Alison Steadman

Preview - Static

The last of BBC One's Comedy Playhouse series of pilots sees Rob Beckett taking centre stage, playing a version of himself.

Starring and co-written by 8 Out of 10 Cats' Rob Beckett, this pilot finds Beckett's hapless thirtysomething Rob jobless and returning home to live with Mum and Dad (Alison Steadman and Phil Davis). Except they have moved to a caravan park in Margate without telling him. It's going for "heartwarming family sitcom", but the result is powerfully unfunny.

Comedy Playhouse: Static, BBC1

Of the three BBC1 pilots that have just aired Static easily has the most potential. To use a phrase that will probably get this metropolitan elite critic in trouble it hardly pushes the envelope but it is definitely easy to like.

Alison Steadman is the mother-in-law from hell

Beware the overbearing, interfering, G&T-swigging mother-in-law: Alison Steadman will star in the Yonderland festive special as Pete's mum Barbara, who arrives on poor Debbie's doorstep for Christmas.

Burn Burn Burn review

A last request to scatter their best friend's ashes leads to some surreal and startling moments on the road.

The secret to Victoria Wood's popularity was that her humour allowed her to be "inoffensive and yet quite naughty." There may be comedians who were sharper or funnier, but they couldn't claim the huge affection Victoria Wood had. She was loved by so many because she'd never resort to shocks, sex or scandal to grab attention, finding the right tone by being a tiny bit "naughty" but never cruel.

Julie Walters, Barry Cryer, Celia Imrie, Alison Steadman, Michael Ball and others offer funny anecdotes and warm memories of her and if you begin to feel it's perhaps getting too sweet and sad, clips of Victoria Wood elbow their way in, being a little bit "naughty" to correct the balance. You can't be melancholy when she pops up on screen to discuss ageing women visiting the doctor, some with pelvic floors dangling and another holding her cervix in a margarine tub.

We also learn of Wood's Lancashire childhood and how she saw Joyce Grenfell's act as a girl, and became fascinated with the image of a lone woman on a stage who could make everyone laugh.

Every gag in the "modern world v retirement" book is used in Boomers, but the cast is so good it just about carries it off. This week, Alan's rant at the neighbours goes viral and a newly arrived couple, Matt and Seb, invite the Boomers to a houseparty. Maureen (Stephanie Beacham, as minxish as ever) tries to keep her gay icon status under wraps as Joyce (the brilliant Alison Steadman) tries to ingratiate herself. There's a farce involving an upcycled family heirloom and a small dog, but the one-liners are good.

As the sixtysomethings sitcom returns, it's Trevor's birthday. This means the gang have to spend the weekend at a campsite. Worse, at least from Alan's perspective, the men have been entered in a charity bike race. Still, as John notes, the money is going to Age UK, so "you're basically investing in your future". Maureen, Carol and Joyce meet a Swedish lad who appears to have a penchant for older women. Fine performances from a cast that includes Alison Steadman, but not nearly enough risks.

"I CAN handle myself." "I wouldn't in those shorts!" That's the type of humour you can expect in this new series of Boomers, the gently cheeky sitcom about a group of older people, ageing baby boomers, as they gossip, nag, squabble, and go on holiday together.

Boomers is never laugh-out-loud funny but it's warm and charming and has an impressive cast of famous older faces, such as Alison Steadman, Stephanie Beacham and, er, Russ Abbott.