Grandma's House

Simon Amstell returned with a second series of his very funny sitcom, Grandma's House, in which he plays a version of himself as a neurotic, gay, Jewish ex-TV presenter. Has his acting improved or do I just mind less this time around? The writing was as pointed as ever and the cast still first class, in particular Rebecca Front and James Smith (both alumni of The Thick of It), respectively playing the pushy mother Tanya and her blundering twit of an ex-beau, Clive.

This nicely rambling opener started with Simon waking up next to a 16-year-old boy and ended with Grandpa's armchair going up in flames. It takes a rare comic eye to join those dots with so little obvious effort. Those who saw his self-flagellating stand-up on TV recently will be wondering why he hates himself so much.

To anyone fond of complaining there are no funny women on TV these days, I say only this: watch Rebecca Front taking hold of Simon Amstell's comedy vehicle Grandma's House and making it her own every Thursday night for the next five weeks on BBC2. Cracking stuff. No wonder Amstell's character wants to move out.

Grandma's House review: Finds its home

It seems the second series has found its home, with a sharper pace and more tangible hilarity than first time round. So we should all be very proud of Simon Amstell, who, in the assured words of his garrulous television mother, has become a "real-life Paula Abdul".

The Antichrist of comfy suburban sitcoms

The secret of the superb Grandma's House is that Simon Amstell can't act - while all around him are acting their socks off - making him a perfect stranger in his own life.

In Grandma's House, Tanya worries almost constantly about her son Simon, whether it's to do with his faltering career or a fallow patch in his sex life. The self-reflexive comedy has got even more so for the second series, with "Amstell" the character responding to reactions to the performance of Amstell the actor: "It's good acting! I'm doing vulnerability... I'm stiff in real life!" he protests, after Tanya questions his suitability for the family comedy he's just sold to the BBC. I'm not convinced that Tanya's ghastly boyfriend, Clive, would have been quite so jocular about Simon's one-night stand with a 16-year-old ("If there's grass on the wicket, let's play cricket," he says, in blokey solidarity). But it's very funny all the same.

Grandma's House, BBC Two, review

My favourite scene involved Simon Amstell discovering the age of a one-night stand he'd brought home. "Sixteen. Well, it's not illegal. It's not a betrayal of trust. I'm not a teacher."

Simon Amstell's Grandma's House revisited by nearly 1m

Simon Amstell sitcom Grandma's House began its second series with a modest audience last night, early viewing figures reveal.

Grandma's House unlikely to return for a 3rd series

Simon Amstell's sitcom Grandma's House is unlikely to return for a third series, his co-writer Dan Swimer has said.

Rejoice and be glad. Not before time, Simon Amstell's exquisite domestic sitcom is back for a second series. (The first went out in 2010, for heaven's sake: the fictional Simon's fictional mother wouldn't stand for that sort of work rate.)

To jog your memory, the premise here is a young presenter/comedian (Amstell, more or less playing himself, à la Hancock, Seinfeld, etc) sparring with his suburban Jewish family - notably his overbearing mother and abrasive aunt. Episodes involve long, spiky arguments that Simon joins through permanently gritted teeth. Within minutes, this opener has delivered a cringe-making level of farce (courtesy of Simon's one-night stand), a hilarious take on Alan Yentob, and the throwaway line, "He got expelled from his last school for killing a frog on a sponsored walk." It's a cripplingly awkward joy.

Simon Amstell's brilliant, excruciating, quasi-autobiographical sitcom returns in fine fettle with our vulnerable hero being offered an acting job - and mum Tanya (Rebecca Front) responding with a shrill: 'You're not a failed nuffin' nobody any more - you're like a real-life Paula Abdul.' There's plenty of annoyances to offset the good news though: notably the permanently grumpy Auntie Liz (a fab Sam Spiro), Tanya's ex-lover, Clive, and Amstell's one-night stand, who forms the basis of some priceless scenes.