Atlantis

Series one, episode four
Another week, another traipse through the woods for Jason, Pythagoras and Hercules as the lunacy, carnage and glory of Greek mythology is diluted and marmelised beyond recognition by the BBC teatime treatment. This is a kid’s show, of course, so no-one’s expecting incest or disembowelment or bodies being dragged behind chariots, but we can be forgiven for counting on a Monster of the Week, or a fun and recognisable Mythical figure swinging through.

Instead Jason and co are dispatched into the forest to pick up Ariadne’s exiled brother, while back in the citadel characters mistake skulking about in the shadows with palace intrigue. By the end of the episode we are back where we started in more ways than one. The unfortunate cast is given precious little to do along the way. Jason still exudes all the charm of a clueless estate agent, Mark Addy’s Hercules is reduced to Gentle Giant duties as he fusses over his pet beetle and Pythagoras may as well not be there at all.