Sunshine

Steve Coogan plays what's probably his straightest telly role to date in excellent new comedy-drama series Sunshine.

His character, Manchester binman Bob 'Bing' Crosby, is a chirpy, happy-go-lucky soul who has one potentially fatal flaw - namely, his fondness for a bit of a flutter. But what starts off as a harmless habit has developed into something a whole lot scarier by the end of episode one (which, admittedly, spans several years) - and threatens to rip his family apart.

Steve Coogan takes the lead in a gentle but affecting comedy-drama about addiction. Scripted expertly by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, it's the story of Bob 'Bing' Crosby, a man who loves a flutter.

As you'd expect from Cash, the setting is resolutely northern and ordinary, and the focus is on Bing's family - the young son who narrates the action, the long-suffering childhood sweetheart, the dad with a part to play in how Bing turned out.

Compared with the usual stuff of prime-time slots, Sunshine requires emotional investmnet. In the course of three episodes, this should be richly rewarded.

London Paper Review

Sunshine is a sitcom, but it's not funny. Except it is, apart from when it's serious - and then it's not. It stars Steve Coogan as a lovable everyday dad, except he's utterly - annoying, and not like anyone you've ever met.

Craig Cash and Phil Mealey script this bittersweet comedy drama about 'Bing' Crosby, a lovable loser with a destructive streak of gambling addiction that keeps him never too far away from the bookie's counter. It has that essential northern grit to it that you'd expect from the writers of Early Doors and The Royle Family, and Steve Coogan is great as Bing, giving the character a more paired down reality than grotesques like Alan Partridge and Tommy Saxondale. Cash and Mealey pop in as comedy bin men, but the real honours here go to the exceptional Bernard Hill as Bing's dad. A highly promising start.

Steve Coogan Interview

The Telegraph visits the set of BBC1's dustmen comedy Sunshine to find out why, after trying to crack Hollywood, Steve Coogan has returned to his roots.

Steve Coogan: He's back - funnier than ever

He is taking a break from Hollywood to star in Sunshine, the latest slice of life from the writers of The Royle Family. And Coogan's rather good, reports The Independent

There's much to love about Sunshine, including original music composed by Nina Humphreys.

Plus the revelation in episode two of the best game of football ever. An episode which concludes with a simply stunning scene involving Steve and Bernard.

As the world plunges into hysteria over money, Sunshine is a reminder of what's really important.

Craig Cash Interview

It's a beautifully observed drama with a number of dark moments.