Possibly UK television's first sitcom set in an obstetrics and gynaecology ward, this comes from Green Wing creator Victoria Pile. Darren Boyd stars as Matthew, the sole male midwife at a busy maternity ward. Despite his presence ruffling a few traditionalist feathers, Matthew's chipper demeanour remains unchiselled. A situation certainly fit to deliver, though when an "overweight woman isn't pregnant after all" clunker lands within minutes, enthusiasm may well be curbed. On the plus side, Alex Macqueen impresses as icy obstetrician Luke.

Radio Times review

"I have had the same training as all the women," protests Darren Boyd's male midwife Matthew, a bloke in a very female-centred environment. In Green Wing writers Robert Harley and James Henry's old-fashioned comedy he has to cope with quite a lot of sexism, but doesn't help himself by being quite an irritant, which detracts a little from a sitcom packed with decent lines and excellent supporting stars (Fay Ripley and Aisling Bea among them).

There is also little sense of Matthew's back story - apart from the fact he used to be a policeman - although the signs are that we will be seeing a lot more of Paddy McGuinness as his even more annoying (and slightly unhinged) former colleague and flatmate.

New comedy saw Darren Boyd delivering unfamilar lines

Darren Boyd has said there were some tricky conversations on the set of his new TV series about a delivery ward as he needed coaching in how to pronounce some of the more intimate terms.

Strong cast star in new comedy from Green Wing team

Fortitude's Darren Boyd takes on a very different role as he is joined by Fay Ripley, Paddy McGuinness and Aisling Bea for new sitcom.

Radio Times review

With the World Cup lurking enticingly on the horizon, this animated sitcom about a hapless everyman football freak is pitched somewhere between Family Guy, Uncle and Soccer AM. Unfortunately, it's not as funny as any of them.

There's no shortage of talent involved: Spy's Darren Boyd stars as Warren; Johnny Vegas is the imaginatively monikered coach Fat Baz; and Morwenna Banks (or Peppa Pig's mum to the UK's entire toddler population) plays drippy son Harrison. But the stereotypical main protagonist lacks the satirical edge of a Homer Simpson or a Peter Griffin, and you might find yourself yearning to slap him out of his soccercentric stupor.

Darren Boyd and Johnny Vegas interview

Darren Boyd, who plays Warren, and Johnny Vegas, who plays club manager Fat Baz, talk about their roles.

Lessons I learned from watching Dirk Gently

Starring Stephen Mangan and Darren Boyd, this quirky BBC Four series entertained and enlightened me. So without further ado, here are the lessons I learned from watching Dirk Gently.

Since Pick TV is handing over Thursday evenings to Sky programming, two comedies are currently being shown to Freeview audiences for the first time. One of these is Spy, a pre-watershed sitcom starring Darren Boyd.

For those who haven't seen the past two seasons, Boyd plays Tim, a divorced man working in an electronic store, who just wants to please his precocious son Marcus (Jude Wright). Tim decides to get himself a new job, but due to a mix up he ends up being recruited into MI5. And due to the Official Secrets Act, he can't tell Marcus about his exciting work...

The opening episode had a fair few laughs in it, mostly visual. It has to be said that some scenes, especially the one in which Tim takes an exam and covers his desk in stationary and good luck items, reminds me somewhat of the opening episode of Mr Bean which features a similar scene, albeit with the absence of studio laughter (which some would argue to be an improvement).

The characters, however, are the key. Tim's MI5 boss, "The Examiner" (Robert Lindsey), is a fun creation and from what I understand is very good. However, Marcus was totally unbearable; I just didn't like him at all. It's a pity that Tim didn't have an actual licence to kill and do away with the annoying little monster.

I'd like to think I'd keep watching Spy, but to be honest Marcus is so off-putting I'm not sure if I would...