DADDY ISSUES (THE YOUNG OFFENDERS, SERIES 3)

They're back and thank God for that.

Because in these uncertain, nervy times of emerging from Covid-19 lockdown, we all could do with a laugh.

Having begun lockdown obsessing about the intense romantic adventures of a chain wearing lad from Sligo in 'Normal People', it only seems right that we get to laugh at the romantic mishaps of two chain wearing, well meaning lads from Cork.

The Young Offenders have returned for a third series with six new pre-Coronavirus adventures along the banks of the Lee.

And it's as if they have never been away.

At the end of the second series, Peter Foott's BBC3 and RTE sitcom saw Chris Walley's Jock, the taller of the two rogues and his girlfriend, Jennifer Barry's Siobhan become parents.

It also saw Jock's partner in minor crime, Alex Murphy's Conor consummate his love for Siobhan's sister, Demi Isaac Oviawe's Linda.

Now Jock is faced with the task of raising a baby daughter, Star O'Keeffe (played by Nola and Penny Richardson) while also getting into dodgy adventures with Conor.

Siobhan's father, PJ Gallagher's Principal Barry Walsh and his wife Orla Fitzgerald's Orla have their doubts about Jock's ability to do right by Star.

However Jock is determined to be a good dad.

Meanwhile Conor's harassed fishmonger mum, Hillary Rose's Mairead MacSweeney remains on the edge of exploding.

Mairead is still often called upon to get her son and Jock, her surrogate son, out of scrapes but she also has to cope with the romantic overtures of the boys' nemesis, Dominic MacHale's Garda Sergeant Tony Healy.

And then, there's Shane Casey's unhinged, yet touchingly innocent Billy Murphy to contend with.

Series three begins with an episode where Conor and Jock have to choose between looking after Star or involving her in a ridiculous heist that Billy Murphy has dreamt up.

In subsequent episodes, the boys are involved in the slowest bike chase in the history of the big or small screen with the single minded Sergeant Healy in pursuit.

Mairead and the boys also head to Dublin for counselling and the gormless duo also get to go to the debs (a school formal) with their girlfriends.

Jock finds himself in a boxing ring with an under 18 Irish champion, while in the final episode Billy Murphy returns to his fierce ways after receiving some bad news and a nasty bump on the head.

Raucous, crude and as foul-mouthed as ever, it is a delight to report that Foott's sitcom remains sure footed and funny.

A decision to shoot the second and third series back to back has paid off handsomely, with the writers and cast really on the top of their game.

The debs episode is a particular standout, although the boxing match also packs a strong comic punch with its uniquely Cork take on the 'Rocky' films.

Pauline McLynn, Mrs Doyle from the classic Channel 4 Irish sitcom 'Fr Ted,' makes a memorable appearance as a counsellor.

And it is good to see the Cork indie band, the Frank and Walters in a cameo - leading to another inevitable outing on the show of their classic UK Top 20 hit, 'After All'.

Foott, his fellow writers Jocelyn Clark and directors Simon Delaney and Shaun Wilson keep the laughs coming and there is a high strike rate for many of the gags.

However the series mostly succeeds because of the rough hewn charm of Walley and Murphy as two eejit working class heroes.

Conor and Jock's daft, often naive wordplay never fails to amuse and the duo continue to pull off some deft physical comedy. 

Walley, in particular, shines as he grabs with both hands the chance to develop Jock into a doting, if rather unconventional shellsuited dad.

Rose remains a good foil for them as their maternal protector, while Oviawe and Barry are effective as the lads' marginally wiser girlfriends.

Gallagher continues to delight as Siobhan and Linda's stiff, disapproving dad, while Casey still delivers as the series' other loveable rogue Billy Murphy.

Fiercely proud of its Cork city setting and vernacular, the show is full of Rebel County attitude - making few compromises to audiences elsewhere.

And that is another part of its charm.

While the trend for a lot of hit sitcoms in Britain and Ireland these days is to quit while the going is good after three seasons, there is plenty in this series of 'The Young Offenders' to justify at least one more outing.

Here's hoping BBC3 and RTE1 will give Foott and his cast and crew that chance, as it is thoroughly deserved.

(Series 3 of 'The Young Offenders' dropped on the BBC3 iPlayer on July 19, 2020 and aired on RTE1 between July 24, 2020 and August 28, 2020)