COMEDY

FAVOURITES: Sigourney Weaver and Martin Clunes

After a lengthy career largely behaving himself on the stage and screen, it must surely be liberating for actor Simon Callow to become the swearing, irascible, hellraising pensioner Henry Palmer in this sitcom.

Callow has, in fact, admitted he can relate to the old grump, who is a bit like Victor Meldrew, but more mischievous, and with a tendency for rocking it out to loud 60s music.

Returning for a second series, The Rebel is a little bit like that prank show where pensioners “stick it to the man”, refusing to fit into society’s stereotype of the slipper-wearing, Bargain Hunt-loving elderly. And it’s when Callow, along with co-stars Bill Paterson and Anita Dobson, all start swearing that you’ll laugh the most. SWEARS IT WELL Callow ITV, 9pm

FIVE million of us will be bereft by 10pm when this series comes to an end. Lap up the Cornish vistas and curmudgeonly banter while you can – the next season will be the last one ever.