Richard Ayoade

Ever considered the erotic potential of a barista's frothy coffee machine? Since the hopelessly inept IT department first flickered into life in this peerless comedy, the world has moved on. Back in 2006, the careers of Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade and Katherine Parkinson were just booting up. And the all-pervading influence of the internet was still cranking up. But now, as the trio log in for this last-ever one-off special - featuring a spooky guest turn from Noel Fielding - the faces of Roy, Moss and Jen are famous, and there's a glint of the Black Mirror about the tangles they get into as viral videos, micro-bloggers and hactivists up the levels of paranoia.

The IT Crowd returns for a one-off special which will most likely be its last ever (since Richard Ayoade is now a director and Chris O'Dowd is Hollywood's most unlikely heartthrob). Despite repeated attempts, I've never managed to find it even the slightest bit amusing - its strained "aren't geeks weird!" jokes and broad performances, accompanied by gales of studio audience laughter, just aren't for me. But for those who have enjoyed the previous four series, the special offers more of the same, wisely keeping to the same basic premise (and basement) rather than sending them all on holiday or something.

In what must have been a slow week for the writers, tonight's show seems geared up simply to make regular panellist Jack Whitehall look as weedy as possible. Donning a skimpy training vest, he takes on ripped England rugby international Chris Ashton in a Strongest Man contest, hauling a three-and-a-half-ton truck while being goaded by the obscenely bulky British strongman Jay "Hollywood£ Hughes.

Thankfully, guest Richard Ayoade from The IT Crowd is ready to strike a blow for the physically deficient. "What do you want to know, big man?" asks pundit Jamie Redknapp. "I am neither big... nor a man," replies Ayoade, fantastically puncturing try-hard Jamie's laddish exuberance. Speaking of silly boys, let's get to the bottom of why Ashton thought "dwarf tossing" in the 2011 World Cup was a good idea.

This comedy from Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein is another fine excuse for parents and non-parents to flick over to CBBC, with plenty of witty one-liners and a strong voice cast (Richard Ayoade, Doc Brown). Get acquainted over on the iPlayer.

Smart-talking Mitchell (Doc Brown) is under surveillance after headmaster Mr Abercrombie finds out he burned down his old school, so when items go missing, he's named prime suspect. As Mitchell, Becky (Emma Kennedy) and geeky Templeton (Richard Ayoade) start their own investigation, they stumble upon a mysterious boy, the smell of hotdog goulash, and a load of witty one-liners delivered by digitally enhanced puppets. Suffice to say this gem from Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein is guaranteed to make Grange Hill fans feel very old.

I have tried to like Full English, I really have. I love animated comedy - The Simpsons and South Park are two of my all-time favourite TV shows - and appreciate all the time, effort and expertise that goes into making them. But three episodes into Full English's run and I think I've seen enough.

The show is set in the south of England suburban home of Edgar and Wendy Johnson - voiced by Richard Ayoade and Rosie Cavaliero - and their three teenage children. Ostensibly your quintessentially dull, middle-class family, their lives are touched by the bizarre, surreal and frequently sexual.

Full English does have its funny moments, particularly the throwaway visual gags, but the script largely comprises sledgehammer satire, sniggering scatology and obvious pops at pop culture. All of which aren't bad in themselves if they were tempered by a little charm, but the show has none.

True, the priapic grandfather is accompanied everywhere by a giant green invisible friend, but this device feels like it has been bolted onto the show to inject quirkiness, rather than coming naturally out of the set-up.

To deliver one more kick to Full English's CGI groin, I find the show visually disappointing. The animation is flat and uninteresting, while the characters' faces are ugly and unappealing. I blame the way they've drawn the eyes.

There appears to be an unwritten rule when it comes to animation in the UK that unless it's by Aardman, it'll be rubbish. Full English seems to obey this rule, which may explain why Channel 4 is airing it at 22.50.

The other reason of course being the crudeness of the humour. It's been described as the British Family Guy by some critics, which brings us to another unwritten rule on animation: if a British comedy's marketed as the British version of a successful American comedy, the British comedy will be rubbish in comparison. Again, Full English conforms.

The series centres on a "typical""British suburban family; put-upon father Edgar (Richard Ayoade), emo daughter Eve (Daisy Haggard), and horrid superrich father-in-law Ken (Oliver Maltman) who has an imaginary, gigantic, green friend called Squidge.

Full English doesn't seem to have one big problem but lots of little ones. The animation by Alex Scarfe (son of Gerald Scarfe) is very poor in terms of quality. The characters seem one dimensional (as opposed to their 2D visual portrayals).

But for me the worst is its attempts at satire. The plot of the first episode sees Eve go on Britain's Got Talent with her band, failing, but getting back on by pretending her parents are dead. How original. It's all the same, with Simon Cowell being a vicious git, contestants doing freakishly horrid acts, and others playing the sympathy vote. It's all been done before.

I'll concede there were some moments of laughter, mainly the more violent cartoonish sequences - like Squidge's attempts to hang himself, or the eldest son of the family hiding under the car, only to get badly hurt because he's so fat he gets terrible friction off the road as the car moves. But other than that I think that Full English hasn't got much going for it.

From The Simpsons to Family Guy, America has got it nailed when it comes to satirical animations - so how does this home-grown British effort stack up? It's rough around the edges but it does have the requisite dysfunctional family at its filthy heart: Edgar and Wendy Johnson, their three children plus Wendy's dad, Ken. The humour is wilfully offensive, with Britain's Got Talent getting it in its chubby neck, and dad Edgar is voiced by The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade.

This new cartoon series is Britain's answer to ]Family Guy.But if it looks slickly American that's because, although it was created by brothers Jack and Harry Williams and Alex Scarfe - son of cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and Jane Asher - the animation was done in LA at the studio responsible for Futurama, and The Simpsons Movie.

Be warned that Full English isn't for kids. It features animated sex plus some stuff about Nazis and disabled people that is offensive in ways I haven't even worked out yet. And one character's pursuit of The Queen could well spark another royal scandal. Simon Cowell probably won't be a fan either.

The voice work is by Richard Ayoade as dad Edgar, Rosie Cavaliero as wife Wendy and Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak as both of their sons.

The standout tonight is daughter Eve (voiced by Daisy Haggard), who auditions for Britain's Got Talent with hilariously predictable results. I'm not sure about the father-in-law and his imaginary friend, though. Is Britain ready for a large green balloon?

This new animated sitcom looks like it's trying to be Britain's answer to American cartoons such as Family Guy. The Johnsons are the central family, made up of Edgar (voiced by IT Crowd star Richard Ayoade), Wendy and their three children. While the animations have charm, the show relies heavily on puerile humour, and lacks the incisiveness about modern life that makes the American shows so amusing. In tonight's episode Eve decides to enter her band, Bloodmonkey, for Britain's Got Talent.