YOU know when you go into an art gallery and you see the sort of painting which is just splashes of colour and seems to mean nothing but has all the so-called experts fawning over it?

Well, The Book Group is the televisual version of that. Complete nonsense. Scenes lumped together and raved about by everyone who thinks they know something about telly.

Channel Four used to provide must-see, stay-in, not-going-to-the-pun telly on a Friday night but this programme is a brewers' dream. It's pointless.

The only thing which seemed to link the characters from scene to scene was a reference to books, publishing or story-telling - hence the title of the programme, I presume. Though I've probably jumped to the wrong conclusion

there as well.

I foolishly thought Channel Four provided comedy on a Friday night. I suppose they do, but it's all American imports. I never thought I'd here myself say it, but thank god for Friends before this dross. It even made Graham Norton after it look good, and the adverts were the highpoints.

Who, in their right mind, honestly thought book groups could make good television, let along a comedy? Probably someone who's in one.