Louise Jameson

Bumps review

There are some tonal echoes of the recently-cancelled Scarborough in its ensemble cast, naturalistic acting and lower-middle-class coastal setting, especially the scenes set in an unpretentious pub. But let's hope Bumps has a better chance of coming into life - as you'll be itching to find out what happens next after the final credits roll.

How to describe Steven Toast, the man/beast at the centre of the absurd but funny Toast of London? He is, in hair and moustache, a postmodern, and quite possibly post-mortem, version of Dickie Davies, who hosted ITV's World of Sport with such aplomb from 1965-85. Toast has Dickie Davies eyes and a Mallen streak in the middle of his bouffant. He has an Actor's voice, designed to reach the cheap seats and no longer capable of modifying its volume. He sounds, at all times, like a repertory version of Patrick Allen, the voice actor who brought an apocalyptic note to the public information film Protect and Survive, as well as scaring an entire generation into buying Barratt homes.

Matt Berry, who plays Toast, is just about old enough to remember Dickie hosting the grappling on a damp Saturday afternoon but he's also a voice-over artist in real life, toiling in the service of volcanic mineral water and financial services. Toast the character (created by Berry and Father Ted co-writer Arthur Mathews) is a distorted echo from those Soho casting calls, rendered from the dreamscape of an insecure thespian -- a place where almost everything that is said is unsayable in polite company. It is also the funniest thing going, with Berry's clowning rendered absurdly plausible thanks to the efforts of Tracy-Ann Oberman and Louise Jameson as the leonine Toast's gamey co-conspirators.

Few events are considered too unlikely to make it into the storyline of Doc Martin. Thus this penultimate episode sees the kind folk of idyllic Port Wenn harassed by a pair of violent loan sharks who, not content with terrorising Bert Large (Ian McNeice) over an outstanding debt, also try to shake down poor old cat-sanctuary owner Florence Dingle (Anne Reid). Mind you, even that doesn't sound so far-fetched compared with tonight's claim by Louisa's mother Eleanor (Louise Jameson) that she once ran a successful restaurant out in Andalusia. Now that's truly absurd.

Louisa's thoughtless, feckless mother (Louise Jameson) arrives in Portwenn to meet her new grandchild. But granny isn't welcome as it becomes obvious that Louisa and her mum have Big Issues from way, way back in Louisa's childhood.

But that doesn't stop Louisa, who seems to spend a disproportionate amount of time pushing that unwieldy pram around the village, from asking mum - who is smoking a fag at the time - to babysit. Yes, of course, it all goes a bit wrong. Meanwhile the Doc continues to change his new son's nappies while wearing rubber gloves.

The only sane note is struck by splendid Auntie Ruth (the divine Eileen Atkins) who is very gamely making a go of the farm.

Whilst the rest of Port Wenn gears up for the village fun run, the doc remains as curmudgeonly as ever ("sprains, tendonitis, dehydration, dislodged testicles, cardiac arrest, sounds like a lot of fun"). The event sparks culinary rivalry between local restaurant owners Bert (Ian McNeice) and Mark (Tom Goodman-Hill). Both battle it out to provide bargain meals for spectators. Meanwhile Louisa (Caroline Catz) gets a surprise visit from an unwelcome guest. Her hippyish mother Eleanor (Louise Jameson) turns up at the surgery and announces she's staying.