Isy Suttie

Beautifully bleak new series from Jo Brand and Morwenna Banks about the workings of a children's services department. It hits the ground running in this promising opener with Rose (Brand) stumbling across an old flame on a home visit, Al (Alan Davies), having woman trouble, and Nitin (Himesh Patel) meeting with HR. Isy Suttie, meanwhile, is the temp with a "cheeky sideline" selling hair putty. There's warmth in the comic one-liners, woven into realistic and grim situations.

This new comedy series is so obviously written by Jo Brand. Even without reading the blurb and the credits you'd be able to tell. Set in a social work department where they run a helpline for troubled service-users, the comedy slowly and subtly shows the petty tensions, frustrations and annoyances of office life, particularly when your tedious office work involves dealing with deeply troubled people.

It's similar - you might say identical - in tone to Brand's recent BBC sitcom, Going Forward, which was also about working in the harassed and undervalued caring sector. So there are no belly laughs. Just gentle little observations and quirks.

The most prominent thing is the cast list, a roll call of comedians like Brand, Alan Davies, Nick Hancock, Morwenna Banks and the furiously annoying Isy Suttie, who seemingly can play only one character, Dobby from Peep Show. And here she is, playing Dobby yet again!

Damned preview

The world, inspired by Brand's mother's lifetime career in social work, seems utterly genuine - thanks largely to that central friendship between Al and Rose, both robust characters with difficult lives and a dry sense of humour, which gives the show a warm heart.

Damned: Jo Brand and Himesh Patel excel

Ultimately I feel that Channel 4 have struck gold with Damned and airing it directly after the equally brilliant National Treasure means that I know which channel I'll be tuning into every Tuesday night.

Damned: could have packed a bigger punch

Damned was originally commissioned as a one-off by Sky Arts, who declined to order a full series, enabling Channel 4 to snatch it. Sky won't be kicking themselves just yet. Damned was warm and well-observed but it should have been scabrously funny. Like most sitcoms, it will surely improve over its six-episode run as characters grow and the script loosens up. Until then, its case notes read "promising but more jokes required".

New series of the word-wrangling panel show, with guests including David Walliams (AKA all the Carry On films stuffed into one suit) and Jonathan Ross (who brings along some cat nappies as a mascot). Isy Suttie is in Dictionary Corner alongside Susie Dent, Jon Richardson has brought a Ouija board to assist him ("at various points I may go into a trance-like state"), and there are two faintly rude-sounding anagrams for you to untangle.

TV preview: Damned, C4

Not wall-to-wall laughs but then it isn't meant to be because life isn't like that. But this is definitely a comedy. There are a lot more gags here than I've ever come across working in offices, some excellent performances and a cameo from rising star Aisling Bea. Looks good to me.

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