Jonathan Creek (BBC1)

Vic And Bob In Catterick (BBC3)

Regency House Party (C4)

Bella And The Boys (BBC2)

IT was no surprise when someone was prompted to say: "Is it me or does this sound a bit batty?" as Jonathan Creek unravelled a case involving a message in a bottle from beyond the grave, a snake that swallowed a person of restricted height, and a plague of harvest flies.

Nobody expects a Creek case to be straightforward, but hopes that Vic and Bob's new series Catterick would make any sense proved misplaced as the surreal comedy-drama unfolded

By the end I had to agree with the hotel manager who, surveying an employee's attempt to disguise ink stains on the carpet, declared: "What you've done is a joke". There was little at which to laugh in Vic and Bob's story of brotherly love.

Carl (Bob) returns home after 20 years abroad to find the son he abandoned when he was four years old. Chris (Vic, in curly wig and forest of a beard) is his brother.

A hotel called The Mermade Inn plays a key role, as does an armed robbery at a garage and a toilet cubicle bearing the sign "Do not feed the dog" - and yes, there was a canine sitting in the corner while Carl was doing his business.

Familiar faces turned up (Dora Bryan, Matt Lucas, Mark Benton among them) in a variety of guises. The budget for teeth, hair and funny voices must have been vast. It didn't, however, stretch to filming in North Yorkshire. I found it very off-putting when Carl got off the train at a station labelled Northallerton which looked nothing like the real thing.

Regency House Party, described elsewhere as Big Brother meets Blind Date, has an air of authenticity. So much so that the 21st century men and woman transported back to the morals and manners of the 18th century were finding it difficult to cope after only a few days.

These ten single men and women are the Mr Dacys and Miss Bennets seeking love in a country house. They'll spend nine weeks living the Regency life, using a chamber pot and taking only one bath a week.

The women are restricted by both the dress and social etiquette designed to keep them in their place. The men find life much easier, mainly because they're allowed to talk dirty, drink incessantly and gamble at every opportunity. They were too drunk to welcome the hostess, and one ended up sleeping on the lawn, unaware the next morning how he'd got there.

It was fascinating to learn that the way a lady handled her fan indicated her feelings for a gentleman. Miss Hopkins, reduced to tears by the oppressive restrictions placed on her, found another way of expressing herself - she told Mrs Rogers to eff off.

There was much effing and blinding in the drama Bella And The Boys, as this was a gritty slice of life in a children's home where Bella and two boys formed a teenage menage a trios.

Writer-director Brian Hill's film was well done, notable mainly for providing further evidence that former singer Billie Piper is a natural and affecting actress who could make a living acting if she ever decides to give up her day job as Mrs Chris Evans