Tracey Cox

This is Sarah Millican's first steps into a television series of her own, after appearing on nearly every panel show under the sun!

There have been complaints from some quarters that Sarah Millican's possibly the most overexposed comedian currently around. I personally don't think that's the case. Yes, she appears on a lot of panel shows, but she always the guest - she doesn't host any or appear as a team captain, unlike David Mitchell for example.

The Sarah Millican Television Programme is part stand-up, part talk show. Each show covers two different television genres, this week being "animals" and "dating", with the guidance of a guest expert (Chris Packham and Tracey Cox respectively). It has to be said that she seemed to look a bit uncomfortable dealing with this format and perhaps the given material, but I don't doubt she'll soon cope with it as the series goes along.

Millican is certainly funny and the show is very good, but it does have one or two problems, namely with video cameras. There's annoying gimmickry with the "Millicam" in which a video camera is sent into the studio audience and certain people answer Millican's questions. The main problem, though, is that they also filmed the audience members holding the Millicam, so the Millicam instantly becomes redundant...

Then there was Sarah's guest interview with her own father Phillip, during which she wore a silly headcam, which gets one laugh at the beginning but then of course just becomes rather tiresome.

However, other than those minor issues, I'd recommend you giving The Sarah Millican Television Programme a viewing.

They've run out of ­panel shows to put her on... time to proceed to the next level. So hey there ­Geordie girl... it's The Sarah Millican Television Programme.

BBC2 could do a lot worse. Sarah's funny. In a good way...

It takes her precisely 1min 51 seconds to get to her favourite subject... "my boyfriend". Followed by a great guest... her dad. And then a sex expert called Tracey Cox.

Make your own jokes...

No question, Sarah Millican is an excellent, deservedly award-winning stand-up.

And what does TV like to do with an excellent, deservedly award-winning stand-up?

Yep, it likes to give them their own chat show.

The Sarah Millican Television Programme starts tonight at 10pm on BBC2, with guests including Chris Packham and Tracey Cox (oh behave).

Like most of her material, Sarah Millican's new series doesn't exactly push boundaries; although putting her on the sofa and her guests behind the desk is an intriguing if unexplained inversion of chat-show tradition. But it's a perfectly amiable half-hour of observational comedy, this week built around the TV genres of dating shows and wildlife docs. Guests Chris Packham and Tracey Cox are decent if unadventurous choices and play along gamely. But the 'Millicam' is a pun in need of a purpose, a webcam chat with her dad is an indulgence and an ineptly staged dating masterclass sends the show out on a low after a strong opening. Even so, if format and host can settle down and Millican can strike the right balance, there's potential here.

There aren't many comedians who could ask their studio ­audience which wild animal they'd most like to have sex with and make it sound cuddly rather than crude, but Geordie comic Sarah Millican is one of them.

You can learn comedy timing or how to write a great gag - and she's an expert at both - but you can't learn warmth.

You've either got it or you haven't, and she is a comedy hot-water bottle.

Millican's series is a mixture of chat and comedy and, while that format might invite comparison with Mrs Merton, her guests aren't just there to be mocked.

Sarah becomes the butt of jokes, but she gets maximum points for asking Chris Packham: "Why do you do Springwatch every year? Isn't it the same?"

Also on tonight's show are sexpert Tracey Cox and Sarah's dad Philip, who shares his own no-nonsense philosophy.

Observational comedian Sarah Millican has been a regular face on panel shows ever since she won acclaim for her Edinburgh Festival show in 2009. Now she gets her own star vehicle. Millican performs trademark warm but sharp monologues about what's on TV, and chats to stars from the small screen. First up, on the themes of wildlife and dating, she's joined by naturalist Chris Packham and "sexpert" Tracey Cox.

The exemplary standup gets her own show. It's part monologue, part chat about things she likes watching on TV, with the relevant bods joining her for, as Partridge put it, sofa-based chat. Tonight's focus is on wildlife and dating shows, and her guests are Chris Packham and "sexpert" Tracey Cox. With her warmth, citrus tongue and some seriously filthy mime skills, this is going to be fun.

Sarah Millican gets advice from sex expert on new show

Funnygirl Sarah Millican is set to get some sexpert advice from Tracey Cox on her new comedy series.

Putting the "com" into sitcom, Terry McIlroy and Colin King (Ian Kirkby and Simon Greenall) are back with more expert analysis of a Premier League prat. Sex expert Tracey Cox is also on hand this week, to explain the benefits of a certain bedroom technique that Pete and his friends can't stop talking about.

The trouble with this show is that Pete (Rafe Spall) is so thoroughly unlikeable that instead of being the star of the show his tedious adventures are little more than an unwelcome distraction from Terry and Colin's running commentary to the action.

Although it is very funny, if there was a way of just watching these two on the red button - and removing Pete (and his mates' endless stream of annoying girlfriends) from the equation altogether - the show would be much improved.