HIDDEN away TV gem of the week? Amazingly it’s not on an obscure digital channel but on BBC2 — and it’s also on a Saturday night!

Now in its second series, Nurse Jackie is quality entertainment, half an hour that demonstrates that good writing and strong performances still exist.

Edie Falco proves there is life after The Sopranos as the all-knowing nurse with a messy home life and a fondness for painkillers. I’m told she’s also got a killer haircut.

With Nurse Jackie as the focal point, a wonderfully strong ensemble of characters add to the fun.

There’s Eve Best’s designer-loving English doctor; a cake-addicted medical orderly and — best of all — the puppy-like trainee nurse who must be a half cousin of Alice in the Vicar of Dibley.

As with many US offerings, it’s not for the faint hearted — the humour’s black and the language can be choice at times.

But the quality of the writing shines through and its one of the few series that you should make a point of watching or setting the Sky Plus for.

And the good news for those who already converts —a third series will start showing in the US next month, so hopefully we’ve got plenty more ‘fixes’ to enjoy.