Harry Enfield

"And now, from the 1930s, the original When Harry Met Sally," announces Harry Enfield in his best period-plummy accent. Immediately you see where the joke's going. A scratchy black-and-white movie scene in a 1930s restaurant, with a very British couple discussing married life and hinting darkly at sex, or rather "what heppens in merridge." It's a promising idea but, like others in tonight's opener to Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's third series, the sketch slips off the rails. There are the Beatles 50 years on - grey-haired but still larking about in Nehru suits, a psyched-up version of Mr Bean and a spoof children's show about a traffic warden called Parking Pataweyo, but the belly laughs aren't as plentiful as they once were.

One for the diehards: veteran comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse join forces again for their latest sketch show series. Unfortunately, the Soviet-era title sequence sets the tone from the outset - this is a throwback to the pair's Eighties glory days. There are some flashes of brilliance - Whitehouse's impersonation of Evan Davies sparkles in an otherwise mundane Dragons' Den skit - but not enough.

Harry Enfield & Paul Whitehouse on their new TV series

The comics, who display an appealingly self-mocking view of themselves, joke that in real life they might now be heading for a similar fate as Smashie and Nicey. The 49-year-old Enfield laughs: "I recently found out that there are a couple of old people's homes for retired comedians. That's what awaits us."

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's reunion a few years back was exciting, but also left many people asking one question - could they reproduce the material that saw them, along with Kathy Burke, define sketch show comedy in the 1990s? To many people's surprise they proved they were still capable of creating some fantastic characters, like the posh builders, and last year the second series garnered a Bafta.

With the start of their third series tonight, we hope we haven't already passed the high point of their reunion, because while this does feature plenty of understated chuckles, it rarely leaves you breathless from laughing. However, there are some ingenious ideas, including an 'original' 1930's version of When Harry Met Sally and a ditty to The Beatles 50 years on. Yet the sketches feel a little dated at times and, often after promising starts, seem to fizzle out before we reach the punchline.

Of course by the very nature of the sketch show format, it could all change next week, and Harry and Paul could return to deliver a show crammed full of raucous material that will have us sliding off of our sofas with mirth. Given their track record, we certainly wouldn't put it past them, and there's enough on offer in tonight's opener to justify tuning in for next week.

For a comedian, television can be both a blessing and a curse. Strike it lucky - land your own series, for example - and it can feel as though the sky's the limit. But stick around too long - or, worse, lose your cutting edge - and you can easily find yourself in the wilderness.

What's encouraging about the return of this sketch show, featuring Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse, is that it's brought the best out of two long-established comics who many may have felt were past their peak.

Not every sketch hits the mark - they never do - but by the end of the 30 minutes you'll certainly be forgiving Whitehouse for those appalling insurance ads. Well, almost. Look out for guest appearances from Charlie Higson, Simon Day and Timothy West.

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The gimmick of this new comedy series by Harry Enfield writers Bert Tyler-Moore and George Jeffries is that Pete (Rafe Spall), a twentysomething aspiring journalist, has his life described by two commentators - one a mad Geordie, the other rather staid - who provide sports-style analysis and statistics as Pete copes with his dysfunctional group of friends. The opener revolves around Pete's attempts to woo an attractive eco-activist. It's very silly and occasionally crude, and whether it will stay funny as the novelty value wears off remains to be seen, but it's promising none the less.

Harry Enfield is planning for his forthcoming sketch show to air without a laugh track - a first for the sketch shows that have made his name.