MARVELLOUS MIRANDA....

For a great escape from the current winter chill and reality tv, check out Miranda on Monday nights on bbc1. It's my absolute favourite comedy at the moment as there's some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments - which is pretty rare in recent comedy outings. It's written by and stars Miranda Hart and is quintessentially British comedy. It's self-deprecating, farcical and how that old-fashioned comedy feel about it. Miranda's character is a clumsy singleton (Miranda Hart herself is 6ft 1") whose classy and bossy mother is relentless in her pursuit of trying to find her a suitable man to marry. Miranda herself has eyes for only one man - the gorgeous hunky chef at her local pub and in her pursuit of wooing him, she puts herself through the most cringeworthy and tortuous gushing. She falls over things, she unexpectedly trumps, she says the most embarrassing things and she just gets everything wrong. The character is joined by a brilliant supporting cast who are all distinguished actors that manage to also send themselves up and genuinely look like they're having a great time. Probably not since Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders has a female comedienne who puts themselves out there for ridicule (oh yes, there's plenty of skirts being tucked into knickers moments), and yet the viewer can't help warming to her and willing her to get the man of the dreams. 
Very, very funny and it's worth checking out.