The glorious return of the BBC's self-flagellating sitcom, whose second series begins with a one-hour special. Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) and co prepare for the impending royal visit of the Prince of Wales. Elsewhere, Jessica Hynes's viciously stupid Head of BBC Brand, Siobhan Sharpe, attempts to mash-up the Beeb and Wimbledon, Entertainment Format Producer David Wilkes (Rufus Jones) has a title but not a show, and lovable doofus Will the intern might just have solved everyone's problems by possessing a sister.

W1A: so pitch-perfect as to be profoundly depressing

W1A is so pitch-perfect that its only real downside for those of us who fundamentally like the BBC is that it can often be quite depressing.

Radio Times review

An hour-long special of the comedy where the BBC looks at itself in a fairground mirror. As usual, writer/director John Morton happily tramples on touchy subjects. Not just in the subplot about Jeremy C****son (his full name cannot now be broadcast, due to events) saying "tosser" on Top Gear with controversial frequency, but in the main disaster-in-waiting: a visit to New Broadcasting House by Prince Charles. Head of security Dave (Andrew Brooke) briefs Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) on the protocol for the Royal Range Rover's arrival: "I will at that point assume control of the rising bollards personally." Dave also plans to lock all internal doors in case of emergency...

When it eventually gets going (I know the myriad characters who say the same thing over and over are meant to be annoying, but still) it's a fine farce, albeit one in which director-general Tony Hall's much-anticipated cameo is still as yet unviable.

Video - W1A: Back to poke fun at the Beeb

It's the "mockumentary" which does not need to aim far to hit its target. W1A is a comedy which satirises the BBC, and it's back for a second series, which starts tonight on BBC Two at 9pm. BBC Breakfast was joined by two of its stars, Hugh Skinner and Rufus Jones.

Preview: W1A returns with hilarious Clarkson parody

In the episodes, a character based on Clarkson is seen getting in trouble after writing a controversial tweet and repeatedly using the word 'tossers'.

W1A: can a BBC satire about the BBC ever really bite?

If W1A were made by ITV or Channel 4, the storyline would have shown BBC executives desperately wondering whether they could get away with exonerating Clarkson for alleged violence - or, as satire works by exaggeration, even murder - because of his commercial value to the organisation. External writers might also have had fun with the negotiations between PR and legal teams that presumably led to the use of the antique term "fracas" to describe his actions.

W1A preview: Goes like an arrow to the heart of the BBC

A storyline about censoring Jeremy Clarkson/p] in Top Gear provides comedy gold, says Ben Dowell, even if the double-length opening episode is a little too much of a good thing

Hugh Bonneville on W1A

The BBC mockumentary's Head of Values on filming the second series and the future of Downton Abbey.

W1A episode 1, review: Clarkson's now played for laughs

W1A is a curious show: a comedy about the absurdity of the BBC, broadcast by a BBC that claims to be nothing of the sort. It is either an example of the corporation's supreme self-awareness, or the exact opposite. I suspect they're not entirely sure which.

Now on a second series, John Morton's comedy is less a satire of the BBC in particular and more a satire of big organisations in general. Endless meetings, managers with no discernible purpose and interns who outstay their welcome are all present and correct, but this week's hour-long special also benefits from the comic talents of PhoneShop's Andrew Brooke.