The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff

Behind those stick-on whiskers, Robert Webb's innocent, ­dim-witted face has got "gullible sucker" written all over it.

And, as the Dickensian spoof returns, Bleak Old Shop proprietor Jedrington Secret-Past and his family are about to be catapulted into a world of untold wealth thanks to a business opportunity that sounds almost too good to be true.

While last year's Christmas special was full of lots of soft, wordy humour that showed off its radio roots, the first of this ­new BBC2 three-parter takes a more ­straightforward route to the viewers' funny bone.

And if you don't laugh at The Apprentice and Tesco gags then there's really ­something wrong with you. Katherine Parkinson is wonderful as Jedrington's wife Conceptiva, who is being taunted (Lady Dedlock-style) about her very own secret past.

Her insistence on doing everything without any help from her new servants is a lovely detail, while Waterloo Road's Sarah Hadland pops up, quite literally tonight, as a very different kind of teacher to what we've seen before.

This sitcom may represent the height of ­silliness, but it's also very clever.

Robert Webb and Katherine Parkinson return for three new episodes of the rip-snorting historical romp that puts a banger up Dickens. Now over his festive difficulties at debtors' prison, Jedrington Secret-Past (Webb) begins a joint business venture with the innocuously named Harmswell Grimstone (Tim McInnerny) and Jedrington's wife Conceptiva (Parkinson) receives a distressing letter which threatens to send her even barmier than that treacle addiction. It's demented, gag-jammed fun. Above all, this shop sells that most old-fashioned of commodities - proper jokes.

This Dickens spoof is not something you'd recommend wholeheartedly to anyone unless you were sure they had a forgiving sense of humour. That doesn't mean it's not funny, it's just that its jokes all come under the heading of silly, or even very silly.

As we rejoin the action after the Christmas one-off, Jedrington and Conceptiva Secret-Past are happily running their shop full of bizarre curiosities when a wealthy villain arrives to poison their contentment, and Conceptiva's past secret (which turns out to be genuinely funny) threatens to overwhelm them both.

This Dickens spoof revolving around Jedrington - Robert Webb's upright Victorian shopkeeper - first aired as a one-off seasonal indulgence at Christmas. But now - with a plot that sees Jedrington involved with an evil business man as his wife Conceptiva (Katherine Parkinson) struggles to face up to her 'Secret Past' extended over three episodes - it feels drawn out. You sense the series makers straining for some of Blackadder's period irreverence (Tim McInnerny is on hand in support), but the results are like an overlong sketch from That Mitchell And Webb Look or, even worse, a Footlights show, circa 1984. A few good gags aside - such as the Oxford Emotional Dictionary that Jedrington consults to decipher his wife's womanly whims - there's only so many times you can laugh at these quaint Victorians.

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff review: Bleaker still...

Reducing its run-time from an hour to 30 minutes is an improvement, yet some may suggest that commissioners should have gone one step further and axed it.

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff review

Some may find the sheer amount of twisted novelty Victoriana a little forced, others will love it. Much like the cabbage launched from the 'luncheon cannon', it's an acquired taste.

The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff review

The satire and in-jokes are spot-on. Indeed, I laughed out loud quite a a few times. And I can asure you it takes a lot to make me crack a smile on a cold Monday evening in February.

Mark Evans's Bleak Expectations worked on Radio 4 because it was the right medium for the sparkling wordplay of his Dickensian pastiche. Transferring to TV, even with a tweaked concept, did its comic style no favours. The recent Christmas special met a flat reception partly because so many comedy stars signed up, slugging it out over thin material. This follow-on series sees Jedrington Secret-Past (Robert Webb) embark on a new venture with Harmswell Grimstone (Tim McInnerny).

It's odd for a new sitcom to start with a Christmas special, but The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff has. Clearly the BBC has faith in it.

Perhaps that isn't surprising. Being based on the popular Radio 4 Dickensian sitcom Bleak Expectations is already a good enough start. Throw in a cast of, amongst others, Mitchell and Webb, Stephen Fry, Katherine Parkinson and Pauline McLynn into the mix then you should end up with a wonderful piece of work.

Robert Webb plays Jedrington Secret-Past, the owner of The Old Shop of Stuff, London's leading retailer of miscellaneous odd things. The special revolves around his attempts to pay off a certain debt he owes to evil solicitor Malifax Skulkingworm (Fry) before London's three great alliterative bells (Big Ben, Massive Morris and Tiny Terry) ring in Christmas Day.

Anyone familiar with Bleak Expectations will know the sort of humour to expect. It's silly and unashamed of it. This is the only show to feature such things as a bird known as the tinsel tit, Santa Claus on a crucifix, The A to D of London and a man being arrested for crying. Some critics may think that this programme is too silly, but I say sometimes you need something silly to lift up your spirits.

My only problem with this show is that I'm somewhat perplexed by the fact that they didn't just simply adapt the original Bleak Expectations for television, rather than create a brand new project. Yes, I like Jedrington Secret-Past and Malifax Skulkingworm, but I like Sir Philip 'Pip' Bin and Mr. Gently Benevolent too. I'd love to see them appear on screen some time...

One of the first proper Christmas specials to be shown this year was The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff - a television "reimagining" of writer Mark Evans's BBC Radio 4 comedy series Bleak Expectations. Despite being totally up my street, I've never properly caught this Dickensian spoof in its audio form, but with the likes of Stephen Fry and Robert Webb on board, I wasn't about to miss the TV version.

And I tell you want, it's a hell of lot weirder than I thought it would be. When Jedrington Secret-Past (Webb) closes up shop for the festive period, his little daughter gives him a Jam Spaniel (a tiny dog-shaped jam roly poly pudding...) as a Christmas present, and when he goes off to get ingredients for the Christmas feast, he's given a brace of "Tinsel-Tits".

Odd. But really good. This was silly stuff that was both broad and surreal and there were some brilliant cameos - especially from the wonderful Celia Imrie.