Kenneth Cranham

Clive Coleman's generation gap sitcom stars Kris Marshall (you know, the stepdad from the BT ads) as Harry, a forty-something who's somewhat alarmed by his father's spending habits, his father Brian (Kenneth Cranham), being rich and unencumbered by school fees, mortgage, etc. And there's prosperous brother Richard (Chris Pavlo) to reckon with too, the one who buys Dad expensive golf clubs. The brothers take Dad out while the womenfolk set up his surprise 65th birthday party. Back in the kitchen, control freak wars erupt.

Clive Coleman's six-parter Spending My Inheritance was clearly intended to address the impolite notion that 30 and 40-somethings are casting covetous eyes at their parents' final salary pensions and the sky is the limit value of their mortgage-free properties.

Somewhere between Coleman typing 'The end' and transmission of the first episode, the credit crunch storm blew in. So the idea of a senior member of the golf-playing classes and his wife releasing equity on their house for a grey pound-splurging spree while their debt and responsibility-ridden middle-aged son looks on in horror, seems merely fanciful.

Now, perhaps I'm jumping the gun here. So far, Brian and Liz (Kenneth Cranham and Judy Parfitt) haven't actually got round to the equity release, but they are showing a superhuman dedication to the good life and their son Harry (Kris Marshall) is tearing his hair out as he attempts to live up to the expectations created by their other, careerist, son. So maybe later on we'll find out if a bit of crunchy credit has been written into this scream of inter-generational angst.

In the meantime, Marshall jumps around jabbering so hyperactively as Harry that I can hardly blame his parents if they do go on a spend, spend, spend mission destined to leave him nothing. I can be laughed into submission over most things, but another five weeks of far from hilarious Harry might have me contemplating hara-kiri.