Olivia Colman

When Rev first hit our screens last year, its lack of belly-laughs might have seemed a bit of a ­disadvantage for a sitcom.

But as a hugely-deserved series two begins, it's obvious that its more gentle humour is in fact a stroke of divine genius - making it more true-to-life and ­consequently far, far funnier than any number of Dibley-ish chocolate fountain moments.

The modern vicar's impossible mission of having to please all the people all the time is perfectly captured in James Woods's confident script and Tom Hollander's sweet-natured performance. The only banana skins you'll find vicar Adam Smallbone skidding on are moral ones and in this week's episode he's got his dog collar in a twist over whether or not to accept a Daily Mirror Pride Of Britain award after accidentally tripping a mugger.

To paraphrase Life Of Brian, he's not a hero - he's just a very clumsy vicar. But what does God want him to do?

Adam's prayers are a regular feature of Rev, but as God never replies, these are, by necessity, a one-way conversation. Tonight, as one of God's regional managers appears in the shape of the Bishop of London (a marvellous cameo from Ralph Fiennes) your imagination fills in the requisite choir of angels and celestial light.

There's also a lovely scene in a ­steam-room where Adam, Archdeacon Robert and publicity-hungry vicar Roland appear to be sitting on a cloud.

But Rev's brief lies is more earthly matters and this week we're treated to a heart-felt rant from Adam's wife (Olivia Colman).

Being married to a man who doesn't even get Sundays off definitely isn't her idea of heaven.

The Rev. returns

Tomorrow night the fabulous Tom Hollander (In The Loop), Olivia Colman (Twenty Twelve) and Steve Evets (Looking for Eric) return to BBC Two at 9pm in the new series of Rev.

A welcome second series for Tom Hollander and John Wood's gentle, exquisitely observed comedy about the quietly determined, morally conflicted vicar of a rough East London parish. Hollander is superb as the diminutive Rev Alan Smallbone, who tonight finds himself an unlikely nominee for a heroism award. There's a terrific supporting cast led by Olivia Colman, Miles Jupp, Hugh Bonneville and Ralph Fiennes.

Tom Hollander and Olivia Colman interview

The BAFTA award-winning comedy about a vicar living in a deprived inner-city borough returns for a second series. TV Choice speaks to Tom Hollander, who plays the Rev Adam Smallbone, and Olivia Colman, who plays his wife Alex.

Olivia Colman interview

From Peep Show to Rev, Olivia Colman usually brings out the comedy in her hapless onscreen husbands. But this time her role as an abused wife is deadly serious.

Previously shown on BBC Four, this is a spoof documentary series about the lives of the people responsible for making the London 2012 Olympics happen. Starring Peep Show's Olivia Colman and Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, it's a gentle satire of office life, without the savagery of The Thick of It or the cringing realism of The Office. In this opening episode, the team come up with ways to celebrate the "1,000 days to go" milestone.

As for last night Sally (Olivia Colman), personal assistant to Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville), head of deliverance at the Olympic Deliverance Commission in the always amusing and sporadically very funny Twenty Twelve, I yearned for the happy ending that she herself seemed to yearn for, a meaningful clinch with her boss. Alas, the final episode didn't yield the romantic encounter it had promised, despite Sally continuing to show much more devotion to Ian than he got at home from his needy, nagging, pixellated wife.

It's hard to think of a spoof documentary that has been more fortuitously timed than Twenty Twelve. The first episode poked fun at the Olympic countdown clock, and within less than a day the real clock had malfunctioned. Since then, there's been no end of argy-bargy concerning the future use of the Olympic stadium, with the decision to hand it to West Ham United robustly challenged by Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient. Oh, and marathon man David Bedford has resigned, citing general ineptitude. So it has taken only a very small leap of the imagination into the fictional world of the ODC, whose head of sustainability (Amelia Bullmore) was last night confronted by a man from the London Wildlife Stag Beetle Outreach Project, worried that clearing an area of tree stumps would wreak devastation among his beloved beetles.

Similarly outraged was Tony Ward (Tim McInnerny), a volatile film-maker aghast at the deployment of Greenwich Park for the equestrian events, and the probable daily invasion of "20,000 pubescent girls from second-rate public schools in Surrey with dreadful aspirational mothers". To demonstrate his opposition, Ward had a large pile of horse manure dumped outside the ODC offices, which Fletcher agreed to deal with to "keep it from Seb".

I don't think that's another example of art and life colliding, but it easily could be. Indeed, Ward and Roberts finally came face to face in the Today programme studio, where they were asked a succinct question by James Naughtie, just about the only truly unlikely turn of events in the entire half-hour.

The 2012 team engages ex-athlete Dave Wellbeck (Darren Boyd) to front their Raising the Bar scheme to inspire young people. Unfortunately, his school assembly presentations in Basingstoke and Warwick soon establish the silver medallist now only bores for Britain. If you're a connoisseur of that tranche of comedy that deals in excruciating embarrassment, you may lap this up. Otherwise, I fear you'll find this week's Olympian effort limp hobbling towards lame. Hugh Bonneville remains peerless as a sort of modern-day Ronnie Barker, and we could do with a bit more screen time for Olivia Colman as Sally, Ian's scuttling, "not a problem" PA.

Siobhan and Ian have another pointless meeting. Jessica Hynes really nails dead-eyed ennui as the half-wit PR consultant and Hugh Bonneville is perfectly pitched as the pleasant but ineffectual executive. And tonight, the superb Darren Boyd plays ex-athlete Dave Wellbeck, now an "Official 2012 Hero" charged with inspiring the nation's youth about sport. Olivia Colman continues to be consummately understated as Ian's PA, Sally. The writing is up there with Morton's other wondrous work, People Like Us, and wholly deserves primetime BBC2, not this hidden nook on digital. Perfection.

As the Olympic clock tick tocks its way down to the big event, this new comedy couldn't be more timely. This six partner stars Jessica Hynes, Hugh Bonneville, Amelia Bullmore and Olivia Colman who form the team who have to troubleshoot their way to the opening ceremony. Some of the challenges they face may seem utterly unconnected to watching Sir Chris Hoy bombing round on his fancy BMX, but if there isn't enough wind to move the wind turbines or properly phased traffic lights, the whole event would be a disaster. Written by and directed by People Like Us writer John Morton, we expect it may not be as traumatic as the real Olympics in a year's time.