IN the week of the British Comedy Awards, it was ironic that last night's schedules contained a sitcom which I doubt will ever be up for any sort of accolade.

And no, I'm not referring the the repeat of My Family, surely the most over-rated comedy' show of many a long year.

Instead, my nomination in the what a load of tosh category goes to Jam and Jerusalem, a witless cross between Last of the Summer WIne and Vicar of Dibley.

The Beeb will try and fool us by describing it as a comedy drama but we viewers are not so gullible.

Just as Heartbeat has become a televisual rest home for time served TV actors, Jam and Jerusalem's sole purpose appears to be to give comedy actresses of a certain age' one more appearance on the small screen.

Penned by Jennifer Saunders, and supposedly based on her real-life experience when she and hubby Ade Edmondson moved out to the country, it's just all so twee.

Frankly the thought of Vyvyan from The Young Ones moving to a village is much funnier in my own mind!

It's such a shame to see a cast so full of recognisable names - including Maggie Smith, Sue Johnston, Pauline McLynn and Miriam Margolyes - wading through a treacle-laden script.

Jam and Jerusalem just tries so hard to be nice and politically correct it has just ended up as an insipid, bland half an hour.

It just shows that without the script, even proven performers can be reduced to going through the motions.

Even the props department appears to have given up by giving everyone ridiculous wigs.