Chris Woods

What an outstanding show. It's superbly well written. I loved the warmth and humour of the script; the evolving relationships between characters (have we ever seen a father and stepson so sensitively drawn?); the weight of ages carried in a single quiet line ('She operated on the wrong patient.') Amazing. And the acting is really outstanding - with plenty of time for each character to grow in depth. We don't though get to see various villains too fleshed out on screen. I would have loved more insights into a certain matriarch, who sometimes felt a little cartoonish. But honestly, that's a minor quibble. Please recommission immediately, Netflix!

I can’t recall the last time a TV show so gripped my heart - probably the near perfect symphony that is The Wire season 4. A stunning examination of the rise of lethal fascism, and of the remarkable bravery of those ordinary men and women who resist, no matter the personal cost.

I still remember the Richard Chamberlain series back in the 1980s, in which Japanese culture and customs were offered as mere 'exotic' backdrops to a western-centric tale. FX's new series is quite, quite different. The outsider here is the Anjin - and we the viewer. Clumsily drawn into this complex, beautiful, deadly 16th century world one precise word and gesture at a time. It's really quite special.

Turgid silliness, full of absurdities to spin out the daft plot.