Drifters

Initially dubbed the "female Inbetweeners", the girls who starred alongside Will and co in their first big-screen spinoff came into their own last year in this charming, witty sitcom. Now they're back with more twentysomething trials. This week Meg (Jessica Knappett) uses her family dramas to cosy up to neighbour Scott, Bunny (Lydia Rose Bewley) becomes fixated on her boyfriend's musical career, and an accident forces Laura (Lauren O'Rourke) to assume the role of reluctant caregiver.

Jessica Knappett interview

The writer and star of E4's Drifters talks "inherently sexist" panel shows, token women and overcoming expectations.

Jessica Knappett on Drifters 2: "It's filthier than S1"

Jessica Knappett doesn't feel the need to defend E4's Drifters from its critics ("The ratings speak for themselves"), but the young actress/writer/producer is keen to hit back at accusations that the sitcom - returning for a second series this week - is unrealistic.

Jessica Knappett interview

"The filthy things are things that have happened to me or my friends. They're getting increasingly reluctant to tell me things!"

E4 was aiming for the new Inbetweeners but ended up with the new Coming of Age - Drifters was one of the worst comedies of any year. Cartoon characters, gags that ranged from the mind-numbingly obvious - adults acting like teenagers - to the offensive - depression played for laughs - and a truly bizarre lead performance from a wide-eyed Jessica Knappett, gurning her way through all 138 painful minutes.

You're never far from a laugh with Jessica Knappett's comedy of early 20s malaise. In this final episode, the girls are desperate to make some extra cash, so Bunny naively offers to model for a painter, while Laura toughs it out as her agent. Meanwhile, Meg's creepy ex, Mark, comes into his own when he hosts a 90s night, complete with a crowd full of adoring women and a guest appearance from Pat Sharp. And, in a plot that illustrates Meg's selfishness, when he finds a new girlfriend she realises she wants him back.

Jessica Knappett interview

'I had to move at least a few miles away but not too far away so I could still pop back for a Sunday roast.' Jessica Knappett clearly chose the University of Manchester for all the right reasons.

Drifters exceeds my early expectations

I caught up with Jessica Knappett's E4 sitcom Drifters last week and was more than pleasantly surprised.

Due to its course nature and the focus on three flaky female protagonists, Drifters has much more in common with the much-loved BBC3 show Pulling than it does with The Inbetweeners.

Drifters was definitely at its strongest when it was focusing on the banter between the three girls, played by three actresses with superb comic timing. The themes in the programme will resonate with everyone who's struggled to know what to do with their lives after they've left university.

Meanwhile, Drifters benefits from having a superb comic creation in common-as-muck Laura who freely admits to being a bit of a slapper and is given all of the show's funniest lines. Unfortunately, it's the unbelievable and predictable situations that the characters find themselves in that stop Drifters from being a classic sitcom. Ideas such as having the girls gatecrash a wake or seeing Meg on a disastrous date feel a bit tired and clash with the realistic tone that I feel Knappett wanted to create with her script.

While it shows promise, Drifters was really let down by some unbelievable situations which spoilt the tone of a sitcom that was meant to thrive on its realistic aspects.