Susie Blake

I don't think I've ever seen a more impressive cast lined up for a TV comedy than the one Gold has assembled for its special one-off original commission Murder on the Blackpool Express. So I ought to namecheck them, oughtn't I?

There's Johnny Vegas, Sian Gibson (best known for Peter Kay's Car Share), Nigel Havers, Una Stubbs, Griff Rhys Jones, Nina Wadia, Sheila Reid, Kevin Eldon, Mark Heap, Kimberley Nixon, Katy Cavanagh, Matthew Cottle, Susie Blake and Javone Prince. There you have them: some of the best comedic talent from the past half a century or so - and a lot for the scriptwriters and directors to live up to.

Where do you go with that lot? Well, Blackpool, obviously, on a "literary coach tour" with Vegas driving and Gibson as the guide, but also a journey of detective investigation to discover exactly which of the assembled odd bods did for pensioner Marjorie, murdered by means of a dodgy cob with coronation chicken filling. There's one clue for you. Remember: Means, Motive, Opportunity. Enjoy.

Murder On The Blackpool Express preview

While Murder On The Blackpool Express is probably not an instant classic, the playfulness of its fine cast make it an affable diversion, and a happy slice of family viewing (9.30pm actually seems like too late a slot) that could bear many a bank holiday repeat.

Our Friend Victoria, Episode five, BBC1 review

We keep hearing that there is going to be a League of Gentlemen reunion at some point and there is one - of sorts - in the penultimate instalment of this six-art tribute to Victoria Wood.

Susie Blake interview

From Victoria Wood's Continuity Lady to the holier than thou Hilary in Mrs Brown's Boys, Rovers Return barmaid Bev Unwin to a multitude of roles in Russ Abbot's Madhouse, Susie Blake has long been a stalwart of prime-time television.

Radio Times review

Mammy is on edge after a spate of burglaries, and with good reason when her telly and precious armchair go missing. Buster offers to install an alarm system and series of grilles - and much hilarity ensues.

In other news, Cathy is feeling broody and plans a visit to a London fertility clinic, leading to some classic malapropisms from Mammy. When Dermot is refused a bank loan, Mammy takes on her hoity in-law Hilliary (Susie Blake) to win 10,000 euros in a pub poker tournament. And look out for an inspired new use for an iPad.

Mrs Brown's Boys somehow garnered the biggest average audience on Christmas Day. My only explanation is that, after the festive EastEnders, the nation as a whole fell asleep and left their televisions on as I can't see anybody finding Brendan O'Carroll's drag act in the least bit amusing.

I feel that O'Carroll's biggest audience must be the elderly who still find gags about mechanically-operated Christmas trees funny. Indeed the big comic set pieces in this year's festive special involved Mrs Brown getting a new tree that she could operate using a remote control which she inevitably got stuck on by the end of the episode. The other running joke was that Mrs Brown got ultra-competitive when playing Christmas games and was incredibly aggrieved when her rival Hilary (Susie Blake) guessed 'Silence of the Limbs' to a charade clue.

Just like with the obvious humour in Vicious, Mrs Brown's Boys takes all the suggestion out of the character by having her swear every thirty seconds. I feel the vulgarity in Mrs Brown's Boys is often uneccessary and only exists to get cheap laughs from the sitcom's easily-pleased audience.

Now I'm not someone who's opposed to old-fashioned comedy, as you can see from my review of Not Going Out, but I like it to be at least a little bit funny. Again, just like Vicious, I didn't laugh once while watching Mrs Brown's Boys and I just can't see why almost nine and half million of you tuned in to watch this atrociously awful so-called comedy.

That age-worn trope of an older man in love with a younger woman is the basis for G.O.L.D.'s first sitcom commission. Anthony Head gives it his twinkly-eyed best as 59-year-old successful businessman Ed as he prepares to meet the family of his new girlfriend, 33-year-old Lauren (Eve Myles). Lauren is anxious about the reaction of her waspish mother (Susie Blake) and over-protective father (Jeff Rawle), but there's also her sister's unruly family to contend with, and that's before you start on Ed's unhinged ex-wife who lives next door (Lindsay Duncan), his naturist brother and chancer grandson. It's a loose, sprawling family dynamic; reflected in the writing, which mostly settles for tried and tested farce for its laughs.