Critical Reception
Reviews for the first series were almost universally negative. The Herald described it as "a palpable flop" and "unfunny in any age". The Daily Telegraph noted that it was "another half-hour firmly on Planet Sitcom: that strange world where people behave not like anybody in real life, but merely like people in other sitcoms". The Daily Record called it a "lazy insult of a comedy". The Northern Echo observed that "there was something missing for a comedy – jokes"; The Daily Mirror comments that there are "some witty moments but these are drowned out by more regular unfunny happenings, so unimaginative and staid it's embarrassing". The Independent headlined its review of the opening episode by calling it "a marital comedy divorced from wit". Most vehemently the Sunday Mail called the show "about as funny as inflamed piles".
The second series of the show has been well received by audiences, with viewing figures reaching nearly 6 million, a much higher proportion of the viewing public than the BBC usually receives in this time slot. However, it has again received regular negative reviews from critics. The Sun called it bland and dull, whilst The Herald declared that 'it lacked any of the basic ingredients of good sitcom'. The Guardian described the show as a "tired effort" The Scotsman reviewed it by noting that it "feels like a parody, this time of the kind of bland, mechanical, family sitcom they supposedly don't make anymore".
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