Professor T

But it was Ben Miller who was once again the main attraction.

There's very little humor involved in "Professor T," which is not to suggest that Jasper's autism is funny—or, for that matter, accurately portrayed—but for any drollery we must look to Frances de la Tour, as Jasper's hovering mother, and she's always a trip.

Professor T is so tonally odd it rarely comes close to being convincing. Neither did the rather sowhat case, which Professor T solved largely by observing people's body language.

Sometimes the conclusions to the crimes can feel secondary to the driving personal stories. But when the balance works, such as with the siege story from the third episode, it’s a really strong combination – and makes for a fine addition to the detective genre.

The premise is promising, and the cast – Miller, Naomi and de La Tour especially – give it a good shot. But there’s something disjointed about the way it all hangs together. To emphasise the sense of loneliness, the direction often frames speakers in conversation one at a time. It comes at the expense of camaraderie.

It is as if two different dramas have been melded accidentally. Or if Death in Paradise (which Miller used to star in) had decided to show a full-on chainsaw massacre. Miller's acting skills save it, assisted by Emma Naomi (Bridgerton) as his detective sidekick, Lisa Donckers.

If only the writers had embraced the quirkiness and made this a gentler affair it would have been fine. There is promise in Tempest’s story, but, please, can this be the last time that rape is used as cheap entertainment?