What is up with TV?

Let me make it clear - our main TV stations have produced some outstanding drama over the last few years. Broadchurch is a clear example of exceptional TV making.

What is more, a series like Rev shows that they cam make some excellent and brilliantly nuanced comedy too.

Which makes me wonder why The Wright Way has appeared on out TV screens. This is a BBC sitcom, staring David Haig and written by Ben Elton - both of whom are exceptional, and should produce far better than this. I watched the first episode and half of the second before deciding that it was not worth the trouble.

The problem is that the premise - an over-zealous Health and Safety nazi - should be full of humour. In fact, as a range of stand-up performers and news-comedy programs demonstrate, it is a rich seam of the ludicrous material. Its just that this series fails to tap into it. What we have, instead, is a tawdry series reminiscent of all sorts of 1980's sitcoms, the likes of which we should not have to see any more.

Sadly, that is not the worst of it.

I also watched half an episode of a new ITV sitcom, Vicious, which is substantially worse. This features Derek Jacobi, Sir Ian McKellen and Francis de la Tour. McKellen and Jacobi are an old gay couple, who are constantly bitching at each other, and this is a very strong cast, so one would hope it might produce something good. Unfortunately, it fails to do this.

Within the ten minutes I watched, there was a young chap arrived at their door, which had McKellen and Jacobi fighting each other to proposition him. Encouraging the stereotype that gays are all predatory, which is not helpful and not true.

Then de la Tour turns up, and we get a line that shocked me, from McKellen: "Nobody would want to rape you". Because she is old and ugly. And, of course, only young and pretty people get raped.

I turned off soon enough after that. This is tawdry, cheap, and pathetic "humour". It is reminiscent of the 1970's sitcoms, most of which could not be produced these days, relying, as they did, on racism, sexism or abuse.

Vicious is not funny. In fact, the very idea that this could be paraded as "humour" is a very sick indication of the state of some parts of the nation. It should be taken off the air, because this sort of stereotyping is dangerous. If it was funny as well, there is a chance of it being redeemed, but in the end, it is just appalling.

The BBC and ITV really need to redeem themselves after these travesties.