All too soon this gem comes to an end. Based by Chris O'Dowd on his memories of an Irish smalltown childhood, the star is David Rawle as 11-year-old Martin Moone. What gives the drama its heart is his pairing with O'Dowd as imaginary friend Sean, less an escape mechanism, more a cheery counterpoint to Martin's dysfunctional life.

The end of primary school and 'a hugely mediocre era' looms for Martin as the first series of Chris O'Dowd's amiable, occasionally inspired sitcom concludes. Martin has a week of pure anarchy in mind: 'burning all the Capricorns', perhaps, or 'shaving naughty words into our beards'. His innate rubbishness precludes such chaos, of course, but imaginary friend Sean (O'Dowd) is on hand to make sure things don't peter out entirely. And Martin's slight haplessness is of course genetic, as confirmed by his parents' attempts to thwart Sinead's exam preparation and thus avoid having to send her to Girl Guide Jamboree. A smattering of wonderful sight gags and light-touch nostalgia complete another charming half-hour; the already-announced series two and three can't come soon enough.

Moone Boy - review

Chris O'Dowd's nostalgic sitcom is a fine mixture of the gently innocent and comedically knowing.

When our adolescent hero gets hot under the collar at the sight of a topless cartoon on TV and wakes up with damp sheets, he knows something is amiss: has he contracted some sort of groin-based salmonella? Even more worryingly, his imaginary friend (Chris O'Dowd, the real star and joker behind this endearing comedy) has disappeared. Cue an excruciating scene in which Dad - who really does look ill - has to explain the birds and the bees while Mam looks on, cringing. It's a gag as dated as the 80s backdrop but no less funny for it.

Chris O'Dowd's comic re-imagining of his childhood in Ireland sees Martin (David Rawle) ditch his imaginary friend Sean (O'Dowd) when Uncle Danny (Steve Wall) pays a visit to the family home. Danny is the cool one in the family - he is a musician who has busked around Europe and once worked with U2 - and it's he Martin turns to for advice on dealing with the opposite sex. The ostracised Sean, meanwhile, consoles himself by hanging out with some of Martin's other forgotten imaginary friends, including Crunchy Danger Haystacks (Johnny Vegas).

New cast details for Family Tree announced

Christopher Guest has enlisted a roster of familiar faces for his upcoming HBO/BBC Two documentary-style comedy series Family Tree, featuring Chris O'Dowd.

Gently does it, as Chris O'Dowd's imaginary friend helps cute little Martin Moone through more childhood challenges in this cockle-warming tale. This week, there's a trouser incident after wide-eyed Martin watches one too many TV shows involving "grunty Argentinian tennis ladies". Sean (O'Dowd) is too busy enjoying a night at the pub with fellow fantasy figures including the legendary wrestler Crunchy Haystacks (Johnny Vegas) to offer Martin much-needed advice. Luckily, Uncle Danny the busker arrives home with wise words and tales of hanging out with U2. Subtle laughs all round.

Chris O'Dowd on Moone Boy's tight budget

"Moone boy had such a tight budget I had to change in the loo and stay at my parents".

Chris O'Dowd's comedy possesses that rare thing: warmth. His characters are as likeable as their exploits are amusing. Our young hero is mortified when he arrives at school looking like a pre-pubescent drag queen; his sister has painted his face overnight. Mam has no sympathy: she's too busy starting her new career as a weight-loss instructor. So he consults his imaginary friend (O'Dowd) and resorts to drastic measures to ensure he never has to endure humiliation again.

Martin (David Rawle) wakes up, doesn't bother to wash his face and thus fails to avoid falling victim to one of his sister Sinead's pranks. A prank that leaves him wandering into school caked in more make-up than Widow Twankey. What to do? Why, break down the wall at the back of his house to shorten his commute, and thus allow more face-washing time in his morning routine. Naturally - after all the Berlin Wall happens to be coming down at the same time. There's a gentle sense of whimsy to this third episode of Chris O'Dowd's sitcom, which means that, while it's not exactly packed with belly laughs, it's nonetheless a sweet, enjoyable way to while away half an hour. Then again, it's hard to go wrong when your lead character is such a cherubic little kid.