Mark Wright (I)

John O'Farrell's novel, on which this is based, is a funny, endearing comedy about social pressures in the suburban middle classes. The television version is a highly irritating comedy drama about people that it's hard to like. Middle class mother Alice (Shirley Henderson) goes to the ludicrous lengths of dressing up as her 11 year-old daughter to sit an entrance exam for a school to make sure she gets into it. It doesn't help that Henderson has a habit of playing irritating characters in the first place, but really, this is one that should have been left as a novel where it was much more palatable.

Bewilderingly popular stand up McIntyre brings his tediously smug brand of comedy to various regions. Sorry, I know he's popular, but I just don't get it... This should do well in the ratings though, so I'm willing to give it a chance as he's clearly doing something that people like.

Alex Kingston heads up the cast in this light drama about a group of female ex-cons who perform one last job that goes horribly wrong. And when that happens, what do you do? That's right, you head to a small village in the Scottish Highlands and hide from the law. Erm... sounds great. Actually, this should be rather enjoyable in a jolly, Monarch of the Glen type way, so it seems churlish to complain.

ITV's comedy big gun, Benidorm, is back for a one off special ahead of the third series. The show is an acquired taste, but thankfully it has more texture and depth than the middle class flummery of Reggie Perrin over on the BBC. The cast play it with gusto, even if some of the material, centring on a bunch of mis-matched holidaymakers, doesn't quite hit the mark. Not dreadful, not great. Perhaps that's a perfect thumbnail of the modern ITV?

Some people might question why Pulling has been axed after two well-received series, while Ideal, starring Johnny Vegas, has notched up five series. But then, I never liked Pulling, so it doesn't bother me. Ideal, in amongst all the surreal stuff, has quite a good heart, and there's something rather lovable about drug dealer Moz.

Martin Freeman plays Danny, and Rachael Stirling is Veronica - two strangers who end up swapping bodies thanks to the freak affects of a storm. With hilarious results. If not for the presence of two engaging leads - Freeman can still pull it together in a post The Office world - it would be easy to dismiss this as fluffy nonsense. As it stands, the pair's attempts to get back to the right body become quite charming thanks to good performances and what could have been a disaster becomes quite entertaining. It's possibly in the wrong slot, though.

Don't do it. Seriously, you'll want to sue the Beeb for the 30 minutes you've just lost. Dreadful stuff that even Martin Clunes can't save. Things are lifted a fraction by the presence of Wendy Craig as Reggie's mother. But, sad to say, even her saintly presence doesn't make this worth watching.

Honestly, this is tantamount to a mugging. Somebody in comedy commissioning at the Beeb must have tortured logic until it screamed: "Remake classic 1970s sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin!". That's clearly the only explanation for this travesty of a show, saved marginally by the presence of Martin Clunes in the title role. But seriously, when you're stepping into shoes vacated by the late, great Leonard Rossiter, even the best fall short of the mark. Way short.

My ambivalence towards the brief return of Red Dwarf for a three-part reunion special has been noted previously, but after seeing the picture of Lister, Rimmer et al wandering down Coronation Street, my heart of ice melted. A little. It looks like a fun catch up with some old friends if truth be told, but I hope that won't stop Doug Naylor writing some lines that are actually funny. Remember, every sitcom needs equal measure of sit and com! But perhaps the world does need the return of Red Dwarf after all. The three-part special continues over the Easter weekend, with various documentaries and clips shows to celebrate being back in the Red one last time.

Now I like TV as much as the next geek daftie (look, I really do have a Bonekickers DVD boxset, honestly), but even my blood turned to ice when I read about the BBC's new Friday night panel quiz show...

Presenter Steve Jones, spreading his wings beyond T4, will host As Seen on TV (you see what they did there?), a panel game in a Buzzcocks stylee on the subject of, well, TV. The team captains will be outgoing This Morning host Fern Britton and comedian Jason Manford (drafted in from C4's 8 Out of 10 Cats).

Honestly, is that the best they can come up with for a Friday night these days? Really? Wow, Jay Hunt is making some dynamic commissioning decisions in her early days as BBC1 controller. Did nobody, at any point, sit her down and show her an episode of It's Only TV... But I Like It, the Jonathan Ross hosted TV themed panel game show? One can only assume not...

Panel shows, like Buzzcocks, HIGNFY and QI can be good, enjoyable, even subversive television. But the alchemy of getting the right make-up of on-screen talent and format to make it work is a tricky thing to pull off. One bum note and it all goes out of the window.

But whatever the success or otherwise of the finished product, on the surface, As Seen on TV just sounds like lazy, middle of the road television. Surely we deserve better? Or am I expecting too much these days?