Edge Of Heaven

The final episode of the Margate-set comedy-drama's first run sees Tandeep arrange for an assessor to inspect the B&B, but, much to Judy's disgruntlement, his visit coincides with her birthday. Elsewhere, Alfie attempts to win back Michelle, Ann-Marie flirts with a return to the army and Camp Gary, insecure about his lack of employment, takes on an envelope-stuffing job. Despite the cast milking the script for all it's worth, the sheer number of joke-shaped holes ensures this series remains firmly middle of the road.

Radio Times review

There's something almost morbidly fascinating about this hopeless, hackneyed sitcom. The more it tries to sell itself as a frothy bit of fun, the more you can feel its gears groaning painfully through the motions. Has a jaunty ukulele soundtrack ever sounded so desperate?

The only mild highlight of the latest episode is a Lycra-clad guest performance from Rufus Jones - you may recognise him from eye-catching roles in Hunderby, W1A and Holy Flying Circus - as Alfie's swaggering South African boss. But even then he's merely a weak facsimile of every comedy alpha male from Peep Show's Johnson to Matt Berry in, well, everything. Very poor.

Alfie tries to resurrect his fledgling romance with Michelle after abandoning her for ex-fiance Carly, who, unbeknown to him, has been seeing Prop Maartie (Rufus Jones), Alfie's aggressively South African boss. Alfie's dad (Michael Smiley) is also back in town, flashy as ever, and this time apparently flush, too. But when he decides to raid Gary and Gary's anniversary celebration kitty, the facade starts to crumble. Robert Evans's B&B-set comedy pootles on amusingly, but plays it far too safe to ever broach real hilarity.

After the success of Benidorm, this new comedy-drama series seems to be attempting to replicate some of that salt-of-the-earth comedy on British soil. Our location is Margate, and an 80s-themed B&B where actors from better productions (Him And Her; Gavin And Stacey; The Inbetweeners) attempt to shore up flagging material. Tonight's episode offers relationship upheaval for Alfie, although this may be a relationship he's better off out of. But a bit like Margate itself, perhaps, this feels unlikely to improve anytime soon.

ITV hit us with another new offering in the completely pointless Edge of Heaven. Set in the titular Margate B&B the show focused on the sprawling Taylor family headed up by matriarch Julie (Camille Coduri) the co-owner of the establishment alongside her chef husband Tandeep (Nitin Kundra). Julie's two adult children still live with her and while ex-army recruit Ann-Marie (Laura Checkley) is happy to stand about and make sarcastic comments, Alfie (Blake Harrison) is planning for the future. The future that Alfie envisions involves him settled down with would-be-wife Carly (Justine Cain) but, on the eve of her wedding, she begins to doubt her love for Alfie. It's incredibly clear that Alfie belongs with Carly's friend and colleague Michelle (Louisa Lytton), but at the same time it seems that we're going to have to wait six weeks for them to figure out they like each other. The Taylor clan also includes Julie's brother 'Bald' Gary (Adrian Scarborough) and his partner 'Camp' Gary (Robert Evans) who both love watching True Blood as well as Alfie's Nanny Mo (Marcia Warren) a foul-mouthed X-Box loving pensioner.

I do wonder why Edge of Heaven was created in the first place and who exactly its marketed towards. The extended brood aspect of the show makes me think that ITV wanted this to be their version of Modern Family, but what we get instead is a bunch of clichéd characters going through the motions. It's clear that writer Robert Evans has come from children's TV as all of the Taylor family feel like stereotypes and I just didn't believe in any of them. The B&B setting is equally unnecessary with only a couple of scenes devoted to the establishment's single guest. It's a shame that talented performers such as Coduri, Scarborough and Warren have wasted their time on appearing in this nonsense. Meanwhile Harrison continues to play the same character he did in both Big Bad World and Way to Go. Ultimately, Edge of Heaven will go down as another forgettable ITV drama that I'm sure will be demolished in the ratings once Jonathan Creek returns next week.

TV review: Edge of Heaven

For all its faults, the show is strangely likeable and passes an hour pleasantly enough.

Edge of Heaven - review

This seaside drama set in an 80s-themed guesthouse is comedy? You're having a laugh.

Edge of Heaven, ITV, review

ITV's new comedy drama often resembled a smoking wreckage, but there was something unexpectedly likable about the ragamuffin characters.

Edge Of Heaven sets low ratings record for ITV

The 2.7 million viewers who tuned in for the launch episode were ITV's smallest ever audience for a first episode of a new scripted series airing at 9pm, according to TV Scoops.

Rob Evans interview

Writer Rob Evans talks about working with Ruth Jones, using the Valleys as inspiration and being proud of his new prime time ITV show Edge of Heaven.