The World’s Most Expensive Presents; The A Word; Passions

“This was another of those programmes that feels droll and just respectful enough about how the other half lives, but really exists only to invite outrage.”
James Jackson, The Times

“It’s not only pointless and immoral, it’s all really horrid. There’s not a single thing here I would want to be given so I won’t be giving any of it to anyone else.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian

“This show fawned over the ‘luxury goods’ merchants and their tawdry creations as shamelessly as gossip columnists at a movie premiere. It needed a presenter, someone who wasn’t dazzled, to ask the super-rich whether their shiny purchases really gave them any happiness, or just left them with a deeper sense of emptiness.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“It seemed to be about, as one contributor put it, finding the one thing for rich people that they’d absolutely never been given, by anyone, ever. In which case, why not give them a free school meals voucher, a bus ticket or, most daring of all, nothing?”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express

“Overall, the finale was a reminder of how well this series pulls you in when it relies on its bittersweet dialogue. Ending as it did on an unresolved note, it should surely get a third series.”
James Jackson, The Times

“An episode that was as moving as it was gripping. Morven Christie and Lee Ingleby’s performances in this particular instalment were the best they’ve been all series.”
Lucinda Everett, The Telegraph

“The worst thing about this programme for me was that I found myself agreeing with Giles Coren. I hate Jane Austen, too, for exactly the same reason Giles does: her petty concerns, lack of modern relevance, narrow worldview, the fact they’re all the same … and now I hate myself, for agreeing with Giles, who I hate, too, obviously.”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian