The Winter King; Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir; Percy Jackson

“The Winter King (ITVX), all 10 parts of it, is upon us, adapted from the Arthurian yarns of Bernard Cornwell. Cue sweeping rockscapes and sylvan glades (in this instance Welsh ones), unkempt locks and burlap threads, rapine, pillage and somewhat underpopulated battle scenes shot in close-up, sundry swords being thrust clean through many a midriff or, in one horrid variant, a mother’s throat.”
Jasper Rees, Telegraph

“Dialogue is utilitarian. Characters says things such as “the Saxon will take the isle!” and “he kills like no man I’ve ever seen”. Still, The Winter King has a wonderfully gloomy atmosphere and plausibly recreates the savagery and otherworldliness of pagan Briton. To describe it as a pre-Christmas treat would be a stretch. But for those who like their medieval adventuring on the dark side, The Winter King is broody, moody and magnificent.”
Ed Power, The i

“Lo, The Winter King is upon us – an adaptation of the Bernard Cornwell book of the same name. It plays so fast and loose with it that devoted fans of the original Warlord Chronicles should probably just go and have a lovely re-read of the whole lot instead of tuning in. But for non-purists – settle in, sit back and enjoy 10 hours of bloody warfare, heavy robes, pagan rites, lupine spirits, horrible baddies and worse hair. My oldyn dayes bingo carde is fulle and my wassail cup runneth over.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Among the exotic fauna once a common sight in these isles, but now deemed functionally extinct, is the artist formerly known as Vic Reeves. Bright were his plumes and zany were his antics. But these vivid markings were moulted when he transmogrified into a sensitive dauber of avian life called Jim Moir. Fans of bonkers comedy will have mobilised as eagerly as twitchers when the lesser-spotted Vic was glimpsed in the company of his old mate Bob. It was a brief sighting, but oh so pleasurable, about halfway through the Christmas special.”
Jasper Rees, Telegraph

“It does sometimes lack the depth and complexity of the novels, it’s true, and Greek mythology nerds might hanker for a bit more intricacy. But it captures the magic, which is the essential test.”
Carol Midgley, The Times