Jack Whitehall

Fresh Meat's finale was touching and amusing

As Fresh Meat's first series drew to a close, Jack Whitehall proved his acting worth in a satisfying - and touching - final episode.

Rejoice and be glad because Fresh Meat is right back on song for its final episode, full of the well-worked plotlines and gorgeous character comedy that make it so lovable. The fling between Profesor Shales and Oregon has kicked up a gear now that his wife has thrown him out, so the two are moving in together. The great Tony Gardner as Shales is always brilliant but he gets bigger laughs than ever when he briefly moves into the student house and has to pour tiny plastic pots of creamer on his home-made muesli. One shot of him in his wonderfully daft dressing-gown speaks volumes.

There follows an awkward dinner party between his poncey friends and the housemates ("So, what else are young people into...?") and of course some great work from Jack Whitehall as JP: his reaction when he realises that he has double-booked on the day of his dad's funeral is priceless. Roll on the second series.

The freshest comedy of the year, this university students sitcom goes out on a high with more boozing, sex and foul language. Tonight Josie (Kimberley Nixon) gets drunk on "schmocoa" - that's schnapps and cocoa - and goes clubbing in a bid to forget her boyfriend woes, while JP (Jack Whitehall) is annoyed that his big club night will clash with his father's funeral. This has proved itself a worthy successor to The Inbetweeners - its depiction of university archetypes is spot-on and the performances excellent. The good news is that a second series has already been ordered. Schmocoas all round!

Final episode in the comedy-drama that managed to live up to sky-scraping expectations. It's the end of the first term and Vod is kicked off her course, Oregon tries to adjust to life as Shales's girlfriend and Kingsley's yearning for Josie reaches its shrill crescendo. Meanwhile, JP has his dad's funeral to attend, giving Jack Whitehall a stab at genuine pathos. It's only the end of term one and that means - one term per series - there could be a potential eight series with the same cast. Great!

Oregon and Shales's love affair rumbles on as they plan one of their "midweek specials" at the Travelodge. Jack Whitehall's beautifully played irritant JP uses his dad's death and a little light seduction to try to get out of his end-of-term exam. And Kingsley's attempt to oust Josie's fiance from the house isn't going too well until Howard's former friend Brian reveals her to be the taker of Kingsley's "guymen". Yes, it's one of those weeks when the drama outweighs the laugh-out-loud moments.

Fresh Meat proved itself with drugged-up sixth episode

Fresh Meat may not be the most innovative or original of comedy series, but Jack Whitehall and the gang have earned their second series.

Anyone who has seen E4's Made in Chelsea may be shocked by how much the posh young bucks of real life resemble Fresh Meat's resident toff, JP. That's partly why Jack Whitehall's performance is so sharp - it seems like a big, braying caricature, but maybe it isn't at all.

There's a change of gear for him tonight when JP has to show some real, heartfelt emotion - and he's not the only one. It's the darkest, least larky episode so far.

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Live at the Apollo performers confirmed

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