W1A

Some may have been put off by what could be perceived as media in-jokes, but the follow-up to Olympic committee mockumentary Twenty Twelve was as sharply satirical as its predecessor, resurrecting the grotesque PR Siobhan (Jessica Hynes) and baffled "head of values" Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) and transplanting them to the BBC. In poking fun at ridiculous bureaucratic tangles, W1A found a quietly subversive voice. Plus, it made it impossible to take a folding bike seriously ever again.

John Lloyd: BBC satire W1A was 'appallingly truthful'

"I called Jon Plowman [the producer] to tell him how brilliant W1A was but also how painful it is to see something so appallingly truthful, not only at the BBC but in general. Painfully funny, too. It's so embarrassing you want to cry."

Matt Cain inspires 'camp' W1A character

Matt Cain, the former Channel 4 News culture editor, says a 'really camp' character in the BBC's parody series W1A is based on him.

W1A continued to do what it had done before, but it was still very funny. As the amiably bumbling intern Will, Hugh Skinner mastered the art of putting his verbal tics together into complete arias. "Cool, yeah, no worries, yeah, cool." Then the reality of his own personality suddenly became clear to him. "Sometimes I'm completely useless." But he was never aware for long of his own limitless potential for chaos.

In Will's continuing struggle to match the envelopes with the invitations, the invitation for David Cameron turned out to be in the envelope addressed to the Prince of Wales. Then the envelope addressed to David Cameron turned out to contain an invitation to Joan Bakewell. I hope I got that right. Will, of course, had no such hopes until too late. The show was a hoot like the voice of Siobhan Sharpe, but let's not forget that the Beeb is really like that.

Is the barmy BBC beyond parody?

Yet as we laugh at the jargon-spouting execs and laud the BBC's ability to poke fun at itself, has Auntie performed one of the greatest acts of sophistry in its history? Is the self-parodying mirth merely cloaking more disturbing truths?

A final fictional peek inside New Broadcasting House. Head of values Ian Fletcher finds an audience of journos awaiting his daily folding bicycle befuddlement following alleged spendthriftery in his former role. Inside, a new female Newsnight anchor is deemed too racy for BBC2, revealing some less savoury Reith-era attitudes lurking in the production gallery. Elsewhere, PR-droid Siobhan unveils a new app-happy BBC logo. If you've not caught up on the series yet, imagine the BBC through Paul Dacre's Oculus Rift headset.

Radio Times review

It's barely begun, and it's all over. Four measly episodes! Well, four quietly brilliant episodes, full of flim-flam and farce and staccato dialogue, but really, it's not enough.

The tone sails closer to comedy drama as some real feeling creeps in, both for dozy intern Will ("Yeah, cool, yeah, no worries..."), who may be my favourite character, and executive punchbag Ian (Hugh Bonneville). The latter's salary scandal is all over the papers, though another minor controversy, involving a Newsnight presenter in a short skirt, provides distraction on Twitter (#kneesnight).

Luckily, as we keep hearing, "Tony's pretty perky about this", but can Ian make it up to his one-time admirer Sally, last seen in Twenty Twelve? A cameo from Olivia Colman brings the answer.

Did W1A really need the brilliant Olivia Colman?

Olivia Colman was the best thing about Twenty Twelve, so it's understandable she should turn up in its sister sitcom about the BBC. But was her presence actually any help this time round?

W1A, the final episode, BBC Two, review

The BBC-based satire was never quite as good as the sum of its parts but it has still been the best comedy in months, says Ben Lawrence.

W1A: fear, jargon and the art of going forward

The BBC's acute satire of its own management foibles is shedding light on a widespread problem in the workplace.