Cold Feet: Critics praise 'triumphant return'

Eight new episodes of Cold Feet have been filmed

Cold Feet received a warm reception from critics as it returned to television screens after a 13-year hiatus.

The first episode of the new series saw the original cast back in Manchester.

It was seen by an average of 5.8 million viewers, rising to 6.1 million when those watching on ITV+1 were included.

The Sun's Andy Halls described it as a "triumphant return" and commended the show for its "brilliant scriptwriting".

He added that the show stayed true to its core formula: "Normal people - that the audience can relate to - being honest, touching and very funny."

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan said: "Could the old magic be recaptured with this heavily hyped comeback? Largely, yes.

"This was witty, well-made drama - no longer as fresh or original, perhaps, but still compelling and warm."

He added: "It worked because it wasn't purely wallowing in nostalgia or trading on past glories, offering something more sobering and poignant."

The Times's James Jackson said fans who thought the show should have been left in the past would have been pleasantly surprised.

"We didn't think we wanted Cold Feet back, but perhaps we needed it. It's a comfort blanket for the middle-aged," he said

"Cold Feet 2.0 was warm, funny, confident, and, as always, cleverer than it looked."

The show's writer, Mike Bullen, was praised by The Guardian for treating the characters with care and attention in their older years.

Sam Wollaston said: "Bullen - and the cast - tackle the challenge with the same wit and warmth and humanness that they did last time out.

"It is a relief, then, that something that could have been a really bad idea isn't."

The Daily Mail said although the plot sometimes strayed "into sheer fantasy", the show was like becoming reacquainted with old friends.

"Cold Feet is a show to be enjoyed for the emotions it evokes: the overriding one was a wave of warmth at meeting old friends, people we thought we'd never see again," Christopher Stevens wrote.

But Digital Spy was less complimentary, with Jordan Paramor commenting: "Somehow the cast don't seem as great together as they were."

"As for the plot, some moments are touching, some are cliched, and it definitely feels like they've tried to cram far too much into the first one-hour show."

Cold Feet was not the most-watched programme on Monday evening - that accolade went to the first episode of Coronation Street, also on ITV, which was watched by a live audience of 6.5 million.

But more viewers tuned in to Cold Feet than both BBC One's Poldark and ITV's Victoria, which each attracted about five million people on Sunday evening.