Sharon Rooney

Two Doors Down reunites us with Eric and Beth (Alex Norton and Arabella Weir) a middle-aged Glaswegian couple who are part of a close-knit neighbourhood. From the opening instalment I got the impression that each episode of the series will be based around one crisis or another that the neighbours have with the rest of the street getting involved in the process. This time it was Eric's late night hunt for oven chips that led to Beth's freezer being left open overnight and completely ruining all the food that was in it. This prompts Beth to invite friends and family around to sample a buffet that includes everything from vegetable pakoras to apple pie. Drafted into help in the kitchen is Cathy (Doon Mackichan), Beth's neighbour who can't help but pass comment on how big her freezer is in comparison to her friend's and how it pains to even help put stuff in the oven. The other story running throughout this first episode is that of Eric and Beth's son Ian (Jamie Quinn) who is about to move in with his boyfriend Jaz (Harki Bhambra) but isn't keen to tell his parents just yet. Whilst Two Doors Down wasn't laugh-out-loud funny what I enjoyed about the show was the way in which you identified with at least one of the characters. I feel most people know an Eric or a Beth or a Cathy and therefore it's not a hard task to imagine these people living on your street. The central gag of the freezer breaking down is an equally realistic conceit and the scene in which Beth and Cathy were trying to work out what went in the oven and what temperature was very funny indeed. I feel that the sitcom's creator Simon Carlyle has a very good ear for everyday dialogue and that's true of both Two Doors Down and his work on Boy Meets Girl. The cast are equally on form with Norton, Weir and Mackichan the highlights of a strong ensemble who were all trying their best to make the show work. My only criticism of Two Doors Down at this early stage is that the supporting characters don't feel as well-realised as the main cast which is true of Ian and Jaz as well as Sharon Rooney's Sophie who doesn't get to do much at all. Overall I would say that Two Doors Down is a promising and likeable sitcom that contains believable characters and situations which is something I couldn't say a lot of other contemporary comedies.

Created and written by Jim Field-Smith, the creator of the wonderful The Wrong Mans, alongside George Kay, Stag follows the exploits of a boisterous gang of men on a stag party. Stumbling along as a late arrival to the hunting weekend is Ian (Jim Howick), a mild-mannered geography teacher who is totally different to the other stags celebrating the last weekend of freedom of Johnners (Stephen Campbell Moore). Ian's weekend gets off to a bad start from the get-go as he's left at the side of the road by the rest of the party before being landed with a bar bill from the local pub's stern waitress (Sharon Rooney). Events soon take a dark twist when the men are abandoned by the local gamekeeper (James Cosmo) and forced to fend for themselves in the wild. Quickly some of the party are picked off and are thought to be killed whilst the rest start to turn on each other with suspicion quickly falling on outsider Ian. I have to admit it took me a while to adjust to Stag which has none of the charm or quirky British humour which made The Wrong Mans such a joy to watch. The majority of the characters in Stag, with the exception of Ian, are initially unlikeable toffs who are described by the mild-mannered Aitken (Tim Key) as the worst kind of people. But as Kay and Field-Smith's story continues they start to reveal complexities in the characters all of whom seem to be hiding secrets of some kind. The writing duo also seem to have done their research into the sort of genre they want Stag to fit into with the general tone being that of horror thriller. There are definitely elements of both The Wicker Man and Deliverance both in the presentation of the local community and the way in which the party start to be picked off. The humour is also subtly presented with a lot of smutty, laddy banter mixed in with some genuinely funny one-liners. The ensemble cast bounced off each other perfectly with Howick brilliantly portraying the awkward outsider and the rest of the gang having excellent chemistry. I especially liked Reece Shearsmith's brief appearance as the party member who wants to escape his family as well as Borgen's Pilou Asbaek as the Danish oddball. Although I've already got an idea of how Stag is going to end I'm intrigued enough to carry on watching what must be one of the most unique TV shows of the year so far.

Everyone weary of Hogmanay's forced merriment will relish this comedy. We're told that New Year celebrations are all about spending time with family and friends, raising a glass together and opening a shortbread tin in tipsy harmony. Rubbish! Has anyone ever actually spent a New Year like that? Mine are always soured by the memory of the year before when I made a list of saintly resolutions, long since trashed. I'm so bad at keeping them that I needn't make new ones; I'll just endlessly recycle last year's list and hate myself more each time.

So those for whom Hogmanay is about guilt, despair and plain old grumpiness will find a collection of kindred spirits here.

Almost every Scottish comedy actor you can name makes an appearance: Alex Norton, Daniela Nardini, Doon Mackichan, Jonathan Watson, Sharon Rooney, a young James Allenby-Kirk and more.

The action takes place in a tidy suburban house as Eric and Beth prepare to host a Hogmanay party but things go wrong from the beginning, starting with the small matter of there being no crisps, and when the riotous family and friends descend things get worse still, ending in leaps from the bathroom window and Viking axe attacks.

Mrs Brown's Boys amongst winners at Scottish BAFTAs

Wins for Mrs Brown's Boys, The Dog Ate My Homework and My Mad Fat Diary star Sharon Rooney.

Radio Times review

Teen dramas are often full of glossy, rich models, but it's good to have a dose of reality now and then. Sure, we all need escapism but this witty and moving series, starring Sharon Rooney, follows the life of Rae as she copes with body image issues, mental health problems and a complex family. Good for all humans, but especially any young adults who could benefit from a non-conformist role model...

This broad, shouty, defiantly old-fashioned sitcom set in a Glencoe pub has its detractors, but there's a certain pleasure in seeing an archetypal ne'er-do-well, kilted malingerer Jimmy (Jimmy Chisholm), hurtle so confidently toward disaster. To the dismay of landlady Jules (the formidable Sharon Rooney), Jimmy is hailed as a hero after saving a young hiker from an unlikely accident. But even as the endorsement deals roll in, the incorrigible boozehound has already sown the seeds of his downfall.

My Mad Fat Diary box set review

Sharon Rooney's marvellous Rae tackles weighty issues - depression, suicide, body image - with charm, wit and laughter.

Back for a full series despite last year's pilot, this retrograde sitcom follows the antics of a group of mountain rescue volunteers in the Highlands. That it's static, stagey and not really about anything - they don't do any rescuing tonight, preferring to stay in the pub in front of the live studio audience - wouldn't be a problem if the jokes were belters. But they're half-hearted, old or just baffling, driven by some weak characterisation. Even Sharon Rooney and Doon Mackichan are made to look mediocre.

Crush of the week: Sharon Rooney

As the third and final series draws to a close, Sharon Rooney has grown with the role. She has the presence and talent of a far more mature actor.

Sharon Rooney on the final chapter of My Mad Fat Diary

By tackling issues around mental health and non-conformism, the cult E4 comedy has had a positive impact on many of its viewers. As it comes to an end, its star hopes it can help future generations too.