IT was a concept that encapsulates the genius of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights - the family fun day face paint that was sprayed on and couldn't be removed. So simple - so funny!

The new series of the stupendous saga of Brian Potter and his beloved northern club has carried on the good work of the first run, which started slowly and ended as cult viewing.

The comedy is a wonderful blend of visual gems - who will be able to forget Jerry Berry or the bouncy castle with the unfortunate appendages? - and sharp, fearless scripts that take no prisoners in terms of comic targets.

With his roots in a long tradition of self-deprecating northern humour, Peter Kay instinctively knows that the best comedy engages both the eye and the brain.

Blink and you could miss a visual nugget. Stop concentrating for a second, and that priceless muttered remark will pass you by.

It's surreal, and yet as down to earth as a Salford barmaid. In fact, the thought occurs that if Peter Kay was writing the scripts for Corrie, it wouldn't be in the state it is now!

But, I digress. It's a long time since a home-grown comedy has made me sit up and take notice. The Royle Family was the last, but I reckon Phoenix Nights will prove an even bigger hit. It crams more creativity into 30 minutes than pathetic efforts such as The House That Jack Built will achieve in a 10-year run.

The measure of Peter Kay's success is that we are actually rooting for the psychotic mess that is the wheelchair-bound Potter in his quest to revive his club, along with his motley crew of gullible, gormless helpers.

You sense that he'd kill his granny to get his own way - but, what the hell, he'd make your sides split while he was doing it.

His adversary Perry, played with a permanent sneer by Ted Robbins, doesn't stand a chance. And there's a thought - anyone who can make you laugh at Scouse 'warm up' man and professional McCartney relative Robbins must be a genius.

All together now 'Corned beef...'

SOAP POSER:

LITTLE Mo and Baby both came home in EastEnders (BBC1) last Friday, and their appearances raised questions that must be addressed. Why does the cat, which has presumably been living on the streets since going missing weeks ago, now look far better fed and groomed than when it had a home? And is the British prison service experimenting on female inhabitants with a 'rapid grow' hair product that, in Little Mo's case, has merely resulted in tatty black tresses resembling unplaited deadlocks? We should be told!

HAPPY BUNNY OF THE WEEK:

WILL and Grace (Channel 4) continues to be the highlight of Friday night viewing. Loved the scene in Friday's episode when Karen, having been told by Grace not to ask why she was so confused and angry, almost tied herself in knots trying to obey.

SADDO OF THE WEEK:

ARDAL O'Hanlon is a fine stand up comedian, and was perfect as the child-like Dougal in Father Ted, but what possessed him to become involved in the tedious My Hero (BBC1)? It was funny for one episode, but is now an embarrassment. Thermoman is one super hero we can do without.