My Family - Friday 21st

SUSAN thinks of her children as fledglings, to Ben they're more like ticks. Either way, they've gone.

switched on tonight

SUSAN thinks of her children as fledglings, to Ben they're more like ticks. Either way, they've gone, freeing up time for Ben and Susan to do all those things they never could before.

Let's start here on the sofa, Ben suggests, or maybe on the kitchen table. "I'm not talking about sex, Ben," Susan says. "I'm talking about things we can both enjoy." Renovating. She's talking about renovating.

And this is all just a prelude to a knock at the door that ushers in a ridiculous storyline, even for a mannered sitcom. But that's all right, they're allowed. I would just prefer more com in my sit.

Standing on the front step is a guy with a loaded backpack and a piece of paper with Ben's name and address at the top of it. His mother knew Ben at uni, even though Ben has no recollection of her can he stay here for a while?

No room, says Ben. Of course, says Susan, who immediately puts him to work on the house.

This episode is called The Melbourne Identity and the kid's also got a didgeridoo sticking out of the top of his bag, the domestic version of the baguette.

And then he opens his mouth. God. Do some of us really sound like that? No. No, we don't. Bit cheeky, not giving an actual Australian the job, just hiring some English guy and then allowing him to walk around with this terrible fake accent. A terrible authentic accent would've been much better.

I don't think I need to draw you a map here Ben is maybe this kid's father. But it takes Ben, apparently an educated man, ages to figure it out, and even then he moves his lips while he does the sums in his head. But surely his bigger worry is keeping Janey (Daniela Denby-Ashe) from sleeping with her new brother.

My Family
ABC1, 8pm
Rating: 3 Stars.