A suburban tale evidently shooting for a Desperate Housewives-style comedy-drama angle, Mount Pleasant seems to have decided that comedy is what you create when you combine the cliche with the offensive. Even Sky's habit of throwing money at the problem can't make things right, as a fine cast of well-liked British actors (Angela Griffin, Sally Lindsay, Bobby Ball - the only good element here) try to lift the diabolical material. And the whole thing is made still worse by jarring shifts in tone.

The sight of Bianca (Sian Reeves playing yet another over-the-top maneater like in Cutting It and Emmerdale) ­highlights the obvious ingredients chucked into this new sitcom.

And that's before we meet Sue (Pauline Collins) who arrives with a cry of "Only me!" and Barry (Bobby Ball).

On the other hand, it's a cut above Candy Cabs, filmed nearby, although that's not saying much.

For Mount Pleasant, read upmarket Hale in Cheshire, home to Lisa and husband Dan - played by Sally Lindsay and Daniel Ryan.

In the first instalment, Lisa fears Dan has forgotten their 10th anniversary and fumes when gorgeous boss/friend (Angela Griffin) moves in and goes about dressed like she's doing a cover shoot for Nuts

The cast also includes Liza Tarbuck and Ainsley Howard and you get a vision of the casting director throwing a big net into a pool marked: The Usual Suspects.

So bad, it has to be seen to be believed. Only don't see it, because it is so bad that seeing it would make you angry. So believe us, it's bad, not that you can believe how bad it is without seeing it, unless you've got a really good imagination about bad comedy dramas on TV. And even if you were on an Alistair Cook like streak of imagining terrible drama, you'd probably still not quite manage to think of how bad this is.

It's a battle of the sexes set in suburban Manchester that wants to be Cold Feet meets Desperate Housewives. And watching it will certainly leave the viewer cold and desperate (if you think that's a weak joke, then watch the show and come back to us).

The acting isn't too awful - well, it is but you're aware throughout that it's eminently possible that Angela Griffin, Sally Lindsay, Bobby Ball and Liza Tarbuck could make a decent show (actually, not Tarbuck). The script, however, doesn't just mock their efforts, it takes a show to Edinburgh about their efforts, comes back down and then punches them in the face.

Seriously, it's bad. Believe us.

Angela Griffin interview

Mount Pleasant is the new comedy-drama from Sky 1, and boasts some of our most popular actors in its cast. Angela Griffin stars as Shelley, Lisa's best friend. She tells TV Choice how she's 'bin' there and done that!

Angela Griffin's wheelie raunchy sex scene

Angela Griffin brought a whole new meaning to the words 'dirty sex' when she filmed a raunchy scene for her new TV show. The actress was hoisted onto a wheelie bin by co-star Adrian Bower as they acted out a sex scene for forthcoming comedy series Mount Pleasant.

Former Corrie stars all smiles on Mount Pleasant set

Former Coronation Street stars Angela Griffin and Sally Lindsay look like they're having a right giggle filming their new project in Hale.

If you can cope with the fact that the central idea is completely barmy (and come on, there's no crime in that), then you should find this new Friday night comedy-drama series a whole lot of fun.

There are plenty of familiar faces popping up in the cast, including Angela Griffin and Marshall Lancaster (Ashes To Ashes) as Danny's DIY store colleagues, plus Paterson Joseph (Peep Show) and James Lance (Moving Wallpaper) as fashion journalist Veronica's boyfriend and lover respectively.