The Night Agent; High Potential; Simon Schama’s Story of Us; Grantchester

“The Night Agent doesn’t offer anything new but tricks you into thinking you’re watching something clever, if you don’t think about it too much. It’s also not afraid to make bold moves – no one is safe from being killed off, a trait far too rare in shows with bullets flying around willy-nilly. But this is pure pulp. The story is spoon-fed to you in between gun fights, at such a speed that you forgive any plot holes, with a whole heap of charm and just enough sense to be an engrossing watch. Spy thrillers are television’s favourite genre at the moment, from Slow Horses to Black Doves to The Agency. So while the new series of The Night Agent doesn’t reinvent the wheel, with its slick visuals, fast pacing and heart-stopping shootouts, it really doesn’t have to.”
Tilly Pearce, The i

“There’s nothing original about making us hold our breath as someone who isn’t cut out for spy work nevertheless attempts it under the noses of her terrifying superiors, but The Night Agent knows how to deliver that thrill. An episode where Peter and Rose infiltrate a gathering of dignitaries at the ambassador’s house is pleasingly fraught, and one built around a risky mission inside Iran successfully does the Homeland thing of mining inhospitable foreign territory for every ounce of threat. These dynamics are different but, once it gets back up to speed, The Night Agent is the same show, endearingly unpretentious and focused purely on a narrative that has no frills, but no fat on it either. As the body count rises and the heroics required of Peter again start to seem impossible, it gets the job done.”
Jack Seale, The Guardian

“Once you’ve pressed play, you’ll probably stay until the somewhat implausible ending. However, The Night Agent has become a victim of its own success. A pale imitation of itself, phoning it in.”
Michael Hogan, Telegraph

“What we have here is gorgeous, brilliant trash TV, done so well that it should be showered with special awards. It is so much desperately needed, perfectly paced fun that, like Kenneth Tynan before me with Look Back in Anger, I don’t believe I could be friends with anyone who doesn’t love it.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“As the perennially underestimated heroine, [Kaitlin] Olson’s likeable performance – warm, brash, charming in a chaotic way – is enough to carry off the plot’s more unlikely aspects. Written by The Good Place’s Drew Goddard, the script is sparky, while the rapid-cut deductive sequences recall Sherlock or House. This is cosy crime with an irreverent, impish twist.”
Michael Hogan, Telegraph

“Schama has a natural born teacher’s eye for illuminating detail and a generosity of spirit that often brings out the best in his interlocutors. Even Bono, the patron saint of rock self-regard, seemed quite charming; when discussing U2’s 1998 Belfast concert for the peace process he self-deprecatingly recalled his manager’s wry remark: “Rock against bad things is it, Bono?””
Ben Dowell, The Times

“Villagers don’t turn a hair at forbidden love, but writer Daisy Coulam’s script made a running joke of their surprise at realising their new vicar was Indian — ‘a swarthy gentleman,’ as grumpy housekeeper Sylvia (Tessa Peake-Jones) grumbled. To show a hint of racism in characters without making them hateful takes a deft, light touch, and Grantchester achieved it neatly. Bravo!”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail