There's no let-up in the emotional roller-coaster ride as Rae Earl's scything teen-angst comedy reaches its closing chapter. There's a bleak irony in the fact that Earl's diary - designed to help support her psychological recovery - plays a crucial role in bringing her closer to the edge than she's ever been.

Facing crises with all those she cares about - Tix, Chloe, Finn, her mum - will Earl (Sharon Rooney) be able to stay strong, or cave under the pressure?

Sharon Rooney interview

Sharon Rooney talks about what it was like playing the lead role in the series, how her family have reacted to her first TV job and her hopes for the future of the series.

The best music show on TV right now is not even a music show. It's E4's beautifully realised nostalgic drama My Mad Fat Diary. Every time I watch it I end up downloading something from iTunes.

I wish My Mad Fat Diary existed when I was younger

"My Mad Fat Diary depicts what Hollyoaks does not. That different is hard, but ultimately best."

Have you been watching ... My Mad Fat Diary?

E4's show about a teenager with mental health difficulties is smart, sympathetic and hilarious - combining riotous fun with challenging issues.

Another winsome hour packed with more mid-90s angst than you could shake a Mansun cassingle at. All seems well for Rae after telling Chloe about her illness and receiving an uplifting postcard from her estranged dad, but the threat of being firmly friendzoned by new crush Finn soon slams her back down to earth. It's a problem with only one conceivable solution: host a peaceful, exclusive house party. Will everything go to plan? If you've seen any television ever, you can guess the answer to that.

Top prize for nostalgia this week went to E4's My Mad Fat Diary for beautifully recreating the hysteria surrounding the legendary Oasis gigs at Knebworth back in 1996. All that was missing was a certain ginger DJ's famous Wake Up jingle wafting from a radio in the background.

I don't know what is harder to believe though. The fact that Knebworth took place over 16 years ago. Or that nothing as exciting has happened in music since.

It couldn't last. After handling the knocks and disappointments of teenage life with impressive equanimity since her release, Rae threatens to drift back into bad habits, discovering Chloe's latest squeeze just as her periods return to ambush her at the worst possible moment. Could Oasis at Knebworth offer salvation? My Mad Fat Diary could so easily descend into coming-of-age cliche, and it's not without melodramatic moments. But the piercing accuracy of the writing (the tipping point between childhood and the adult world is tenderly exposed tonight), bravery of performances and consistently inventive camerawork ensure most of the pitfalls are dodged. And, lest the soundtrack cause you to become too misty-eyed over Britpop, tonight's opening sequence segues from the sublime (Pulp's Disco 2000) to the Kula Shaker.

A comedy drama that actually satisfies the criteria of both genres, My Mad Fat Diary offers a unique and uncompromising perspective on adolescent angst that distresses and delights by turns. Visual gimmicks - flashbacks, fantasies and animated squiggles leaping from the page - are used sparingly but effectively, allowing the focus to stay fixed on Rae and Sharon Rooney's commanding and engagingly natural central performance.

Some of the humour feels a little forced, such as Rae's mum's illegal immigrant boyfriend forever transported around in the boot of the car, but for the most part it rings painfully true.