Craig Parkinson

The first lads' night out was a bit hit-and-miss in the pacing department but this comedy drama hits its stride tonight, with the chaps tapping their compassionate side when Daz gets into another spot of bother with girlfriend Colleen. Before you know it, they're all in deep water when their efforts to jolly up their mate turns round and bites them in the proverbial. Lee Boardman, William Ash, Craig Parkinson and Stephen Walters star.

ITV has a great reputation of making drama, but not such a great reputation for comedy. Great Night Out seems to fall somewhere in between; not bad, but not great either.

The series follows four friends from Stockport: self-appointed leader Hodge (Lee Boardman), divorcee Beggsy (William Ash), nervous Glyn (Craig Parkinson), and pessimistic Daz (Stephen Walters). The quartet each spend a big night out, often with their wives, girlfriends and love interest, while getting impractical advice from their local pub landlord Warren (Ricky Tomlinson).

In this opening episode, Hodge has cocked-up his anniversary party, which is being held at a big hotel in Manchester (the entrance into which results in a chorus of boos from the Stockport Four). As Hodge parks his car he thinks he knocks over someone, but it turns out that the person is a drunk wanting to go to London. He, Beggsy and Daz get him on the train, only to find out he is a groom who has ditched his wife at the altar. The two rush to get him off the train, but (perhaps all too predictably), they don't get him off the train in time and they find themselves going to London. Meanwhile, Glyn "stalks" his childhood sweetheart to her salsa class, with help from Warren.

As I mention, some of the plot elements do seem to be somewhat predictable, as are some of the characters. For example, there is the instant dislike of the Australian man now married to Beggsy's ex, who has also taken his daughter down under. However, there are some nice visual gags, such a roadside seller of fridges called "Sellfridges", and other odd moments such as accusations that Fireman Sam might be gay.

These moments are fleeting, however, in a show that will probably not receive the kindest of obituaries...

The thirtysomething comedy-drama has been a holy grail for ITV ever since Cold Feet shuffled off-screen almost a decade ago. The channel's latest foray into the genre follows a quartet of mismatched but tightly knit Stockport chums enjoying a farcically disjointed weekly get-together while the long-suffering women in their lives show them how it should be done. It's pretty dated in its attitudes (boys go to the football then the pub, girls go on the razzle in a wine bar), and a certain goofy charm can't compensate for an absence of either many laughs or much drama. This in spite of spirited efforts from a cast including Ricky Tomlinson, Rebekah Staton and Craig Parkinson. Inoffensive but equally inconsequential.

This new sitcom comes from the same writing team that gave us The Worst Week Of My Life, but despite a cast which includes Ricky Tomlinson as the local pub landlord, Great Night Out offers more gentle and much more obvious laughs.

Set in Stockport, it's a male bonding comedy about four ­life-long friends and Stockport County supporters played by William Ash, Lee Boardman, Craig Parkinson and Stephen Walters.

Their not-so-great night out this week finds them in Manchester's posh Midland Hotel attempting to celebrate the fifth wedding ­anniversary of their unofficial leader, Hodge.

The cast, which also includes Susie Blake and Isy Suttie in peripheral roles as well as Jessica Gunning as the Friend From Hell, should provide plenty of material for more misadventures each week. But when the biggest laughs of the episode go not to any of the leads but to a character billed only as Train Attendant, then ­something's gone a bit wrong somewhere.

In an attempt not to appear as irredeemably middle-class as everyone knows it to be, the BBC has set its latest family sitcom, In With the Flynns, among the proletarian masses of Manchester. But the socially downward setting can't disguise the rather tired and traditional format. It is still mum, dad, rebellious teenager, lovable scamps and eccentric relatives exchanging banter in contrived situations, to the accompaniment of inexplicably hysterical canned laughter.

However, the banter isn't bad, there is a definite warmth between the characters and Craig Parkinson shows great scene-stealing potential as dissolute Uncle Tommy.

With the last series of My Family starting later this month, In With The Flynns picks up the sitcom baton and sprints off with it.

Weirdly, both series have American roots. My Family was created by Fred Barron, while The Flynns is executive produced by Caryn Mandabach whose name you'll have seen attached to such monoliths as Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun and Nurse Jackie.

This is a British version of her US show Grounded for Life and it's written by George Jeffrie and Bert Tyler-Moore - the two big comedy brains behind Pete Versus Life and Star Stories.

Where My Family feels forced and artificial to the point of being almost physically painful to watch, In With The Flynns, with its seamless use of flashbacks, is much more relaxed.

Set in Manchester, it stars Will Mellor and Niky Wardley as Liam and Caroline, the harassed young parents of a teenage daughter Chloe and two younger sons.

Warren Clarke plays Liam's dad Jim and Liam's brother Tommy is played by Craig Parkinson - who you'll recognise as the only probation worker to survive the Asbo Five in Misfits.

With Liam and Caroline too busy to keep a proper eye on their kids, it's left to Tommy this week to give them the benefits of his worldly wisdom.

If you're a fan of Seinfeld, you'll probably spot that Tommy has a touch of the Kramer about him - he is a law unto himself and completely Teflon coated so that blame never sticks.

Judging from this first outing, The Flynns could be with us for even longer than My Family has managed.

Straight-ahead family sitcoms are a hard trick to pull off, but when it works, it's a trick that can run and run (look at My Family, starting its 11th series next week). Here's a new contender, loosely based on the US hit Grounded for Life (which briefly aired on ITV) and featuring a likeable, mildly chaotic Manchester family. Parents Liam and Caroline had their first child when they were still teenagers and are now in their 30s and struggling with three. Liam's unreliable brother Tommy should help with the parenting chores but only adds to their woes. The first episode revolves around the couple's efforts to work the overtime necessary to pay for a holiday in the sun - neglecting their children along the way: one has her tongue pierced, another gets bullied and the third takes to scavenging from bins. The comic rhythms are creaky at this stage, but Will Mellor and Niky Wardley are convincing as the hassled parents, while the star of the show looks to be Craig Parkinson as wayward Uncle Tommy, who tonight dishes out advice to his nephew on martial arts.

Warren Clarke interview

Warren Clarke co-stars with Will Mellor, Niky Wardley and Craig Parkinson in a Manchester-based family sitcom, In With The Flynns...