Lauren Socha

This supernatural teenage drama remains brilliant as it reaches its third blue gag-laden episode. The gaggle of social outcasts who acquired superpowers during a thunderstorm continue to wonder who the enigmatic masked man is after he rescues Alisha (Antonia Thomas) from a mugging. Meanwhile, Nathan (Robert Sheehan) manages to ruin his romantic chances with Kelly (Lauren Socha) when he insults her tattooist.

A little light relief was on hand from a new series of Misfits, the tale of five teenagers on community service who are getting to grips with the superpowers given to them by a freak electrical storm. Nathan - whose gift of immortality was only revealed to us and him at the end of season one, when he woke up in coffin - was overheard obtaining a little manual relief by Kelly (who can read minds that are six feet underground if the - um - expression is intense enough) and unearthed. This was to the great relief of claustrophobics, if not to the rest of the group who do, after all, now have to deal with him again. If there's one thing cockier than Nathan, it's an immortal Nathan.

After that, things pelted along at an exhilarating pace. There's a shapeshifter, a shadowy watcher, a new probation officer vying with the kids for the 2010 Disaffection Award, a light sprinkling of sex and drugs and, by the end, a couple of dead bodies. Misfits still has its revivifying mix of wit and energy, along with a measure of grittiness that keeps it from spinning off into Heroes-like cartoonishness or Skins-like smugness. The cast are all excellent, but Lauren Socha's Kelly is a perfect portrait of a genuinely unhappy teenager, an endlessly, magnificently pulsing mass of insecurities and hostility. Iwan Rheon as Simon breaks your heart even as he's pulling murdered probation officers out of the freezer - a misfit even among misfits. Bold and brilliant stuff.

Video: Misfits interview

A video with cast members Robert Sheehan, who plays Nathan, and Lauren Socha, who stars as Kelly, to find out what's in store for their characters in the new series.

The young cast of Misfits were on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last night, in case you missed it. They were there to promote the recent DVD release of the teen superhero drama, but them landing a spot on Ross' sofa surely means one of two things: (1) renowned comic book nerd Jonathan Ross is such a fan that he insisted on booking them, or (2) plans are afoot to spread the word about Misfits beyond its niche E4 audience, perhaps by repeating the show on Channel 4...

Anyway, the interview was light but fun. Ross is clearly a Misfits fan and made a point to really sell the show to the studio audience (most of whom were probably unaware of it), and I find it fun to spot the similarities and difference the actors have to their characters. There wasn't much scoop about what series 2 has in store later this year, beyond the fact they start filming in May and Lauren Socha is very excited about what her character (mind-reading Kelly) gets to do...

Incidentally, did anyone else notice that Ross' introduction at the top of the show spoiled Misfits' series 1 mystery about what Nathan's super-power is? Hopefully potential new fans won't remember what Ross said, but should everyone who's seen Misfits take Ross' slipup as confirmation of Nathan's ability?