Radio Times review

It's Carole Middleton's turn with Prince George today and the heir to the throne is a lot more of a handful than he was with Granny Camilla in previous episodes.

Poor Carole can't help curtseying to her grandson in another pitch-perfect impersonation from the wonderful Trace. Her Dame Maggie Smith is also on form, as the acting grand dame pitches for a part in a "muscle car franchise...Peevish Max...one of those".

But once again a misfire skit satirising Ripper-style street tours highlights the familiar sketch show malaise when the supporting material fails to match up to the peerless set pieces. It's a drag, even when Tracey Ullman is doing the dragging.

Tracey Ullman's return has received mixed notices from critics, with some criticising her sketch show as feeling dated. Maybe, but it's not without the occasional inspired moment, notably her on-point impression of a gossipy Angela Merkel.

Radio Times review

Tracey Ullman's sublime Angela Merkel goes full Eurovision in a wonderful homage to Germany's 1982 winner (who can forget Nicole's Ein bißchen Frieden - which translates as A Little Peace). But this instalment seems largely designed to give her other characters a chance in the spotlight.

There's more from the mildly funny obsessive zoologist and we also meet a corrupt dictator's wife, a kind of Mrs Gadaffi-type living it up (or rather down) in Hounslow with her spoilt young son.

Sharper satire is found in a scene from a TV drama audition where a group of women compete to play largely non-speaking roles of rape or murder victims. "No jokes...best leave that to the men," one of them says. There's certainly no danger of the fab Ms U ever doing that now, is there?

Radio Times review

After two cracking episodes, it's time to see if Tracey Ullman has any other comic gems in her locker apart from her fabulous turns as Angela Merkel and theatrical Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. The doofus American couple who love all things English is easily her weakest sketch of the series so far.

Fortunately, the show is rescued by a triumphant song-and-dance routine in which she plays former Sun editor Rebekah Brooks. If the red-haired Murdoch executive isn't popular with some of the other members of the Chipping Norton set, here she's dealt a pretty rough time - proving that our Trace isn't afraid of tweaking some powerful noses.

Tracey Ullman's Show, episode 2, BBC One, review

Why commission a series from a bona fide comedy icon, only to tuck it away at 10.45pm?

Tracey Ullman's new sketch show, much heralded as her 30-year return from stateside exile, was fine, fine, if you wanted uncanny verisimilitude when it came to Dame Judi Dench and Angela Merkel. She has done a fine job of not being 30 years out of touch with British humour, and the Dench/"national treasure" shoplifting gag wore well, for this episode at least. But there was nothing in particular to convince us we should have missed Ullman in the way in which we might have missed the exile of, say, Paul Merton or Graeme Garden.

Scheduling: Ullman's late-night slot no laughing matter

The off-peak slot for Tracey Ullman's new BBC series revives concerns that executives have lost confidence in the genre.

I'm too young to remember Tracey Ullman when she was a star of the British alternative comedy scene, and I only knew her name due to her role in launching The Simpsons, so I didn't share in the hype and excitement about her return to British TV. But, I knew it was supposed to be some tremendous return of a comedy genius so I watched in high hopes - hopes that were soon trashed.

It was all timid stuff indeed, though with some good impersonations thrown in, and the late slot of 10.45pm suggests that the BBC snared her in great triumph and fanfare and then saw the sorry result and quietly shifted it out of the way. Yet word is out that a second series has been commissioned already, despite the lukewarm reaction from critics. It seems the BBC have captured a big fish and are determined to get what they can from it. Whether it's good or not hardly matters.

Tracey Ullman worth watching even if you don't like her

Tracey Ullman proves she hasn't suffered from tall-poppy syndrome now that she's crossed the pond from LA - in fact she's a clever comedienne.