COMEDY

HOPEFUL It’s the big day for the contestants

C5, 10pm Every now and again there’s a stark reminder that we have to wait a while for American shows to reach us – this is the Christmas special.

After stumbling into a museum on a night out because Grace (Debra Messing) needs a wee, the gang are swept into a story of a New York Christmas in 1912.

There they find that Karen (Megan Mullally) is a poor Irish immigrant feeding nine children on stolen onions. C4, 9pm

VALENTINE’S Day. A wonderful opportunity for love and romance? Or a commercial, vomit-inducing day of overpriced flowers and rammed restaurants?

Jack (Sean Hayes) is her burly sailor lodger with tattoos on his arms and a skip in his step.

Will (Eric McCormack) is their pennypinching landlord and Grace his rich and oblivious wife.

Karen worries she will have to sell her body to Will to pay the rent, but Jack realises that Will is unlikely to be interested and formulates a plan.

There is a deluge of innuendo and some terrible Irish accents, but the whole thing is a great piece of Friday night escapism.