Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story; Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker; The Repair Shop

“It’s hard to see the value of delving into the agony and ecstasy of Jeffrey Dahmer (played here by Mare of Easttown’s Evan Peters), a damaged man who channelled his fantasies into crimes too appalling to contemplate. Netflix is at pains not to glamorise Dahmer while the suffering and humanity of his victims are centre-stage throughout. This is admirable but, as drama, it translates into a carnival of horror. “The smell is worse than ever,” complains Dahmer’s neighbour after we see him cleaning a bloodied knife in the opening scene. In a subsequent flashback to his unhappy childhood he pores over roadkill (his stepmother is portrayed by 1980s teen icon Molly Ringwald, his father by TV veteran Richard Jenkins). Even the title, with its unnecessary repetition of Dahmer, gives off a queasy vibe. If Monster has a saving grace it is Peters in the title role. A ghoulish nerd in the tradition of Psycho’s Norman Bates, his Dahmer is creepily unflappable.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph 

“The film’s focus was narrow - no mention of Britain scrambling to get people out, despite this being a BBC co-production with HBO - but the context was made plain..One Taliban commander said he was shocked by the state of the people massed outside the airport: “They suffered terribly. They were hungry, they were thirsty, and conditions were appalling.” At this point, you wanted the director to step in and say: they put themselves in that situation because they were desperate to get away from you.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph 

“Mel Giedroyc was always the better half of her double act with Cambridge Footlights buddy Sue Perkins — but she struggles on her own, too…Running around the workshop, trying to find opportunities for banter, she looks like a terrier in search of a rabbit. Much of the time, she resorts to double entendres. And we all know Mel could conjure smut in a convent, so inventing innuendos on a woodworking show is just too easy. But without a comrade-in-filth to share her sniggers, the jokes fall flat. Solo sexual quips aren’t very gratifying. That leaves us looking for entertainment in a joinery competition. And sadly, unlike homemade fashion on The Great British Sewing Bee, or jewellery in All That Glitters, carpentry projects are simply too big to be engaging.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Part of the pleasure is that there’s no time limit. We are never told how many weeks have elapsed between commission and completion. Instead of restorations done in a rush, we see every step lovingly crafted. It’s both relaxing and satisfying to watch an artisan put an edge back on a pair of sewing scissors or replace the capacitors in a wartime radio…The real joy, though, comes when the customers collect their beloved heirlooms…You can’t help welling up when three generations are in tears.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The intimacy with these characters naturally makes the series more affecting, even if some of the performances are a bit stilted and raw. The earlier episodes are pretty rough, especially when the writers desperately seek levity in a story that doesn’t often leave such breathing room. Small gags are thrown into heavy or tense moments where they land with a thud. There’s more confidence in later episodes. The performances begin to click and the playful camaraderie among the young soccer team and those on the outside waiting to pull them out feels like an appropriate remedy to their dire situation.” 
Radheyan Simonpillai, The Guardian