitles them to the term ‘lads’ road trip’, embark on an adventure in southern France, starting at Morrissey’s bolt hole in the Lot-et-Garonne region, canoeing sedately up the Dordogne, marvelling at the vineyards and drinking in the views. It’s lovely.”
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Bon Voyage is doubtless inspired by the success of Gone Fishing with Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer - two boys of a similar vintage, also lifelong chums. But that series draws on maudlin undercurrents. Nothing so morbid troubles Neil and Martin. They’re just a couple of lads, for heaven’s sake. Stay young and live for ever, that’s the way to do it.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“On balance, there was just enough of South-Western France and just enough evocation of a genuine friendship to ease you through what was otherwise a well-worn route.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph

“There are enough insider jokes to keep film nerds and keen observers of the Hollywood ecosystem happy, as wheels within wheels turn, backs are stabbed, favours are secretly traded, positions jockeyed for and bums endlessly licked, and enough good jokes to prevent the rest of us feeling shut out or short-changed.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“There has been no shortage of films and shows throughout the years that aim to prick the pomposity of the film game or satirise the silliness of it all, but what makes The Studio stand out is that it genuinely seems to come from a place of love for cinema. Laced with references to the silver screen at every turn and shot in such a way as to remind you of a golden age of cinema, the show walks a careful tightrope between silliness, satire and sentimentality with quite exceptional results.”
Tim Glanfield, The Times

“Its mix of screwball capering, toe-curling cringiness and razor-sharp one-liners is so laugh-out-loud funny and brilliantly performed, any notion that this is simply Hollywood eating itself ends up hitting the cutting room floor with a satisfying thud.”
Keith Watson, The Telegraph

“Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (and their team of writers) deliver a comedy that is frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and even if it’s short on tenderness or social critique, it has that big, bustling kinetic energy associated with the high points of knockabout cinema.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent