Trollied

Laughs were provided by Sky One's Trollied, which returns for its third series. The joy of Trollied is that it has so many characters that the majority of the scenes only last a couple of minutes.

The main plot of this series seems to be the introduction of Richard France (Chris Geere), a strategist who is aiming to modernise Valco using the Warrington branch as his tester store. Obviously Richard's bold ideas, including his clothing choices, will inevitably clash with the more traditional views of manager Gavin (Jason Watkins) and his assistant manager Julie (Jane Horrocks).

Elsewhere, we are treated more to the tedious love story between butcher Kieran (Nick Blood) and checkout girl Katie (Chanel Creswell). It seems that the now divorced Kieran is in a depressive state while Katie has finally realised that he's the perfect man for her. Luckily this romantic story isn't dwelt upon too long and we get plenty from our favourite comic characters including head butcher Andy (Mark Addy) and senior citizen deli assistant Margaret (Rita May).

It is these established characters that get the best gags including the now romantically linked Colin (Carl Rice) and Lisa (Beverly Rudd) whose sexual exploits provide some of the funniest moments in the episode.

I'm still not quite sure what to make of weird fishmonger Ray (Adeel Akhtar) and his new apprentice Dave (Danny Kirrane) as I didn't find their characters to be fully-formed.

Ultimately not much has changed in the world of Trollied and I think I like it that way. The jokes are still as funny as ever while the performances from Watkins and Horrocks are great especially when we saw how proud Gavin and Julie were of their summertime display.

Though I don't think this will quite reach the heights of Season 2, due to the fact that Stephanie Beacham has now left the show, Trollied continues to be a funny sketch-like sitcom with plenty of well-rounded characters.

We're back at Valco for a third series of shelf-stacking gags and it's still a hit-and-miss affair, with gross sex-pots Colin and Lisa (Beverly Rudd, with Carl Rice and Joel Fry) stealing every scene they're in (that's really no place for a packet of frozen peas). For the rest, it's business as usual with Julie still trying to seduce manager Gavin, Katie making hopeless eyes at Kieran and a feeling of random gags in search of a story. And let's hope we lose the management whizz-kid in flip-flops and designer shorts double quick.

Back to Valco in Warrington for series three, and the staff are going through the motions. Trollied's sketchy sitcom format, cutting from one section of the supermarket to the next without worrying much about crafting a story, feels a bit worn when we're watching the familiar characters: weird Leighton, lustful Colin and Lisa, and the Tim/Dawn dynamic of Katie and newly divorced Kieran. Here to shake things up, in the story and the show, is Chris Geere as Richard France, a berk in flip-flops who's the new Valco management guru. But a jargon-spouting strategist isn't a fresh enough comic idea, either.

Trollied, Sky1, review

As we have grown to expect from Trollied, the humour is old-fashioned and occasionally coarse. It's like Benidorm but without the subtlety.

Reasons to get Trollied

Sky1's supermarket-set comedy is back for a third series - tuning in will make you a happy shopper, says Georgina Terry.

DVD review: Trollied is not so much 'every little helps'; but a little tends to go a long way. Supermarket sitcom Trollied had a mixed reception for its first series: the script was undeniably appalling but a few critics were clearly charmed by characters and scenarios that were bold, obvious and easy on the brain. If you agree with the latter camp, you'll be pleased with the addition of Stephanie Beacham. As the ballsy new boss of Valco, she channels Dragons' Den's Hilary Devey as she launches the 'No Nonsense' discount range, deputy Julie (Jane Horrocks, in her first role since those Tesco voice-overs) simpering around her all the while. They say 'every little helps' - but with Trollied, a little tends to go a long way.

A lot of seasonal sitcoms make the mistake of filming in some exotic location that fails to add to the levels of laughter. Think One Foot in the Algarve or that Only Fools and Horses set in Miami. Not Trollied - thankfully, the furthest the staff get in this one-hour special is Wigan, following the theft of essential supplies by a rival Valco store. Gavin leads a rescue attempt in an HGV and encounters some surprises.

Viewers would be best advised to save their gasps, though, for the staff party, in which Lisa takes dirty dancing to a whole new level of filth, while Colin offers up a karaoke rendition of Wham's Last Christmas filled with raw emotion.

It's Christmas Eve, the biggest shopping day of the year at Valco supermarket, and it falls to manager Gavin to rouse his staff to the task of keeping up with demand for sprouts, port and Stilton. However, there's a grinch in the works: rival store manager Warren Clarke, determined to secure the most takings on the big day by foul means. Clarke, like Jane Horrocks as the lovelorn assistant manager, delivers a better performance than the tepid script and characterisation merit.

It's the finale of a series that's consistently delivered the goods. And it rounds off in fine celebratory style as the store prepares to honour its millionth customer: there's a balloon archway and the promise of a trolley dash, while Leighton is dressed up as a Valco tick. Of greater importance for viewers, though, is seeing if any of those tantalising staff romances can blossom, in particular Colin's ongoing quest to convince Lisa that they can have sex - and maybe even a relationship - outside of work hours.

The Valco staff are on tenterhooks as they prepare to wow their millionth customer with a special celebration - what better way to cash up a supermarket sitcom series than with a trolley dash? All it needs is a Dale Winton cameo and we'd be rolling in the aisles. It's hit and miss stuff but the grubby canoodlings of stacker Colin and checkout girl Lisa always raise a grubby smile.