FAMILY FORTUNES (HERE WE GO, SERIES TWO)

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So after a promising, if not entirely convincing first series and a Christmas special, BBC1's 'Here We Go' has returned to our screens.

The Jessops are back for another series of family mishaps.

But can Tom Basden's suburban sitcom find the teeth it clearly lacked in the first series?

Katherine Parkinson and Jim Howick return as Rachel and Paul Jessop, a couple whose every move seems to be recorded on video by their teenage son, Jude Collie's Sam as part of his GCSE project.

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In series two, Rachel has returned to university and is trying to ingratiate herself with her fellow, younger students.

Paul, a former Olympic archer, is training to be a police officer.

Their daughter, Freya Parks' Amy is obsessed with all things Norwegian, having lived in the Scandinavian country.

She likes to regularly rail against how poor England is by comparison.

Alison Steadman's Liverpudlian granny and Paul's mum, Sue has decided to downsize and is living with the family until her new home is ready.

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Tom Basden's Robin, Rachel's brother is gearing up to marry Tori Allen-Martin's Cherry after her divorce from her previous husband who she left after her wedding speech.

The Festive special saw Rachel's plans for a perfect Christmas Day go awry and Paul get into a fight in a children's hospital ward while delivering presents dressed as Santa.

Series Two continues the ups and downs for the Jessop family who often have to make do with small victories.

A trip to a local lake on a dinghy that Paul used to go out on with his late father results in chaos while he battles ear wax issues.

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Rachel holds a disastrous party at the family home for her fellow students which fails to impress the two that turn up.

Sue organises a street fayre in which Robin and his mate, Ed Kear's Dean road test their new ice cream van which turns out to be a converted hearse.

The family are regularly targeted by a mystery person who leaves dog poo on their driveway.

Paul is recruited onto a five side team as a goalkeeper by his fellow police cadets but can't bring himself to tell them he is clueless about football.

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Cherry and Robin agree to a combined hen and stag do at a glamping site organised by Rachel which massively disappoints.

Rachel and Robin's competitive sister, Dolly Wells' Penny and her odd financier husband, Simon Farnaby's Boyd visit the family as Cherry suckers Sue into buying her wedding dress.

Paul gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "passing out parade" as the family frantically run about on the day of Robin and Cherry's wedding.

In all these episodes, there's a lot of running about and yelling as Basden chronicles the lived of his show's likeable losers.

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However once again, despite the spirited efforts of the cast, his sitcom does not quite feel as funny as it ought to.

It needs more bite but 'Here We Go' rarely ventures beyond the mildly amusing.

You're doing well if there's a laugh out loud gag - a sequence where Rachel forces two rather square students into a drinking game is as good as it gets.

As a result, the show is reliant on the performances of Parkinson, Howick and Steadman who do their best.

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Allen-Martin's Essex girl vibes and Parks' propensity for a droll line aren't enough to sustain the show.

Basden's Robin is often a bit too annoyingly David Brent, often mugging to the cameras and acting the tool.

Collie takes over from Jack Christou as Sam and is fine. They can pretty much get away with that because he's behind the camera for much of the show.

'Here We Go' is reliant too on guest appearances - Harry Enfield, Wells and Farnaby all appear.

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Although the sight of Enfield dressed like he's a character in 'Keeping Up Appearances' will make viewers of a certain vintage suddenly feel old.

Parkinson is the MVP of the show - you cannot help feeling you're watching Jen from 'The IT Crowd' after she married, settled down and started a dysfunctional family.

And while it doesn't dazzle, a third season of the show has been commissioned.

Despite its cast's efforts, 'Here We Go' has yet to deliver the laughs it needs to be considered a truly great suburban sitcom.

The quest goes on.

('Here We Go' was broadcast on BBC1 in the UK from February 2-March 8, 2024 with all episodes available on the BBC iPlayer from February 2)