Life Of Riley

Life Of Riley is a new sitcom starring Caroline Quentin as a recently remarried woman struggling to cope with her extended family.

Ever had the feeling that someone, somewhere, is sitting thinking of ways to use popular sayings or common phrases as telly show titles? No? Oh. Anyhow, Caroline Quentin plays the eponymous Mrs Riley, whose second marriage has spawned a terribly complicated web of step-kids, ex-partners and in-laws. A spin-off, Bob's Your Uncle, can't be far away.

The bbc seems to love its family based sitcoms. But for every My Family, which regularly pulls in the viewers, there is a Mad About Alice, the laugh-free show with Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston that was put out of its misery after just one series.

This new offering, with Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, sits somewhere in between. There are some witty moments but these are drowned out by more regular unfunny happenings, so unimaginative and staid it's embarrassing.

Actors of Quentin and Dudgeon's calibre deserve much better scripts. They play Maddy and Jim, divorced parents who have recently married and are adapting to life as one giant family.