Jane Simon

Fans of the long-running Radio 4 series will be delighted to see this way overdue TV version that retains all the polite suburban snobbery of the original - and then some.

Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid slide gracefully into the roles of Irene Spencer and Vera Small - created in the series of books by Carole Hayman and Lou Wakefield and immortalised on the airwaves by Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales.

And that's it as far as cast goes, apart from a glum Jack Russell and a flatulent poodle who are the ladies' only visible companions. These two widows meet at the wedding of Irene's daughter and strike up a sprightly correspondence: "Thank you so much for your thank you letter, thanking me for my thank you letter," etc.

Played out as deliciously interlocking monologues, their missives in this first series (before they discovered email) are dotted with recipes for taramasalata and a barely veiled cattiness as Irene worries that she may have accidentally divulged too many dark secrets when she was ever so slightly merry.

It all harks back to a more well-mannered era which now only lives on in the sherry-hazed memories of comedy scriptwriters, if indeed it ever existed at all.

It's a proper little gem and if ITV's intention is to tempt more mature viewers over to ITV3 where they'll find this tucked comfortably between repeats of Pie In The Sky, Miss Marple and Shirley Valentine - its spiritual home you might say - then it should be mission accomplished.

It's a sad day for stand-up comedy fans. Now that Jonathan Ross has almost served his sentence, this will be the last outing for Live At The Apollo. And there's no word yet on if or when the series will return.

First up tonight is Russell Howard, who toddles on stage looking like a lost schoolboy but within seconds turns into a kid pumped up on too much Sunny Delight. With the customary energy we know from Mock The Week, he bounces from one subject to the next, starting with bizarre heckles then evil sandwiches and bus stops with hats to scary 13-yearolds and why you should never underestimate little old ladies.

He also has a genius way of livening up a trip to Ikea - if you've had a few drinks and live near a branch that's open until midnight, you might want to head off straight away (but only if it's walking distance or you know a sober driver, OK?).

The second act is Jo Brand, who tackles topics including Russian brides, the dangers of going to the pub, Barbie dolls and why Bruce Forsyth should wear baggy trousers that show off his bum crack.

I know, it's not an image I want to think about for too long either..

Don't worry if you missed the 2007 pilot for this series. There's a brief explanation at the start of the first episode. Basically, Rob (Daniel Mays) was dumped by Laura (Spooks' Miranda Raison), and later gleaned from a celeb mag that she was dating Duncan From Blue (played by the man himself). Not only that, they were going to marry. And Rob's been invited to the wedding.

Hacked off that he's been replaced by 'that skating b*****d', Rob is convinced Duncan From Blue (that's his full name in this, not Duncan James) is out to get him. So he decides to prove he's better than DFB and have revenge on his ex by turning up at her wedding with the sexiest woman he can con into being his girlfriend.

It's a simple yet effective idea - for now anyway - and Rob is an entertaining central character - a younger, less grouchy version of Jack Dee's Rick Spleen.

The comedy isn't perfect, and with coarse language it won't be everybody's cup of tea. But if you still miss Teachers, the young, ballsy characters in this should raise a smile.

And there's always the eye candy to enjoy - as well as Duncan James, the show stars former EastEnders heartthrob Nigel Harman. And for the fellas, for this week only, is guest star Susie Amy, who will fulfil many a redblooded man's fantasy by donning a school uniform.

Yep, that's right, this is the latest example of a BBC2 show becoming so popular it's been promoted to BBC1. Although if you're the BBC2 big cheese who's suddenly lost one of the jewels in your scheduling crown, I guess you won't consider it a positive thing - just another case of the bullies from BBC1 nicking one of your most successful shows.

The bbc seems to love its family based sitcoms. But for every My Family, which regularly pulls in the viewers, there is a Mad About Alice, the laugh-free show with Amanda Holden and Jamie Theakston that was put out of its misery after just one series.

This new offering, with Caroline Quentin and Neil Dudgeon, sits somewhere in between. There are some witty moments but these are drowned out by more regular unfunny happenings, so unimaginative and staid it's embarrassing.

Actors of Quentin and Dudgeon's calibre deserve much better scripts. They play Maddy and Jim, divorced parents who have recently married and are adapting to life as one giant family.

Everybody has a favourite Morecambe and Wise sketch - including those too young to see the shows when they first aired.

Thanks to repeats and tribute shows such as these, even babies are familiar with the 'Andrew Preview' music sketch and the time newsreader Angela Rippon got her pins out for the boys.

Both pop up in this homage to the great comedy duo, hosted by lifelong fan Paul Merton.

It's lovely watching a presenter who genuinely cares about the subject. He's joined by people who worked with Eric and Ernie, including Angela, Bruce Forsyth, conductor Andre Previn and writer Eddie Braban - who provided acres of material for the duo and wrote many of their famous Christmas specials.

Watching the footage again, you realise just how pants today's sketch shows are. Who will remember Tittybangbang in 30 years' time, let alone pay tribute to it?

The Mirror Preview

The mop-haired amateur detective and his trusted sidekick are back to solve more bonkers crimes. When I say his trusted sidekick, of course I mean his duffle coat - which I suspect is really the source of his remarkable powers of deduction.

I know what I'd like for Christmas - another scandal involving Jonathan Ross so Live At The Apollo can permanently replace his Friday night show. A nice bit of stand-up comedy is a perfect way to start the weekend, and the creative team always seem to get the perfect performer mix (though if I had my way, brilliant Michael McIntyre, who was in the first episode, would be on every single week).

Tonight's host is 8 Out Of 10 Cats stalwart Sean Lock, who shares his genius way of how to have fun with wrong numbers, and also his trick for getting local kids off his car without getting a mouthful of abuse.

He has a good old moan about pizza leaflets, self-service checkouts and confusing pub toilets (we've all been there - at some trendy bar, wondering which squiggle on the door is supposed to represent male and female).

With those rants out of the way, it's time to introduce the main act, the amiable Jason Manford - who just so happens to be his 8 Out Of 10 Cats rival. But that's never mentioned, of course. There'll be no plugging of rival channels here, thank you very much.

Heather Mills gets the Star Stories treatment this week - and boy is she going to be peeved with the show.

In Mills And McCartney Presents: Why Paul Is A Total B*stard, 'Heather' (comedienne Dolly Wells) the woman who gives most of her money to charity (yeah, right) gives her side of the story. For the first time.

Did you know, for example, that as a child she spent 20 hours a day down the mines? Or that her dodgy porn shot was done to help children with their maths? Or that the ghost of Princess Diana asked her to work for landmine charities? Or that her dad looked like an older version of Ant McPartlin? That's not a subject raised, by the way, just my observation.

The show takes several of Mucca's own claims - plus a few they made up - and rips the mick out of them. Paul's frugal behaviour (played by Steve Edge) comes in for a bashing, too.

'Why should I have to pay for two when she's only going to wear one,' he asks in a posh shoe shop. But not before giving her Cinderella-style rags to clean the house in. And no programme dedicated to Heather would be complete without her bonkers appearance on GMTV.

After last week's disappointing homage to Sir Elton John, it's nice to see the show's back with a vengeance (although their version of Heather losing her leg is possibly a step too far, even for Star Stories).

Hmmm, an all-women sketch show - could this be the new Smack The Pony? In a word, no. For every funny skit several fail to raise a smile, let alone a laugh.

It's a shame. There's real comic talent here - one, Sarah Kendall, is a brilliant stand-up who always makes me laugh in her day job. But the scripts are looser than Sex And The City's Samantha (who they spoof, along with the rest of the girls). And some sketches are just pointless.

There's a crude SATC moment when a waiter says to a smutty Samantha: 'Please stop that. You are sad and embarrassing.' At times watching this, I thought the same. It's not all bad, though. Their homage to Alien is funny (no, they're not spoofing the scene you'd expect), as is their Weird Science skit, when two nerdy girls try to make the perfect man.

The second of tonight's double-bill is the better episode, greatly helped by their quartet of Madonnas. The sheep-herding sketch will tickle the funny bone of many a dog owner. And possibly Guy Ritchie.