Back in 2011 Sky took on original comedy like never before, and their first sitcom, Trollied is about to return for a fourth series, so it's fair to say they haven't done too badly.
Trollied for those of you who haven't seen it before is set in a fictional supermarket called Valco. Sadly there are a lot of regular characters who are no longer in the series, such as Deputy Manager Julie, who was played by Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Store Assistant Leighton who was played Joel Fry (Plebs) and Keiran the Butcher who was played by Nick Blood (Babylon).
In fact only six of the original characters from series one remain; Store Manager Gavin, Margaret who works at the Delicatessen, sickly in-love couple Colin and Lisa and Customer Service girls Sue and Linda.
That's not to say the show is no longer any good, Trollied has always been an ensemble piece which for a sitcom set in a supermarket was a smart move. As with a real supermarket people come and go, and there are opportunities to open new areas in the supermarket which allow for new characters, and that's exactly what they've done for series 4.
In the first episode we are introduced to a series of newbies, including Pharmacist Brian, played by Stephen Tompkinson (Wild At Heart). Yes that's right, this time around Valco has its own Pharmacy. Despite spending years at medical school, Brian is adamant that becoming a Pharmacist is a more important career than being a doctor. I think from that statement, you're beginning to see what type of character he is.
Brian is a great addition to Trollied, and working alongside side him in the Pharmacy us Margaret who makes the move from Delicatessen.
Julie is gone which means there's space for a new Assistant Manager. Having worked at Valco since he was 16, new character Daniel, played by Samuel Anderson (Doctor Who) makes the move from sweeping the warehouse floor to being Gavin's number two. Speaking of Gavin (Jason Watkins), of course he's back and is loving having Daniel as his Assistant Manager and sees him as the son he never had.
Britain's Got Talent finalist Jack Carroll joins Trollied as 16 year-old Harrt. Working at Valco is Harry's first job, and having achieved nine A*s at GCSE it's a wonder why he's ended up behind the checkout at Valco. He's definitely the brightest person they have ever hired.
Another new recruit is Charlie, played by Aisling Bea (Dead Boss), who is the daughter of Brendan O'Connor, the owner of the Valco empire. So it's in everyone's interest, especially Gavin's, that her first shift goes as well as it can go, and more importantly no one must find out who she really is.
Charlie isn't exactly the brightest tool in the box so during her first shift, rather than ask how the card machine works she lets the customers walk out without paying. No wonder her queue was the longest in the supermarket.
And finally there's Rose, played by the wonderful Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter), who happens to be Colin's nan. When Colin realises that his nan is now working with him he's horrified and of course like any nan, Rose only wants what's best for her grandson but ends up making life hell for him at Valco. Not least when she demands Gavin to promote him to Assistant Manager... a role he doesn't last in very long!
So yes, I do miss Leighton and Julie, but the new bunch of characters; Brian, Charlie, Daniel, Rose and Harry are all great and a welcome addition to Trollied. Even if you've never seen Trollied before I'd recommend catching it, as I'm sure, like me, you'll fall in love with it pretty quickly, and wonder why it's taken this long for a sitcom set in a supermarket to make it to television.