Sunshine

Amid death and gambling addiction, Sunshine managed to be remarkably happy

Bernard Hill gave a simply magnificent performance as the dying grandfather in Sunshine (BBC1), against some formidable scene-stealers - Steve Coogan suddenly taking off like a firework and Dominic Senior giving one of those gradely little-lad performances that are such an irritation to grizzled actors.

We reach the conclusion of the tear-jerking comedy drama about a likeable layabout's gambling habit and its effects on his family. What should have been a top-class affair, co-written by The Royle Family's Craig Cash, hasn't quite turned out that way. While Coogan's retired roadie Tommy was a brilliantly observed has-been in the overlooked Saxondale, bin man Bing has been left to drown in a vat of family bonding.

In the final episode, the inveterate gambler (Steve Coogan) seeks help for his addiction and tries to find a job. Many viewers may find it cloying and sentimental, and no doubt parts of it are. This addict, after all, remains charming despite his destructive behaviour and even the worst of the misery is ameliorated by laughter. But look at it another way. Thousands of lives are destroyed by addictions of one sort or another, and television plays an important role in passing on information. Sunshine uses jokes and warmth to suggest that addiction doesn't have to be a terminal illness. If it sugars the pill, is that so terrible?

From comedy to pathos to sentimentality - this has been on a slippery slope from the start and tonight we tumble into a steaming bowl of sunshine-yellow emotional custard. You'd expect sweetness like this from a Hollywood movie with a Bette Midler soundtrack. To find it pouring from three generations of bluff northern males certainly bucks the trend.

This lovely little drama from Craig Cash and Phil Mealey comes to an end as Bing (a rather excellent Steve Coogan - which is a relief after last week's criticisms of his live show) attempts to beat his gambling addiction once and for all and win back his wife. He has a lot of hurdles to overcome, and then there are his dad's problems waiting to come to light - will they send Bing spiralling back into the grip of addiction? There'll be tears and laughter before bedtime, mark my words...