Is BBC comedy getting a bit soft? Following in the slipstream if the winning sentimentality of Small Prophets comes Ann Droid, in which a lonely widow played by Sue Johnston forms an unlikely emtional bond with the titular robot, played by a deadpan, suitably robotic Diane Morgan.

 

Of course, as is the nature of odd couple stories like this they don't start off as bosom buddies. The recently widowed Sue is determined to retain her independence during her "last bit", but after a minor fall her son Michael (Paul Ready from Motherland, etc) splashes out on a robot to look after her. Not a brand new model, you understand, but an earlier version, complete with the occasional glitch and more potential for comic mishaps and misunderstandings.

 

Interestingly the comedy is not noticeably set in the future, suggesting that robot carers like this – even the latest models with the face of your favourite celebrity such as Rylan, might be just around the corner and not something out of science fiction. 

 

Sue is inevitably resistant at first. Ann – renamed Linda, tries to help but instead makes things worse, reminding Sue of her late husband Dave. Linda is practical and over-logical and wants to throw Dave's things out to make more room, Sue wants to keep everything to remember Dave.

 

Anyway, she has a reassuring 48-hour trial period and then can always send Linda back, no questions asked. But does she? Before you can say Kryten from Red Dwarf Linda has avoided being returned to the depot by cooking Sue's favourite meal toad in the hole and planting a flower in memory of Dave.

 

Ann Droid, written by Morgan and comedian Sarah Kendall (who chirpily delivers Ann), is something of a departure for Morgan. There is none of the sarcastic humour of Mandy or the accidental offensiveness of Philomena Cunk. Linda might be mechanical, but she might just have a much bigger heart than you expect.