Staged

It’s surprising to see how much “Staged” Season 2 is a natural build on the first six episodes. The “American remake” structure is a little too high concept at times, but Evans manages to find ways to follow through on those ideas of confronting a past career and being forced to define success in new ways.

It's still frequently, reliably amusing, and the show's new Christmastime setting gives the whole endeavour a slight festive feel – something which will surely be to this season's benefit when it comes time for potential yearly re-watches.

Their egotistical tussle over whose name should go first on the poster ("But you were first in Good Omens," Tennant complained) was, you just know, close to the truth. It was the best lockdown show I've seen so far.

For those whose first lockdowns were brightened by Staged, it will be a welcome return. Anyone sick to the back teeth of Zoom may want to seek out something slightly more escapist.

Staged is at its best when the duo are being funny, rather than debating whether or not they’re funny.

Something happens at the end of episode two which I can’t reveal, because that would be a huge spoiler, but it will make you rethink everything you’ve just seen. You will either consider this to be a meta-move of genius, or you will think it too clever by half and wish they’d stopped at series two. I’m in the latter camp.

Tennant and Sheen have decent chemistry, playing friends who are itchily competitive. Tennant has the better deal, cast as the less pretentious one (he also, if appearances are not deceptive, has the better house). Forty minutes of this would have been excruciating. Even 15 feels too long, but I don’t know if that’s because lockdown has ruined my attention span or if the show is a bit too thespy for its own good.