Hope Springs

It takes a certain type of programme to tick all the right boxes when it comes to Sunday evening telly. Escapism is essential, as is plenty of pretty scenery and a good selection of likeable characters, but you also need a central storyline with at least a little substance.

And on early evidence this new comedy-drama, starring Alex Kingston, Sian Reeves, Christine Bottomley and Vinette Robinson, shows promise on pretty much every front.

Alex Kingston heads up a gang of feisty females in this new comedy drama. Worry not, Heartbeat fans - your favourite Sunday evening drama may be strolling casually to an end, but this quirky offering may sate your appetite for colourful characters in rural locations. Having run off with her gangster hubby's cash, Alex 'ER' Kingston and three glam pals lie low by taking over a hotel in a remote Scottish village owned by Margaret Meldrew. Brilliant fun!

The new Ballykissangel stars Alex Kingston with a terrible accent as the woman who ripped off her gangster husband and moved to scenic Scotland to escape. Good in an inoffensive kind of way. At least she's not actually called Hope.

Alex Kingston heads up the cast in this light drama about a group of female ex-cons who perform one last job that goes horribly wrong. And when that happens, what do you do? That's right, you head to a small village in the Scottish Highlands and hide from the law. Erm... sounds great. Actually, this should be rather enjoyable in a jolly, Monarch of the Glen type way, so it seems churlish to complain.

Alex Kingston stars in this new comedy drama about a group of four female ex-cons. They aim to start a new life in Barbados, armed with £3 million stolen from Ellie's (Kingston) gangster husband. But when that plan goes wrong, they find themselves hiding out in a hotel in the remote Scottish village of Hope Springs.

Broadcast preview: BBC1's Hope Springs

Set in Scotland, it's a primetime drama for BBC1 in an eight o'clock slot on Sunday night. Therein lay the challenge, or as it's known in popular parlance, the poisoned chalice...