Blackpool Express breaks Gold's ratings record

Murder On The Blackpool Express has been a ratings smash-hit for UKTV, having become the highest-ever rating show on its Gold channel. The comedy drama, starring Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson and a host of TV favourites has drawn in 1.72 million viewers since its premiere on Gold on 11th November.

Murder on the Blackpool Express review

Murder on the Blackpool Express, the latest original comedy-drama from GOLD, was a nicely rambunctious Northern take on a classic multi-suspect whodunnit recently given the big-budget film treatment (again).

The pigeon-holers have really had their work cut out for them with Chris O'Dowd's acting career.

Its varied highlights so far have included roles as Roy in The IT Crowd, a frustrated Victorian writer in The Crimson Petal And The White[/u] and, most recently, Hollywood heart-throb status in ­[i]Bridesmaids.

Now he's going back to his home town of Boyle, County Roscommon, to play the ­imaginary friend of 12-year-old Martin Moone (David Rawle). Co-written by O'Dowd, if Moone Boy's nostalgic ­innocence reminds you of anything, it's likely to be Kathy Burke's Walking And Talking which also started life as one of Sky's Little Crackers series a couple of Christmases ago.

Launched with a two-parter, episode one is utterly stolen by Simon Delaney, who plays the father of two very nasty school bullies, while episode two follows Martin's mum's campaign to get Mary Robinson elected as Ireland's first female president.

But it also features an ­unforgettably skin-crawling cameo from Steve Coogan as fishmonger ­"Touchy" Feeley.

And we love the show's theme tune from Irish punk band, The Sultans Of Ping FC.

As befits his imaginary friend status, O'Dowd takes a bit of a back seat in terms of screen time, but it seems he's got another hit on his hands.