Rev review

Rev stars a holy trinity of great British actresses and a brilliant Tom Hollander in the title role.

Review: Praise the Lord, Adam and Alex are back

Most admirable is that it never scruples to offend the churchy set in the front pews in pursuit of a punchline.

Rev - TV review

It's very gentle -not rolling-in-the-aisles or falling-off-the-pew funny - but maybe that's no bad thing.

Rev: Series 3 Episode 1 review

There is nothing not to love about this show.

Is 'Rev' the most underrated BBC comedy of all time?

The show has gathered a cult fan-base since debuting in 2010 and is often considered the finest comedy that the BBC currently has on its books.

A welcome return to St Saviour's In The Marshes finds Adam and Alex proud parents to a baby daughter, though administrative vultures continue to circle the vicarage. Despite the weariness that parenthood brings - and Mick's offer of a babysitting service ("Baby still alive when you return" guarantee and all) - a visit from the area dean leads Adam into proclaiming a joint initiative alongside his inscrutable imam counterpart to save a local playground. Every bit as charmingly winsome as ever, with nary a droplet of Derek Nimmo in sight.

Joanna Scanlan & Vicki Pepperdine on women in comedy

As they join the cast of BBC sitcom Rev. for its third series, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine talk churches, their previous hit Getting On, and women's place in comedy.

Hallelujah! Why Rev is just heavenly TV

It's time to offer up some praise to the gods of TV because tonight Tom Hollander returns in his best small screen role as The Reverend Adam Smallbone, the long (long) suffering vicar with an inner city parish in Rev.

Baby Smallbone makes a grand entrance to open the third series of this lugubriously endearing sitcom, joining her dad - the world-weary but eternally optimistic Rev Adam (Tom Hollander) - and her slightly less idealistic mum Alex (Olivia Colman).

The divine cherry on top of the comedy cake is the perfect pairing of Getting On's Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine as cost-cutting church types who sit somewhere below God but well above our Rev on the heavenly ladder.

This puts them in a position to 'reorganise' his church out of existence unless he can come up with some PC box-ticking inspiration pretty darn quick.

Radio Times review

St Saviour's Church is under threat as we return to east London and the pastoral care of the Rev Adam Smallbone (Tom Hollander), who's now dad to a sweet baby daughter. As he changes nappies, the new Area Dean and Diocesan Secretary (Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine) drop dark hints of closure.

There aren't any belly laughs in Rev., but that doesn't matter as there are plenty of smiles, because it's that rarity, a good-hearted sitcom without guile or meanness. Adam is a genial pragmatist (except when it comes to fixing the church's dangerously faulty wiring), devout, of course, but without any of that off-putting zeal. He wants to improve his community's grim children's playground and launches a fundraising campaign with the local imam (Fonejacker Kayvan Novak).

All of Rev's great characters are back, notably the terrifying Archdeacon (Simon McBurney) and the decrepit Colin (Steve Evets).