Vincent Ebrahim

Radio Times review

Remember the Kumars? You should, because their BBC show The Kumars at No 42 (which ran from 2001 to 2006) was one of a kind, steering a path between Asian sitcom and cheeky chat show that occasionally teetered on the edge of shambles, but mostly paid rich dividends as celebrities squirmed in Sanjeev Bhaskar's hot seat and the ad libs zinged.

Since we last saw them, our fictional family have fallen on hard times, with Sanjeev, Dad (Vincent Ebrahim) and Ummi (Meera Syal) now living above Dad's gift shop in Hounslow. That hasn't affected the quality of their celebrity visitors, however, as Daniel Radcliffe, Olivia Colman and Chevy Chase pay a call.

Tonight's is the best episode so far. Nothing fancy, just well observed, cheekily inventive and full of good lines. I loved Tom and Roy's baffled exchange about scented candles and why women like them so much. I'm sure it's a question that has crossed a few men's minds over the years. The reason for the discussion is that Sally (Jane Asher), the object of Roy and Tom's helpless, hopeless desires, is having her bathroom done, so she comes to stay with them, and they proceed to fall over themselves to impress her with their domestic arrangements. Naturally, they overdo it - nobody really needs kedgeree and kidneys for breakfast. It's such a good episode that even Vincent Ebrahim as Rajan, the pushy local café owner, comes into his own at last, proving to be a love rival and, annoyingly, much better at flirting with Sally. But it's Roger Lloyd Pack as Tom who steals the honours: his roguish old rebel is in danger of turning into a classic.

Building work drives Sally (Jane Asher) into the home of the Pensioners Behaving Badly for a week. As Tom says, "God has answered my mad prayer." While the boys suffocate her with aromatherapy candles, Rajan takes the opportunity to spirit her away on endless dates (great eyebrow work from Vincent Ebrahim). Also contains a heartfelt requiem for TV's golden age, with the speculation that if Peter Ustinov were around today, the only way he would get 70s-style audience figures would be if he were to "ice-skate naked while Ant and Dec fed him koala testicles."

Roy and Tom's wildest dreams actually come true tonight when Sally (Jane Asher) temporarily moves into their house. She's having her bathroom repaired and how can they refuse a damsel in distress? Simon Blackwell has written a gem of an episode as the pair of them go all-out to impress Sally with their five-star hospitality.

Annoyingly though, Sally seems far more interested this week in going off on exciting day trips with cafe owner Rajan (Vincent Ebrahim) who also fancies his chances. It's a simple set-up packed with memorable one-liners. But funniest of all perhaps is Roy (Clive Swift) serving up giant-sized cheese straws, and his rather adorable attempts to avoid hearing any news during the day.

Something's bothering me about this second series of The Old Guys. Vincent Ebrahim has joined as Rajan, a local café owner, but his character is underwritten and adds nothing - so why introduce him? Tonight the mystery deepens, as Tom and Roy meet Rajan as if for the first time and his café opens for business - though they've encountered him and it in previous episodes. Did the writers think we wouldn't notice? Anomalies aside, it's an enjoyable storyline. "Finally I'll get to do things my way," Tom gloats. "No cooker, no kettle, just a Sodastream. Everything fizzy! Fizzy milk, Roy - the dream!"

We're circling Buddha of Suburbia territory with this new sitcom by Suk Pannu, about Bharat, a suburban guru (Vincent Ebrahim), his disciple Henry (Tim Key) and Mrs Sidhu (Shelley King), his termagant receptionist. Bharat's advice is much sought after but what he advises (times of weddings etc) may depend on what's on TV that afternoon. Yet despite his devotion to Quincy, he wants the younger generation to take him seriously.

The most promising new sitcom came from Suk Pannu with The Spiritual Centre because it had a genuine quirkiness, allied with performances which didn't make me grit my teeth, which is always a good start. Most of the best sitcoms of the seventies, the undisputed golden age of the genre, exploited genuine personality flaws in their characters, rather than hyping everything up to fairground level. Here, Pannu has given us Bharat, a self-declared guru of the western suburbs of London, who is expansive on the failings of others while blind to his own faults. Played by the very likeable Vincent Ebrahim, he carelessly exploits the servant classes (his disciple played by Tim Key) and becomes very tetchy if interrupted during the afternoon repeats of old American detective shows.