Roger & Val Have Just Got In

Greatest Underrated Comedy of the Previous Decade #1

Sometimes you feel a comedy series deserved more recognition, and in the last decade we had quite a few series that never quite reached their full potential, or, through no fault of their own went under the radar.

People who just didn't get it weren't won over in the slightest by series two of the Kilcoyne sisters' micro-comedy. Those who appreciated the virtuoso performances of Alfred Molina and Dawn French, as a breezily eccentric middle-aged couple with a terrible shared grief, got their reward. We knew that behind their fussing and affectionate bickering was the pain of having lost a child - so when a typically funny and bittersweet storyline about Roger's previously unknown adult son ended with his grandson arriving and running gaily down the hallway, it meant a lot. It was the perfect way to end a nigh-on perfect mix of comedy and drama.

Roger and Val is the best UK sitcom since The Office

The Office was a game-changing work of genius, and since then no British sitcom has been able to hold a candle to it...until Roger and Val, that is.

Roger & Val pierce the heart with happy ending: sort of

Roger & Val Have Just Got In doesn't have much chance of landing a third series, so viewers should have savoured this final episode, in which Dawn French and Alfred Molina said a fitting goodbye.

There was really only one punchline possible for the finale of the hermetic tragi-comedy Roger & Val Have Just Got In: someone other than Roger and Val (Alfred Molina & Dawn French) had to enter the house. I did not foresee, however, the impact on the emotional solar-plexus of the show's final, moving, wonderful moments as the couple's front door let in the light. If it had not been clear before, all the eating, infantile squabbling and acting out (Roger last night staged a Wendy House sit-in) can now be seen as grieving for their infant son. Last night, the mourning ended. Tremendous TV.

So farewell then, Roger and Val. Sadly, another series looks vanishingly unlikely for this gem of a tragicomedy. Its marital foibles and micro-tiffs have been unbelievably well performed by Dawn French and Alfred Molina. French has never been better, and if Molina's Hollywood career ever lets up, someone should tempt him back with another role like this. Anyone can chew the scenery as the baddie in a superhero film, but not anyone could be sweet, self-righteous, slow-on-the-uptake Roger.

As the vital meeting with Roger's unexpected grandson approaches, our moody couple tangle over a wendy house, Wensleydale and We Shall Overcome. It's an even more eccentric, seemingly inconsequential half-hour than usual, but there's real emotion below the surface and an ending that will dampen fans' cheeks.

Each episode of this strangely charming sitcom has had a sequence bringing its boldness to the fore. In tonight's concluding part, almost four minutes pass before we hear the first line of dialogue, while the introduction of a third party into Roger and Val's self-sufficient existence brings it to an oddly shocking close. The two overarching stories - Val's campaign for the deputy headship, Roger's newly extended family - are resolved neatly enough, but it's the more contemplative moments that remain most rewarding. The switches from mannered realism to extreme silliness can feel forced (not least when a sparko Roger is brought round by a hunk of cheese) but, with so much bland comedy out there, Roger and Val still offer their own, very welcome change of pace.

Making domestic banalities compelling would be clever enough. But this superb series goes further, as those banalities are merely floating on the surface of issues that run far, far deeper. The final episode opens with Val griping about Roger doing Jean's shopping and ends with a moment of poignant beauty.

This second series has been a treat, but with so many secrets revealed, can this finale live up to what's come before? Absolutely. Jean and Liam are coming for tea. Val's bought a job lot of party rings and is making ham sandwiches, but can't hide her annoyance. "Please don't do the whole jealousy thing about a woman with no teeth" begs Roger, "Give me that respect." And there's news on the Pam Bagnall front: she's addicted to Nurofen Plus and has an announcement for head. Here's hoping for series three...

Plot is pretty superfluous to needs, but it appears to hinge on the panic caused by the imminent arrival of some guests, some good news from Val's school, and a lump of Wensleydale. The verdict? Well, to quote Alfred Molina: "Initial thoughts? Call an ambulance." And the comparisons with Mike Leigh remain optimistic: Leigh knows exactly what he's doing. There is one actual joke in it: "Where's Wensleydale? Between Tuesdaydale and Thursdaydale."