THIS programme arrived much-hyped, with a strong on-screen team and a decent concept.

The idea of award-winning radio phone-in host Gary Bellamy going out and about to meet “his people” is a bit post-Alan Partridge only, on first showing, not as funny.

Rhys Thomas is the slightly too-likeable Bellamy, while Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson make up the majority of the decent characters in this first episode.

Clinically obese Graham Downes is quite funny, although entrepreneur Early D, the self-styled lion of Harlesden, doesn’t quite work, in the same way senior citizen Humphrey Milner doesn’t — they’re just not funny.

Trishia Webb, who runs Bellamy’s fan club, is a bit of a cliche, but Lady Patricia and Lady Grace Combe bring the programme to life as Bellamy goes out to meet them in their country pile.

One’s a communist, the other a fascist (“National Socialist, actually”) and the mansion is split right down the middle with Nazi regalia on one side and the hammer and sickle on the other.

Brilliantly annoying reformed criminal Tony Bickton takes Bellamy to a waterside scene in Deptford, and when the latter says “It’s not exactly Brighton beach, is it?” replies, “No, but there are no queers here, either.”

Whitehouse’s rock manager Ian Craig-Oldham, clearly based name-wise on the Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog-Oldham, talks about how annoying he was as a youngster and tells Bellamy that when he gets older he’ll look back at himself and think: “What a ******** p****.” Oddly enough, he’s probably right.

Community leader Mr Khan works quite well, while Martin Hole the builder may well prove the star here.

We’ve all met one of these irritating cocky gits like Hole down the pub, but somehow they are much funnier when on your TV screen.

“Do you know there are two types of people in this world, Gary?

"Those who like page three and those who don’t like page three.

"I’m one of those who doesn’t like it... ha ha ha, I done you right up.

"You should have seen your face. I done you right up.”

Unfortunately, Bellamy’s People is probably genuinely representative of the type of person who rings up a local radio presenter on a regular basis, and, for the large part, not that likeable.