Set in and around Manchester, Mount Pleasant is a sitcom that's pulled together an impressive cast to go through quite familiar motions. And do you know what? It works. There's nothing radical, and it's not the kind of show that's looking to push the proverbial formula in anyway, or tackle edgier issues. But it is good fun. The storylines to Mount Pleasant have a bit of a mild soap opera-ish feel to them, but it's the characters and performances that help lift things. So, there's Sally Lindsay, Liza Tarbuck, Angela Griffin and Pauline Collins amongst the ensemble, who mine good comedy out of seemingly trivial situations. But credit, too, to writer Sally Hooper. She juggles plenty of characters, and puts enough strands into low-key situations to keep things interesting. It's zippy enough too to never outstay its welcome. Mount Pleasant is never likely to top too many peoples' lists of their favourite comedy dramas, but there's something warm, bubbly and likeable about the show, that means it's likely to be rewatched. By way of extra incentive, the DVD comes with a special behind the scenes featurette, which doesn't go to forensic levels of depth, but is diverting enough. The show itself? It's recommended. --Jon Foster