So was there a political edge to scheduling the rambunctious, booze-soaked Two Doors Down on the national network during New Year's Eve primetime? Viewers in the rest of the UK might have their suspicions or preconceptions about what happens at a traditional Scottish Hogmanay house party - underage drinking, sexual promiscuity, almost aggressive sentimentality, the single-minded pursuit of steak pie - and this one-off comedy reinforced and celebrated the best and worst of them.

With a conspiracy bunnet on, you could point to Alex Norton and Arabella Weir's harried hosts being called "the Bairds" and infer that this was intended as a tongue-in-cheek reflection of modern Scotland, bared for all to see. The guest list included middle-class neighbours obsessed with designer labels, a young returning soldier and a Scandinavian couple who looked a lot more attractive than everyone else, but were also a lot duller. In truth, any search for political subtext was overshadowed by the combination of Royle Family-style domestic comedy and rapidly escalating farce. Weir's brilliantly sustained accent, one of the best Kirsty Wark impressions I've ever heard, was just the maraschino cherry on top.

The younger generation of Scottish acting talent was well represented by My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney and Greg McHugh, the hardest-working man in sitcom-land. It was also good to see Jonathan Watson smoothly integrate himself into an ensemble, even if his malt-obsessed golf club bore veered into caricature. The showiest role, though, went to Daniela Nardini as the predatory Aunt Caroline back up from "that London". A blowsy vision in LBD and heels, Caroline's single-minded pursuit of hunky Thor-alike Henning culminated in a memorable gazebo disaster. For fans of This Life, Caroline felt like an alternate-universe version of Anna after almost two decades of questionable life choices.

Bad Education's Christmas special saw Alfie Wickers facing another big problem, as he'd been tasked by the headmaster (Matthew Horne) to direct the school play or face being sacked by the governors. Inevitably his ramshackle group of students are roped in to be the stars of the show with Stephen (Layton Williams) being the only one with any discernible talent to speak of. Alfie is then shocked when school bully Frank (Jack Bence) auditions for his production and delivers an incredibly awful audition. But because Alfie is incredibly scared of Frank he casts him as the human lead opposite Stephen in his original production Robocracker a combination of Robocop and The Nutcracker.

Elsewhere, Alfie is attempting to impress Miss Guilver (Sarah Solemani) by volunteering at a soup kitchen where his class are insulted by a mouthy tramp (played by Whitehall's Fresh Meat colleague Greg McHugh).

Right at the start of the Bad Education Christmas Special, Horne and Whitehall warn us that festive editions of shows are often sloppily written with a loose seasonal feel. I would say that was true of Bad Education to an extent as it just didn't have the energy the sitcom normally possesses. The funniest moments were provided by Steven, whether it be his one-man production of Precious or his performance in the incredibly entertaining Robocracker.

Overall, while I can't say I wasn't entertained, I just expect a little bit more from Whitehall and his class of talented young actors.

Jack Whitehall, fresh from retaining his crown as King of Comedy, takes a crack at that old favourite, the school nativity play, with the help of his Bad Education reprobates. A somewhat uneasy marriage of Robocop and The Nutcracker, teacher Alfie's ambitious production finds room for tolerance channelled through the medium of expressive dance, guest turns from Frances Barber as Alfie's mum and Howard from Fresh Meat (Greg McHugh) as a thespian tramp, and no shortage of near-the-knuckle humour. Not forgetting some clinches with no need of mistletoe to pack some heat.

Radio Times review

The ubiquitous Jack Whitehall wrote and stars in this school-based comedy, back for a badly behaved Christmas special. Fed up with the nativity, his hapless history teacher invents a new festive story, a cross between Robocop and Nutcracker: Robocracker.

Sitcom staple Sarah Solemani plays the altruistic art teacher, while Mathew Horne sports an elf costume as the immature headmaster fond of tragic puns ("Snow-k?" "Yes sir, yours-elf?") Look out for Greg McHugh, Whitehall's co-star in Fresh Meat, as an expletive-spewing tramp.

The Nutcracker is a delightful festive tale, but wouldn't it be better if it were more like Robocop? Mat Horne's deranged wordplay-loving headmaster certainly thinks so, and it's up to Jack Whitehall's bumbling educator Alfie Wickers to make his vision a reality.

While bonkers school play Robocracker is the focus of the Bad Education Christmas special, there's plenty more going on in the halls of Abbey Grove, as Mitchell (Charlie Wernham) attempts to get Alfie's estranged mother back from Spain for the holidays and Miss Gulliver (Sarah Solemani) encourages her class to volunteer at a soup kitchen, making way for a guest appearance by Whitehall's Fresh Meat co-star Greg McHugh as a foul-mouthed hobo.

When undergrad sitcom Fresh Meat first aired two years ago, it felt like it could become a training ground for cutting-edge talent, and that the glamorous, talented likes of Zawe Ashton and Jack Whitehall would just be passing through en route to greater career triumphs. It's now three series in and, unhappily for their agents, but happily for us, the original cast members are all still in place. Like that half-drunk cup of coffee that festers under every student's bed, Fresh Meat can no longer claim to be fresh, but it has grown a life of its own.

By now, our old friends at 28 Hartnell are world-weary second-years and JP (Jack Whitehall) is particularly eager to demonstrate his maturity. He rechristened the house "Pussy Haven" and offered Howard (Greg McHugh) guidance in the fine art of pulling: "Freshers' week started yesterday, they're already getting less vulnerable by the hour." Oregon (Charlotte Ritchie) and Vod (Zawe Ashton) are back from a summer backpacking, where Vod picked up a Latin lover and Oregon discovered herself. Again. "I just realised some stuff in South America... like, some people are rich and some people are poor."

As you'd expect from the writers of Peep Show, it's still very funny, but they do play favourites. JP had all the best lines this episode, leaving new housemate Candice a little underwritten by comparison.

Radio Times review

The university comedy returns for a third series, with the unlikely housemates as second years - and there's still only one thing on JP's mind. Comedian Jack Whitehall was born to play the show's gilet-clad posh berk, who tonight gatecrashes the freshers' fair to attract "hotties". Rivalling Whitehall for the best gags are man-eater Vod (Zawe Ashton) and oddball Howard (Greg McHugh), who comes out with his most outlandish confession yet: he's landed a date.

Josie's in Southampton after being kicked off her course, but still mooning at Kingsley across cyberspace. There's also a new arrival: a home-schooled first year with an unfortunate array of knitwear.

Faye Marsay introduces new fresher Candice

The White Queen actress joins Jack Whitehall, Zawe Ashton, Joe Thomas, Kimberley Nixon, Greg McHugh and Charlotte Ritchie for the new series of the Channel 4 comedy Fresh Meat.

Greg McHugh and Zawe Ashton shine in Fresh Meat

While tonight's instalment of Fresh Meat didn't see the show at its best, there were still some great moments. I loved Howard's story, Vod's holiday romance and the fact that things between Josie and Kingsley aren't as solid as they'd like to think.

Greg McHugh on playing TV's weirdest student

Fresh Meat has captured the quirks of student life like no show before it. Meet Greg McHugh, the man behind its unlikely oddball hero, Howard.