Vigil; Endeavour; Foxy’s Fearless 48 Hours

“Vigil has given us six solid weeks of credulity-testing twists and turns. Yes, it is far-fetched. But it has been thrilling. The finale did everything it needed to do. This was big, brash television, designed to thrill, excite and terrify. To paraphrase the ad hoc eulogy given by Cmdr Newsome: it did its job. It did it well.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“I’m sorry to say that in the finale of Vigil the most credible thing that came out of anyone’s mouth was Suranne Jones’s post-traumatic vomit. It wasn’t all bad, although I am still reeling from the tininess of Martin Compston’s part. I still think the premise was sound and clever. I just think the characters didn’t work, largely because I didn’t give a stuff about any of them. If Vigil had focused more on the international espionage and less on Amy Silva’s love life, it might have made a big splash rather than a small ripple.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“I think I understood the plot of the Vigil finale, which basically amounted to the entire series was all a plan to make the Royal Navy look like idiots. Surely the Russians could have achieved that at lower cost by broadcasting a six-part drama series just like this one? The hokey thriller elements were fun though.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Vigil, which began with a preposterously far-fetched premise, got more crackers by the week. It couldn’t decide whether to be a murder mystery, a police procedural, a political thriller, a war movie or a disaster epic. Ludicrous though it all was, I’ll miss Vigil. The cast, co-starring Martin Compston, Paterson Joseph, Stephen Dillane and Adam James, has been outstanding. And while the control room of the sub looked more like the Starship Enterprise’s flight deck, it was good to see a lavish production with a big budget for CGI and a flair for Hollywood action set-pieces.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“After six weeks of underwater misdeeds, murder and sabotage, the finale fell a bit flat. While DCI Silva being trapped in the missile store was terrifying, the tension of her subsequent race for safety was disrupted by scenes of minor characters fixing a leaking valve. Meanwhile, the big photograph reveal of the onboard spy had lost all impact because we already knew who it was. It was disappointing after the previous episodes, which were gripping and fun even as they stretched credibility.”
Rachael Sigee, The i

“All in all though, Vigil gave the people what we wanted: some solid entertainment and an intriguing whodunnit that you genuinely don’t see coming. The series wrapped with an explosive finale and a conclusion that will certainly leave viewers divided. Realistic or boring? You be the judge.”
Annabel Nugent, The Independent

“It was so full of hokum it made Scooby-Doo look like The Shining. The plot was crazed, a sort of panto Murder on the Orient Express. It was all a distraction from the real, gripping drama happening at Fred Thursday’s house. They should have given us two hours of that.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Endeavour looked as though it was shot for 30 bob. That’s a shame, because Endeavour usually evokes its era vividly. But the sheer energy of the plot carried us through. You could watch it twice and remain enthralled through both viewings — the first time to untangle the convolutions of the murders, the second to spot witty homages to stranded-at-a-hotel classics from Psycho to The Mousetrap.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Since the show is ostensibly about overcoming fears, Foxy takes a softly-softly approach to chucking celebrities from great heights. The evening meals and deep chats were given as much screen time as the challenges, which worked because Rob Delaney is such an endearing, funny and candid presence. Foxy’s main mantra is ‘let’s not overthink it’ and that applies as much to the show as it does to the stunts but, stretched over an hour, it did feel like the extended highlights of the bungee jump DVDs people bring back from backpacking (guilty as charged), albeit a very slickly produced version.”
Rachael Sigee, The i