Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

peterrichboy With a couple of power house writers like Sharon Horgan and Graham Linham on board then you expect Motherland to be good and I'm pleased to report it's every bit as good as there previous work. I'm guessing the writers have based the material on there own experiences bringing up young kids, trying to juggle jobs between the school run and a lazy ex husband and a mother who would rather be socialising than looking after her gran kids. Anna Maxwell Smith is terrific as the frustrated mother who seems permanently on the point of a nervous breakdown and Diane Morgan is very funny as The worldly wise mother who knows every trick in the book when it comes to parenting on the cheap and who to avoid and befriend in the world of Motherhood!

ianlouisiana recruited from "W1A".It is that dire. It looks as if the makers have looked at some of the best British TV comedies of the last 15 years,cherrypicked from the casts and flushed the funny bits away. There is nothing remotely funny in a woman having a meltdown driving her car full - pelt along narrow suburban streets whilst her children play unconcernedly in the back, and behaving frantically in front of the Head Teacher. This is desperate stuff,and to be fair,some older members of the cast seem somewhat aghast at what they are being asked to do,but others plough on regardless,hoping this will soon be forgotten and just glad the cheques cleared. Don't get me wrong,middle - class mums are fair game - but "Motherland" is too smug by half and whilst ostensibly mocking the pretensions of The School Run it is actually reinforcing them. Look up old episodes of "Doc Martin", "Green Wing","Miranda" etc and see these excellent actors in more suitable surroundings. 10pm on a Monday night is a good slot for "Motherland" where,with any luck it will quietly slip away to die.

Prismark10 Anna Maxwell Martin plays a frazzled mother working in corporate events and trying to achieve a work/life balance. It is not going well she brings her kids to school during the school holidays and instead of telling the truth she tells the teacher some lies about her kids being bullied which leads to embarrassment.The writers, which include Graham Linehan and Sharon Horgan got one thing right. Maxwell's front seat of the car was filthy. A kind of seat that only exists if you have kids. The interior reminded me of my wife's car.Lucy Punch plays the insincere even manipulative Alpha mum, leader of a clique that is rich and judgmental. Yet people want to be in her group of suburban mums including the sole stay at home dad we see looking after the kids.Martin needs people to look after her kids, her mother is refusing to any more free baby sitting. She meets Diana Morgan, working class but cool under pressure like when she chops off her finger.This pilot started of shakily as Martin spins lies about coming to school during the term time holiday rather than admit she forgot it was the holidays but it improves as it goes along and Morgan was the star of the show. Motherland really did manage to mix slapstick, comedy of manners, frustrated pent up humour and even visual gags.

Paul Evans Julia is a woman on the edge, struggling to balance the work/parenting balance. Very much committed to her job in corporate events, she finds little time for being a mum. Julia has a lot on at work, forgetting it's half term, she's lumbered with her kids, and soon after lots of other people's too.Anna Maxwell Martin is one of those actresses you can't help but love, often cast as the normal, nice character, it was fun to see her cast as a neurotic mum for a change, her meltdown was hilarious. Paul Ready was funny, and Lucy Punch added a great deal of her special sarcasm.As a one off comedy I thought it was good, very well acted, it had a few laughs, not too sure I see a great deal of longevity here, but it was a pleasing thirty minutes. Trouble is, when you see the words Graham Linehan you expect the Earth. 6/10