John Woodvine

The Re-Evaluation Game: The New Statesman episode 1

It's surprising (and questionably depressing) how relevant this particular episode still is given the corruption in politics and the way deals are made with politicians friends and associates.

Alex Finch, Comedy To Watch, 3rd December 2020

Radio Times review

Bustling Denise is off to a training weekend, leaving husband Joe and granny Dot home alone. The pair are under strict instructions not to set foot in the sanctified "Good Room" but, of course, the temptation proves overwhelming. Soon the pair are enjoying the delights of this forbidden place, but the arrival of Dot's persistent and embarrassingly inappropriate suitor Arthur (played by the wonderful John Woodvine) brings only destruction. As for expectant parents Jack and Sarah (Chris Ramsey and Kimberley Nixon), they are suffering the petty humiliations of an antenatal class.

Hebburn and its ramshackle cast of cheerful Geordies are sweet and have a certain charm. But the humour is so low-key it's barely audible.

Alison Graham, Radio Times, 26th November 2013

Jason Cook's Geordie sitcom has warmth and personality in spades, but also a certain inconsequentiality to ensure that, while it's never a chore to watch, you couldn't call it essential either.

Tonight's episode is a case in point, as Dot moves into the family home and attracts an admirer (hardy smallscreen perennial John Woodvine), Jack (Chris Ramsey) hires an unlikely genius to paint the nursery and Pauline (Gina McKee) struggles to reconcile her ethics with the business of selling houses. The chuckles are gentle and the peril very minor indeed: nothing much happens, but it happens very pleasantly.

Phil Harrison, Time Out, 19th November 2013