Recently widowed, Sue is given a second hand ‘Eldercare’ robot by her son Michael, but despite her initial horror at the idea, Sue starts to form an unlikely relationship with the imperfectly programmed machine.

Our screens are full of so much dodgy content these days – even dodgier when it comes to combining sci-fi with comedy – that I was bracing myself for the worst, having seen the trailers for Diane Morgan’s new sitcom Ann Droid currently gracing Friday nights on BBC1 or available to stream entire on BBC iPlayer. The title, though succinct, has the air of a not very good whacky kids drama you might have found on CITV back in the day.

But praise be to the TV gods! Not only does Morgan’s show (in which she stars as the eponymous robot and also co-writes with Sarah Kendall) confound my curmudgeonly pessimism but is laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely moving on the themes of bereavement and motherhood, but also speaks to a fearful zeitgeist where so many of us try not to think about loneliness and loss in our later years.

But let’s stick to the funny stuff. The inadequately programmed, socially clumsy robot gags may be familiar territory (Resident Alien’s comedy palette isn’t a million miles away), but they work a treat primarily because the odd-couple chemistry between Sue Johnston and Morgan leaps out of the tellybox and lights up our hearts. We can see pretty much all of the gags coming a mile off but that’s part of the pleasure. It would be churlish not to take genuine delight in the warmth and humanity of the humour, played with sincerity and honesty by all concerned.

There’s a terrific supporting cast as well, with Paul Ready (Motherland) as Sue’s neglectful, self-obsessed son, and feisty Kathryn Hunter as Sue’s no-nonsense best friend.

Verdict: If you’re looking for an antidote to doom-laden dystopian AI dramas, then Ann Droid looks set to brighten up our lives for many years to come. 9/10

Martin Jameson

www.ninjamarmoset.com