The Time Traveler’s Wife; Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood; The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show

“Steven Moffat has rediscovered his mojo here. A mind-bending weepy, The Time Traveler’s Wife delivers chills and spills while also saying something profound about human existence and the eternal shadows cast by trauma and heartache.”
Ed Power, The i

“Moffat’s taste leans distinctly towards the clean-cut and mainstream, and The Time Traveler’s Wife is inflected, throughout, with the sort of zippy, young adult pacing that has made hits of shows like Stranger Things and The Queen’s Gambit. The Time Traveler’s Wife does not have the power of the unexpected. But it has a modest, formulaic appeal that will likely keep you going back (and back) for more.”
Nick Hilton, The Independent

“Most people know the basics of The Time Traveler’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger’s debut that has sold in its millions since it was published in 2003. It is guff of a high order. The new six‑part adaptation by Steven Moffat does it proud. He takes the melodrama down a notch and salts the schmaltz with wit where he can.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Rose Leslie as Clare puts in a strong, nuanced performance, and the dialogue is as sprightly and sharp as you’d expect from Moffat. It’s also successful at drawing out how time travel is a metaphor for human relationships, mental absence and, you could say, given that Henry keeps vanishing to another dimension, commitment-phobia. It’s an uneven watch, however, with some things working well (such as their domestic bickering and the special effects as he crash-lands through time in front of a lorry) and others not so well, like the occasional heavy exposition.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“It plays out like a passable Channel 5 daytime film, not a supposedly prestige series from HBO. The adaptation is so lazy that episodes begin with the lead characters reading lines straight into the camera, rather than anyone making the effort to work them into the script.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Programmes in which celebrities explore their personal issues and confront their childhood are appearing more frequently. This one had something in common with Gemma Collins’s recent documentary for Channel 4, discussing her self-harm. It is public service broadcasting, because many people at home will recognise something of their own situation, and perhaps be encouraged to seek help or change their behaviour.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“This was a heavy subject. Wicks, though, was a beacon of positivity throughout and his determination to look on the bright side – he believes his challenging childhood made him the person he is today – was uplifting.”
Ed Power, The i

“The ramshackle show was just about held together with winning enthusiasm and sheer charm. The Ramseys proved warm, natural interviewers and their unfiltered reactions felt genuine. Celebrity guests and civilian punters alike played their part. For little apparent reason - there were no topical references - the show was recorded close to transmission, which lent it rambunctious, seat-of-the-pants energy.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph