Anyone who has been stumped by the acclaim attached to Sharon Horgan - who hasn't really had any sort of hit since her mid-00s sitcom Pulling - should find this new comedy, written with standup Rob Delaney, clears things up. Horgan plays Sharon, a teacher who falls pregnant after a fling with a visiting American (Delaney). With the latter's good guy credentials in serious doubt, Sharon - cynical, scared, angry and all the more likable for it - tentatively starts playing happy families with a man she barely knows.

Radio Times review

Sharon Horgan's young Irishwoman meets a handsome American stranger (co-writer Rob Delaney) in a bar and embarks on a wild affair that they both know will end when he heads back to the US. Problem is, she then falls pregnant and they decide to stay together and keep the child.

It's a premise that isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. She obviously needs the support, while he is adamant that his kid will have what he didn't - a dad who sticks around.

It's grown-up, rude, the sex scenes are hilarious and the two leads have a genuine rapport in a comedy that has you rooting for this odd couple all the way through, whether it is meeting her ghastly friends or coping with the medical scares that accompany her pregnancy. There are verve, panache and real things at stake here.

Sharon Horgan: 'It's hard to stay in love'

The Irish comedian and writer talks about her new Channel 4 series Catastrophe, the difficulties of romance while being a parent and the limits of satire.

Sharon Horgan: I've mined my life for comedy

"We started looking at our own lives and the genesis of our relationships and we thought it might be nice to see the beginning"

Rob Delaney: Why I have moved to the UK

US comedian and co-writer of the Channel 4 comedy Catastrophe tells Ben Dowell what he most loves about his new home - the NHS, children's playgrounds and fewer guns...

Catastrophe review: An enjoyably rude romcom

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan's script still somehow manages to find the romance in their situation. Which is why none of it really qualifies as a "catastrophe". They're both nice people, they both want a baby, now they've got a baby. So, really, what's all the whinging about?

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan on Catastrophe

If you take an Irish woman, an American man, add some attraction and minus a condom, the result is a Catastrophe.

Catastrophe review: 'promising'

It may be coarse in places but, with more sentiment, Catastrophe may just work.

Why C4's new comedy is anything but a 'Catastrophe'

The six-part comedy focuses on two strangers who have several one night stand that lead to an unplanned, unexpected and perhaps unwanted pregnancy. This forms the basis of a truly enjoyable, and honestly laugh out loud comedy.

Catastrophe, Channel 4 review

Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney have created a sitcom for grown-ups to fall in love with.