Paula Wilcox

"If you don't like me, don't watch telly in September," Samantha Womack said to RT recently, referencing the fact that she's in both EastEnders and the third series of Sky Living's amiable but oddly aimless comedy drama. But she and screen husband Nigel Harman (who 'Enders fans will no doubt remember as Den Watts's son Mini Den) actually make a good impression in this opening episode by bringing some off-kilter laughs to the table. Otherwise, Mount Pleasant does just seem to be a parade of massive hairdos, loosely connected scenes and larger-than-life performances from the likes of Paula Wilcox and James Dreyfus.

EastEnders favourites Samantha Womack and Nigel Harman swap Albert Square for a cul-de-sac up north in the third series of eccentric dramedy Mount Pleasant - and if you've ever dreamt about Ronnie Mitchell and Dennis Rickman getting it on in an alternate 'Enders timeline, you're in lucky, as the pair are playing a couple!

But it's not long before lovebirds Tanya and Bradley are causing trouble for their neighbours, with a housewarming bash turning into a theatre of tears and tantrums following a series of unfortunate events in Mount Pleasant - including Lisa (Sally Lindsay) unexpectedly losing her job, Charlie (David Bradley) and Pauline (Paula Wilcox)'s wedding plans going up in the air and Bianca (Sian Reeves) being refused a big insurance payout after her late husband's death.

The folk of Mount Pleasant are all covered in snow and good cheer as is proper at this time of year. We join them at first light on Christmas morning and no one has held back on the decorations. Bianca's bought Gary one of everything from the Argos catalogue, Dan and Lisa are exchanging gifts, and Pauline and Charlie are heading for their first domestic of the day. David Bradley, Paula Wilcox, Sally Lindsay, Liza Tarbuck: it's one of the most impressive casts on British television. If you like a bit of well-crafted family fun, you're in safe hands here.

Tragedy hits the cul-de-sac tonight with the sudden loss of one of its residents, but it's a tribute to the resilience of Sarah Hooper's amiable series that it does not miss a beat, or suffer a plunge in tone, as it handles the funeral and aftermath. Equally devastating is news about the demolition of the ice rink, inadvertently revealed by the indiscreet vicar. A cast of old hands, from Bobby Ball to Paula Wilcox, ably handle the material, delivered with the very antithesis of EastEnders' morose sturm und drang.

A terrific performance by Paula Wilcox is central to this amusing drama by Daniel Thurman that explores the dangers of having too much time on your hands. She plays Yvonne, whose world is thrown upside down when, aged 64, she loses her job. Until this cataclysmic moment Yvonne and her husband Neil (Philip Jackson) have drifted along in contented domesticity while he indulged his passion for birdwatching. But suddenly, Yvonne starts to see Neil's hobby as something more sinister; a reason to escape, a desperate cry for freedom - despite the protestations of her pragmatic friend Wendy (the peerless Anne Reid). There are some beautifully observed moments and tremendously witty dialogue that - very much in the vein of Alan Bennett - finds rich humour in the seemingly mundane.

Following the mixed reception given to the first Rock & Chips earlier in the year, the Only Fools and Horses prequel was back for a second hour-long Christmas instalment last night. The leap in tone from John Sullivan's original laugh-a-minute sitcom to this '60s-set comedy-drama remains a little disappointing, but there was still much to enjoy.

Once again, The Inbetweeners' James Buckley was spot-on as the teenage Del Boy, who was now trying to make a not-so-honest living by selling knock-off US rock records in the market. True to form, he was also desperate to have his wicked way with any girl who happened to cross his path - and set about improving his chances by dishing out fake diamond engagement rings to a couple of likely candidates.

Poor Amita (Chandeep Uppal) was overjoyed at becoming Del's fiancée - although her joy turned to anger when she uncovered his plot. Still, she did get a delightful hand-knitted sari from Del's nan, Violet (Paula Wilcox), so it wasn't all bad news. Meanwhile, Del failed to impress another fiancée's parents when he went round for tea. However, the entire scene was stolen by the girl's granny who exclaimed - twice - that her coq au vin tasted like "s***".

I mention the swearing granny only because this marked one of the few occasions when I actually laughed out loud (yes, my sense of humour really is that juvenile). Because while Del's exploits provided welcome comic relief - even if you could see most of the jokes coming a mile off - the real focus of Rock & Chips was on his mum Joan (Kellie Bright) and her on-off affair with mustachioed wheeler-dealer Freddie 'the Frog' (Nicholas Lyndhurst).

Bright's bittersweet portrayal of the proud, put-upon Joan, who wishes she could swap lives with Elizabeth Taylor, was genuinely moving. But all that emotion made it feel more like an episode of Heartbeat at times.

It's Christmas 1960 and the Trotters are settling into their new flat in Sir Walter Raleigh House, Peckham. In this second prequel to Only Fools and Horses, 16-year-old Del (The Inbetweeners' James Buckley) has left school. Very much the fledgeling wheeler-dealer, he's busily flogging 45s straight off the back of a boat from America and getting engaged to half of sarf London in the hope of creating some lustful opportunities. Rodney's still a baby, of course, and his father, the roguish but debonair Freddie "the Frog" Robdal (Nicholas Lyndhurst), has been temporarily detained. In Wormwood Scrubs. The first serving of John Sullivan's Rock & Chips last January gave many critics indigestion but it went down well with viewers, who didn't mind the lack of belly laughs. There are some cracking performances here, too: Robert Daws is splendid as a sleazy cinema manager and Paula Wilcox as Reg Trotter's mum surely must be closely related to Catherine Tate's Nan.