Common Sense

A further flurry of current affairs chat from the Great British Public or, for the uninitiated, more of what happens when you put Twitter and the new BBC One idents in a blender. Going by the series so far, diverting but definitely Gogglebox Lite, it's a thundering shame that the US enjoys Samantha Bee, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert leading a topical comedy renaissance, while our equivalent is apparently two barflies talking about The Emoji Movie.

In a seeming attempt to emulate Gogglebox's off-the-cuff brilliance, this topical series featuring members of the public is filmed just a few days prior to transmission. Although previews are, as such, unavailable, expect the requisite mix of homespun wit and plenty of Trump and Brexit-themed gags. However, whether this lot have the unassuming comedic skills of Sandy and Sandra, let alone Scarlett Moffatt, remains to be seen.

Common Sense review

Unless Common Sense can get closer to real-time news, and catch the scabrous and speculative nature of real street speech, it threatens to be no more than an out-of-focus group.

A bit like Gogglebox, but for the news, this new series finds the topical stories of the day - from breaking news to bizarre headlines - dissected by "real British people". So, that means dinner ladies from Leeds, market traders from London's East End and butchers from Birmingham. The folk giving their two penn'orth are so chosen for their incisive wit and "unfiltered" manner, so expect blunt reactions to the week's news. Ruth Jones is on voiceover duties.

Preview - Common Sense

Anyone with any common sense will be able to tell you that the production company behind Gogglebox is trying to repeat the same formula elsewhere.