Bruiser

Whilst patchy in places there is some truly brilliant material in this quirky BBC comedy, first aired in 2000 and released on DVD in 2007, which more than makes up for the slow periods.

Some of the memorable characters include Martin Freeman's hapless Paranoid Man, worried that he has stumbled into incriminating situations (I am not a Pervert! I am not Gay! etc ... ); Matt Holness' 'Outdoor Wee' interviewer; David Mitchell's Sarcastic Plumber; Robert Webb's increasingly irate Satan taking wrong telephone numbers; a long suffering Samantha and her Spurs supporting partner Gary who appears to be undergoing some form of spiritual growth, switching from week to week from relationship guru, to newly self-realised homosexual to Islam convert; Webb's inane BBC Learning Zone, 'A-Level Fun Size' educational presenter as well as numerous classic short sketches.

Some misses, yes, but on the whole Bruiser is a bit of a hidden gem.