Lisa McGrillis

Preview: Mum, BBC2

One of BBC3's epic fails was axing the relationship sitcom Him & Her. Now at least BBC2 has gone some way towards making amends by commissioning writer Stefan Golaszewski to pen a new comedy, Mum. It's in the same chatty, conversational vein but much more mature. Imagine Him & Her 30 years on with 'Him' dead and this could be the result.

Lisa McGrillis interview

"I've got everything in my body crossed, all my fingers and toes. I think definitely it could go on and do another series - the characters have all been set up now."

For the Hebburn special we join the Pearsons as they anticipate the arrival of Sarah (Kimbereley Nixon), Jack (Chris Ramsay) and their baby AJ as they're flying back from Switzerland. Unfortunately they fail to arrive back before the arrival of Sarah's parents and her grandmother Millie (Miriam Margolyes). The arrival of another old woman in a wheelchair means there's soon a showdown between Millie and Jack's grandmother Dot (Pat Dunn).

Upon arriving home it appears that both Jack and Sarah are enjoying their new life in Switzerland, but secretly they both confess that they hate being separated for so long. Elsewhere Gervaise (Neil Grainger) is soon trying to win back Vicki (Lisa McGrillis) and makes the ultimate gesture to her towards the end of the episode. Soon, Pauline (Gina McKee) finds herself celebrating a non-denominational winter festival when Sarah's Jewish parents are forced to stay after their car is stolen.

One of my most usual complaints about TV shows is that they drag on, but for me this special of Hebburn could've done with being about fifteen minutes longer. The fact that there was so much story to tell meant that some pivotal moments were lost in the shuffle among Joe's insistence that everyone wear hats and Margolyes and Dunn stealing the show as the warring grannies. Despite this, I still love Hebburn and think that this Christmas special was still incredibly funny with characters that I still care about. I hope that BBC2 do the right thing and give this superb sitcom a third series as it more than deserves one.

Another month, another family-based sitcom, but at least this one has a whiff of authenticity having been written by Geordie stand-up Jason Cook, based on his own experiences growing up in the North East. The six-part series tells the story of the Pearsons, a working-class family from Hebburn, who "aren't common, you know". Jack (Chris Ramsey), the Pearsons' only son, has returned home from Manchester, and is hoping to break the news to his parents that he has married a middle-class Jewish girl called Sarah (Kimberley Nixon). Mum Pauline (Gina McKee) and dad Joe (Jim Moir aka Vic Reeves) aren't sure how to react, and begin using an apple core to hollow out bread buns to make "bagels". Vicki (Lisa McGrillis), Jack's sister, isn't afraid to speak her mind, but it's her brother's rough-around-the-edges ex-girlfriend Denise (Victoria Elliott) who looks set to be the most memorable character. The humour can feel a little leaden, but the awkwardness arising from class differences and the uncertainty about what it means to have a Jewish girl around the place is amusing: "I'm fine working on a Saturday," Pauline quips, "but I'm not sure Joe could deal with being circumvented."