Stella

Sat Jan 19, 9-10pm, Sky1

By Phil Harrison Sun Jan 13 2013

Time Out Ratings

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Series two, episode two
This comedy drama is the polar opposite of escapism – its gentle, underwhelming, slightly humdrum stylings will be vaguely familiar to everyone. That’s presumably the point: Ruth Jones has always been strong on the minutiae of day-to-day life. In tonight’s second episode, she goes one step further and discards one of the main potential drama-triggers of this series. Elsewhere, confusion over paternity continues, Paula faces a staffing crisis at the undertakers (surely her boozing is a minor flashpoint waiting to happen?) and Luke’s Canadian adventure is jeopardised. All in all, the likeable performances and breezy script just about make up for the fact that nothing much is happening. All the same, this often feels like a dead heat between amiable and aimless.