Karen Taylor (I)

It appeared as if the BBC had little confidence in Father Figure from the get-go as it was broadcast in the post 10 O'Clock News death slot. Sitcoms previously scheduled in this slot include the horrid Citizen Khan and Ben Elton's recently atrocity The Wright Way.

To be fair to Father Figure, it was slightly better than both of those shows as it did have an innate likeability to it which was mainly due to the cast. At the same time though it had plenty of problems including one-note characters, a predictable script and gags you could see coming a mile-off.

The story of the first episode saw Tom Whyte (Jason Byrne) cooking a dinner for his neighbours to apologise for covering them in baked beans while they were trying to sunbathe. Then followed a well-worn script where the juvenile central character attempted to cook while fending off the interference from his family members. His mother (Pauline McLynn) tried to take over with the cooking while his friend Roddy (Michael Smiley) steals a giant cake from a hotel lobby. Meanwhile Tom's children are incredibly annoying and his wife Elaine (Karen Taylor) is presented as a serious alcoholic.

The episode climaxed with a scene which saw the neighbours being hit by the cake and covered in chocolate mousse while Tom's mother punched him in the face with a roast chicken. If any of these situations are putting a smile on your face then you probably would've enjoyed Father Figure more than I did.

The show was yet another addition to the list of poor sitcoms that have been produced in 2013 and to me Father Figure feels incredibly dated. As I said, the majority of the cast are incredibly likeable, particularly Pauline McLynn whose gift for physical comedy is put to good use here. But ultimately Father Figure feels doomed to fail and after watching the show I felt like Tom's neighbours - incredibly embarrassed and ever so slightly dirty.

BT ad man and My Family graduate Kris Marshall rests those elastic chops in order to play it straight as a doctor who is forced to take a turn as a paramedic after an investigation into a botched operation implicates him in a patient's death. So begins a dark comedy pilot that manages to juggle on-screen projectile vomiting with washed-out, Getting On-style camerawork and wry gags about alligators as pets. At points it's a little too Psychoville, but with Kevin Eldon and Karen Taylor on board, it really should be turned into a full series.

Karen Taylor set for German makeover

BBC3 sketch show Touch Me, I'm Karen Taylor is to be remade for Germany's largest broadcaster, RTL, after a successful pilot broadcast last month.

Karen Taylor Interview

Metro asks Karen some short questions.

Bafta award-winning comedian Karen Taylor is back for a new run of her innuendo-laden sketch show. This wry look at the modern world sees the return of characters such as the hostess of late-night quiz show Cash Cow and the lascivious schoolteacher who takes an unhealthy interest in her male pupils. Highlights include a skit about social networking, with MeMeMeSpace.com, and the Anna Nicole Smith-inspired character Joanna.