Adrian Edmondson

ITV1's Teenage Kicks: so bad it's quite good?

Unforgivable casual racism aside, was ITV1's new Adrian Edmondson sitcom Teenage Kicks all that bad? I laughed out loud a couple of times, and I hadn't even had that much to drink.

His missus has left him for a man from Belgium (Belgium! Ha ha ha!) and now Adrian Edmondson has moved in with his own kids. He's bumbling through his new singledom - bumbling into things and falling over, both metaphorically and literally. We have a good giggle at the way the Chinese lodger speaks - there are misunderstandings, boom boom.

Maybe it's ironic commissioning, like the Andy Millman sitcom in Extras. If so, it's a bit too clever. And if not, then it's just not good enough, I'm afraid. Predictable groan-along sitcoms are no longer acceptable television. There is interesting new comedy out there - look at Pulling - but not on ITV, on a Friday night. Hell, I may have to go out next week.

Adrian Edmondson stars as Vernon, a divorced dad with delusions of trendiness (he used to be in a band), who's forced to move in with his children in their student flat. Cue endless "embarrassing dad" jokes, close-ups of trousers splitting and even that Seventies sitcom staple - the comedy foreigner (a Hong Kong student). In the opening episode, Vernon seeks "an easy hot night of passion" and ends up in bed with more than one person. So old-fashioned it's as if The Young Ones never happened.

Adrian Edmonson plays a beleaguered ex-punk in this new sitcom. "I haven't had my end away since election night, 1997!" he whines, as his long-suffering teenage kids roll their eyes and the studio audience all but combusts in a shower of mirth. That this is one of the better lines to seep from this graceless gumbo of mainstream sentimentality and Bottom-esque cruelty gives you some idea of the roaring awfulness involved. Tonight, Vernon attempts to "get laid", while his Chinese flatmate is mocked for having a Chinese accent. Unbelievable.

It's tempting to think of Vernon as the middle-aged incarnation of Edmondson's infamous 80s character, punk Vyvyan from The Young Ones. If so, he's mellowed. There's less ranting and more angst.

Much of the comedy is based on the inverse generation gap. "Shouldn't you be getting a place of your own?" cries his daughter as he trawls the lonely hearts ads. But that's the least of her troubles when her tutor improbably takes a shine to Dad.

Not all the jokes sit quite comfortably in the politically-correct world of 2008. And Teenage Kicks doesn't break any radical new ground. We've seen plenty of children raise their eyebrows at their parents' behaviour before (Mrs Edmondson, aka Jennifer Saunders, in AbFab anyone?).

In fact, it has a rather old-fashioned feel. But it does it well. You know who you are supposed to laugh at. And, at the end of a long week, that's quite demanding enough.

Why are half-decent domestic sitcoms so few and far between? Get it right and you've got a long-running hit like My Family on your hands. But get it wrong... It's like a house of cards: if one bit of the whole doesn't work - casting, chemistry, plot or jokes - it all collapses around your ears.

Here we have the latest brave attempt, an eight-part series adapted from a Radio 2 comedy and starring Adrian Edmondson as Vernon, an ageing punk rocker who moves into his kids' student flat after a messy divorce. I know what you're thinking: Adrian Edmondson, ageing punk rocker - this is the continuing adventures of Vyvyan from The Young Ones, but it really isn't. For a start, Vernon is a bit hopeless and poshly spoken and has none of Vyvyan's anarchic energy.

Sadly, neither does the script. If I quote just one exchange - 'I could pass for 39!'... 'What in an IQ test?' - you'll get the idea. There are some good moments, but some shocking ones, too. Can it really still be funny in 2008 to have a joke at the expense of a Chinese accent?

Ade Edmondson Interview

Adrian Edmondson's upcoming, and much postponed, ITV1 sitcom, Teenage Kicks (currently due to air Friday March 28 - but that could all change) is an old school, broad-brush effort. And, here's a thing, it features a Chinese, Star Wars-loving nerd called David (Jonathan Chan-Pensley). There's a bit where one of the Caucasian characters takes the piss out of his accent, and gives it the full-on Charlie Chan. Is that okay, now?

I award five funny bones to Health And Efficiency (BBC1) and Bottom (BBC2). Four to Ellen and Roseanne (both Channel 4). Three to Fantasy Football League and Darts (both BBC2). Two to The High Life for Cumming and Masson, a double act working with a pair of scissors.

Bottom (BBC2) with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson is the television equivalent of a Viz cartoon strip. Mindless violence, rampant sexism, schoolboy smut ("Have you strained your vegetables?" "No, it just these hired trousers are a bit tight.") Welcome back, lads.