Comparisons to Family Guy will be inevitable with Full English, a new cartoon comedy series designed by Alex Scarfe (son of political cartoonist Gerald) and animated by Rough Draft, the California studio behind Seth MacFarlane's Emmy-winning hit. It even apes the signature cutaway gags. There's a decent voice cast, including Richard Ayoade and Kayvan Novak, but precious few laughs. The cultural references in this opener - the family's emo daughter Eve decides to enter Britain's Got Talent - are leaden, so if these are the big guns to draw people in, God help it.

From The Simpsons to Family Guy, America has got it nailed when it comes to satirical animations - so how does this home-grown British effort stack up? It's rough around the edges but it does have the requisite dysfunctional family at its filthy heart: Edgar and Wendy Johnson, their three children plus Wendy's dad, Ken. The humour is wilfully offensive, with Britain's Got Talent getting it in its chubby neck, and dad Edgar is voiced by The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade.

This new cartoon series is Britain's answer to ]Family Guy.But if it looks slickly American that's because, although it was created by brothers Jack and Harry Williams and Alex Scarfe - son of cartoonist Gerald Scarfe and Jane Asher - the animation was done in LA at the studio responsible for Futurama, and The Simpsons Movie.

Be warned that Full English isn't for kids. It features animated sex plus some stuff about Nazis and disabled people that is offensive in ways I haven't even worked out yet. And one character's pursuit of The Queen could well spark another royal scandal. Simon Cowell probably won't be a fan either.

The voice work is by Richard Ayoade as dad Edgar, Rosie Cavaliero as wife Wendy and Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak as both of their sons.

The standout tonight is daughter Eve (voiced by Daisy Haggard), who auditions for Britain's Got Talent with hilariously predictable results. I'm not sure about the father-in-law and his imaginary friend, though. Is Britain ready for a large green balloon?

This new animated sitcom looks like it's trying to be Britain's answer to American cartoons such as Family Guy. The Johnsons are the central family, made up of Edgar (voiced by IT Crowd star Richard Ayoade), Wendy and their three children. While the animations have charm, the show relies heavily on puerile humour, and lacks the incisiveness about modern life that makes the American shows so amusing. In tonight's episode Eve decides to enter her band, Bloodmonkey, for Britain's Got Talent.

A neurotic and smart boy, Oliver over-imagines his death as a series of flash-forwards of fellow pupils mourning his passing. He talks of zooms and crane shots and when a bullied peer falls into a pond he observes the horror in freeze frame and commentates on the action. The storytelling style which writer-director Richard Ayoade lunges for with uncynical reverence and a cinephile's passion is a holy trinity of French new wave, mannered American indies and superior British domestic comedy. It's a winning combination which sees sparks of imagination flying from most scenes, with jump cuts, flashes back and forwards, imaginary episodes and chapter headings. Nothing stays still for long and actors are often seen in silence. Total first-person cinema: a spirited and warm film debut.

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Channel 4 must be struggling for shows to fill their once-feted Friday night slot, as 8 Out Of 10 Cats, which finished its 11th series a mere month ago, is already back for another outing. Jon Richardson, now firmly ensconced in the role of "team captain who is not as funny as Sean Lock", is joined by comedian Holly Walsh, while Lock, whose quick, absurdist turns of phrase are forever the strongest element of this tired format, gets some help on the one-liner front from Richard Ayoade.

Many a panel show flags in middle age, but this one remains in rude health as it returns for a 12th series of comedy based on statistics and polls. Our rudimentary survey shows the most laughs come from the quips of host Jimmy Carr, who's as sharp as his tailored suits, and team captain Sean Lock, who veers between irreverent rants on life and taking pot shots at the guests. Braving his ridicule tonight are IT Crowd actor Richard Ayoade and boxer Amir Khan.

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