Elliot Speller-Gillott

Review: Uncle, BBC3

The third and final series of Uncle kicks off with a slice of emotional turmoil for Andy (Nick Helm). We all know that he has a nephew, Errol, but could he be a father too? The first episode finds him reflecting on whether his life if about to undergo a seismic shift that will mean that he has to accept some real responsibilities.

The second series of the dark comedy charting the misadventures of downtrodden muso Andy (Nick Helm) and highly strung nephew Errol (Elliot Speller-Gillott) reaches its penultimate episode. Still unemployed and desperate for rent money, Andy does the logical thing and tries to worm his way into the will of dying Uncle Frank (Keith Allen). Sadly their reunion doesn't go to plan, as his abrasive relative wises up to his scheming. Could an appearance from Frank's estranged daughter bring the brood back together?

If you've been enjoying stand-up comedian Nick Helm's BBC3 sitcom Uncle, you'll be unsurprised to discover he was up to no good. There's only one more episode to go of this first, six-part series and while Andy (Helm) has formed a closer bond with his nephew Errol (Elliot Speller-Gillott), he's still, pleasingly, a truly despicable role model for the kids.

That was proved yet again this week as Andy juggled the affections of three women in a typically craven fashion: current fling Shelly, ex-girlfriend Gwen and Errol's music teacher Melodie. Andy's behaviour was so shabby, he even had to defend himself to an 11-year-old: "What are you? The girlfriend police? I can have as many girlfriends as I want!"

Meanwhile, Andy's sister, Sam was attempting to trade in her reliable but dull AA sponsor, for the übercool Susie, a former Mick Jagger groupie. Susie turned out to be yet another useless role model, but if Sam's after a genuine rock idol to hero-worship I have a much better suggestion: Viv Albertine from the Slits.

Now, normally I'd have to search far and wide for the guitar riff to a cruelly forgotten classic. I'd have to burrow deep into the hinterlands of BBC Four, which is basically all hinterland but you know what I mean. Generously, though, a new comedy called Uncle began with (Don't Fear) The Reaper. Brilliant. Nobody plays the Blue Oyster Cult's only song anymore. At this moment the uncle in question was trying to kill himself after being dumped by his girlfriend. But then his sister phoned, asking him to look after her son - the nephew who until that point he'd barely acknowledged.

Nick Helm plays Andy, who can't stand kids - "They're all 'Oo, look at my cool allergies and my wheelie backpack!' They think they're so fascinating" - though he's no slouch when it comes to self-obsessiveness. Elliot Speller-Gillott is Errol, 12, possessed of a bowlcut only a mother could love and a Britpop-loving wardrobe assistant could give him. Andy is an out-of-work musician. "That's another way of saying unemployed," quipped Errol.

First stop was the lad's football practice, and from there, bizarrely and maybe surreally, it was on to a strip club, with Andy supplying life lessons along the way. Love, he said, was like walking on water, until a shark bites off your foot. Then another shark goes for your testicles. You're rescued by a seagull, which tosses you onto the jagged rocks. And that's when the hyenas come along and eat you. Uncle is highly promising and it also comes with impromptu songs.