Diane Morgan

TV preview: We the Jury, BBC2

As one would expect from Acaster there are some gloriously well-chosen lines of dialogue.

Rovers: warm-hearted comedy with shades of Royle Family

Cash's work in the late Nineties paved the way for the success of Peter Kay's more raucous Phoenix Nights and subsequent sitcoms. The triumph of the recent Car Share might have reignited interest in warm-hearted comedy, but, at the moment, Rovers feels too mild. Yet character comedy such as this requires a long acquaintance - by the end of the run, we may have fallen in love with the gentle dreamers of the Redbridge Rovers' Clubhouse.

Rovers, Sky1, review

Lo-fi football sitcom starring Craig Cash and Sue Johnston has its heart in the right place.

Rovers: Premier League line-up puts the fun in footie

It makes sense for a football-themed comedy to air not only in the wake of underdog Leicester City's recent fairytale triumph, but also in the fever-pitch build-up to Euro 2016.

Rovers review

Nothing much happens of note in this world, and it's the comedy of contented smiles rather than gut-busing belly laughs. But Rovers is warmly amusing throughout, with a strong whiff of authenticity and characters you like spending time with. "Everyone's really nice, aren't they?" says Sam after meeting the tiny fan club. Yep, Sam, they are.

Cunk on Shakespeare saw the curious alter ego of comedienne Diane Morgan attempt to discover exactly why The Bard's plays are as well-loved as they are. As a character Cunk is a brilliant creation; a presenter who has no actual idea about the subject she's covering but one who won't let this fact stop her at all. As is the way with all these faux-documentaries the most interesting parts are the ones in which the character interviews real experts in the topic. It's always great to try and work out whether or not the experts were taken in by Cunk or not and for the most part I feel they were. I felt that poor Simon Russell Beale probably had the worst of it as he had to complete the famous soliloquy from Hamlet which Cunk described as 'a speech about bees'. Meanwhile Educating Yorkshire's Mr Burton were as a little bemused by the presenter's pronunciation of iambic pentameter and theatre director Iqbal Khan who attempted to explain what the audiences were like in Shakespeare's day. The structure of the show was also expertly laid out with Cunk's idiocy being perfect exploited through several clever segments where she discussed Shakespeare's most famous works. I personally enjoyed the way in which Cunk drew comparisons between Shakespeare's work and the plot of the film Taken with the presenter taking the view that the latter was a more entertaining experience. However the most hilarious moments came at the programme's end when Cunk almost made us believe that Shakespeare's final work was Game of Thrones. Diane Morgan must be given credit for creating a believable character whose presenting style and way with words makes her utterly convincing as a ditzy documentarian. If Cunk on Shakespeare is a sort of pilot to see if a series of shows featuring Philomena would work then I would say it was a success. As long as the scripts are as sharp as they were here, I think a full Philomena Cunk series would be a welcome return to the sort of shows that Sacha Baron Cohen used to make when he was funny. Overall I found Cunk on Shakespeare to be the better of the two comic looks at The Bard's work in comparison to Upstart Crow and it's a shame that it's only a one-off. But that being said I think if the show had been over thirty minutes it may have worn out its welcome rather than being the sharp, witty mockumentary that it ultimately turned out to be.

Cunk on Shakespeare was gloriously funny

It takes intelligence to act this stupid. The script was stuffed with malapropisms and witty wordplay. Cunk's implacable idiocy was thrillingly iconoclastic. Mainly, though, it was very silly and gloriously funny.

Cunk On Shakespeare preview

This may be the first full-length outing for Cunk, but it surely won't be the last.

Cunk on Shakespeare, BBC Two, review

Diane Morgan offers a more complete performance than Sacha Baron Cohen. Ali G's interview sketches were often smash n' grab comedy, but with Cunk we get a satirical dissection of the whole genre. At their best, her jokes unfurled with mille-feuille Alice-In-Wonderland absurdity, the writing, direction and acting lining up perfectly together.

14 of the best gags from Cunk on Shakespeare

It was only 30 minutes long but it was jam-packed with jokes and had many clamoruing for her to be given her own series.