Richard Waring

"Second Time Around" (BBC1), last night's new series, was potentially full of pain. A divorced man of 50 falling in love with a girl his daughter's age. But in comes Waring and wallops them with his little wand and these bloody situations all turn into bottles of milk.

The story of this comedy playhouse was the emnity of Franklyn played by Geoffrey Bayldon (or Catweazle to your children) and Johnnie played by Ronnie Barker who, under the will of their only friend, inherit a house. It was very well done and with a definite taste of salt rather than sugar.

On Tuesday BBC1 played its autumn comedy ace My Wife Next Door, starring John Alderton and Hannah Gordon. The first episode didn't connect as cleanly as one had been led to expect. Alderton and Gordon play two young divorcees who accidentally take up residence next door to each other. Shades of 'Private Lives'. Shades too, unfortunately, of the brand of dumb-bunny domestic sitcom usually featuring Ian Carmichael being wonderful about the kids while Wendy Craig learns to boil water.

It was a wet sort of night for comedy. "Bachelor Father" (BBC1) seems increasingly inclined to the watery, misty-eyed smile. It is not so much soft at the centre as liquid. Indeed given to dribbling. In the course of half an hour almsot everyone smiled with loving and forgiving understanding at everyone else.

"Bachelor Father" has a lot going for it, plenty of sound professional talent pushing and polishing it. But it isn't very funny.