Jonathan Wright (I)

The series charting the careers of Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the duo behind sitcoms Dad's Army, Are You Being Served? and more, considers what their work tells us about attitudes towards love and sex in Britain in the 20th century. This is, when you consider Sergeant Wilson's relationship with Mavis Pike, at least in part a story of how the British are adept at making things perfectly well understood yet left unsaid. It's a story about class, too, expressed in the way Hi-de-Hi! yellowcoat Gladys Pugh yearns for a bit of posh.

The tall stories (some true, some not) comedy panel show returns for an eighth series. Its longevity has much to do with the way host Rob Brydon, plus team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell, get close to the knuckle without taking things too far for primetime, a tricky balancing act when Mitchell discusses the lead-up to an alleged vomiting incident ("There was definitely drinking, I think there might have been crisps ... "). First guests are Fiona Bruce, Micky Flanagan, Steve Jones and Claudia Winkleman.

Joyce is set to retire but unfortunately Alan insists on throwing the party at home rather than a hotel, leaving Joyce to worry about the catering, the carpets and the correct scheduling of her "surprise tribute video". A well-crafted comedy that delivers good lines - an exasperated Joyce on new neighbour Sara's sprogs: "I've never seen more badly behaved, obnoxious children in my entire life, and I've been to France!" - yet still hasn't quite caught fire.

Richard Pinto's sixtysomething sitcom continues, with the gang heading to a gastropub for Carol and Trevor's 40th wedding anniversary. Naturally, things don't go smoothly, as Carol considers a big life change. A comedy with some good lines (hangdog Alan reflects on meeting up with the same bunch of people yet again: "These people are friends, we shouldn't have to see them") but which somehow lacks warmth. Worth persevering with, even if this episode doesn't, as Ab Fab did so splendidly, make enough of June Whitfield's comic timing.

The rehabilitation of an old-school comic continues. Having won Celebrity Big Brother, Jim Davidson gets the chance to discuss his life and career. Expect highs (his time hosting Big Break and The Generation Game), lows (his arrest as part of Operation Yewtree - he faced no charges) and, at a guess, not much in between because that would be boring. And at least Jim Davidson's not boring, which the oh-so-cheeky-chappy title here appears to suggest we should take as a recommendation. Hmmm.

The sitcom, which ran from 1989 to 1998, gets a reboot for the 21st century. So what's changed in the intervening decade and a half? Very little in terms of the dynamic between Sharon, Tracey and Dorien, even if the last has become a bestselling novelist under her "porn name", Foxy Cohen, and Sharon's back living in a council flat. Still, a few contrivances later, and the trio are reunited in Tracey's suddenly crowded Chigwell home. The Only Way Is Essex? Sadly not on this evidence.

The will-they-won't-they romance between Doc and Louisa gives way to the sound of wedding bells as the comedy-drama returns. Naturally, the village turns out in force for the event, whether invited or not, and soon the couple are being whisked away for a surprise honeymoon. Which is when everything goes wrong, both for the newlyweds and for Ruth, who volunteers to look after baby James Henry. An idealised view of Cornish rural life? Of course, but well-crafted and witty, too.

Once upon a time, Ben Elton wrote sharp, funny comedy that aimed for a mass audience yet didn't seem to care too much if it was too close to the knuckle for the great British public. But that was a while back. Now, sadly, the health-and-safety-culture-spoofing The Wright Way, which this week finds Gerald trying to prove that playing conkers is dangerous, merely seems rather dated. Quite remarkably, it also proves that, yes, you can try to squeeze too many cock and humping jokes into 30 minutes.

Six episodes in and Bluestone 42 seems to have settled down rather too quickly, which is another way of saying its humour isn't close enough to the bone. Still, it's often funny, which is more than many sitcoms manage, let alone those set in a war zone. In tonight's episode, the troops prepare for a mini-shindig ("mindig"), a cue for "the dance party that dare not speak it name", as Nick forces Simon to help him learn to tango. Elsewhere, Bird is attracted to Veterinary Corps worker Parikh.

During the pitching process for this new comedy you'd guess the words "a 21st-century M*A*S*H" were uttered. Without overstating the comparisons it's not a bad description, because Bluestone 42 is a series that similarly deals in gallows humour as it follows the travails of a British bomb disposal team in Afghanistan. This first episode is largely an exercise in getting to know the characters, especially IED expert Nick (Oliver Chris) and the unit's new padre, Mary (Kelly Adams). Expect explosions, swearing and death.