When I saw the first episode I thought, great another bland, poorly written, dramedy, but give it time to grow on you and you quickly realise what a well observed, well acted piece of work it actually is, almost every comedy show I love I didn't like my first taste of, but over a year after seeing the first episode as has always been the case something made me come back to this show and I am very glad I did, it's allot better than it gets credit for.

Confronting, dealing with contemporary issues and points out th public hysteria around them whilst addressing the problems faced by social workers. Deliberately choosing a profession vilified by the public Jo Brand and Co, tackle the topics sensitively and humorously. the entire cast should get medals for this show.Watch it, you may find it confronts some of your own prejudices in the nicest possible of ways.

This comedy was marketed as 'bittersweet', which should be a warning it's not light-hearted nor full of belly-laughs. The style of the show will be instantly familiar to anyone who has watched "Going On" (also co-written by Jo Brand). The philosophy is very much "if you didn't laugh, you'd cry".The show is about a team of social workers, working in child services. So obviously they encounter a range of disturbing situations, involving children - i.e. neglected or abandoned children, accusations of child abuse, drug use, and so on. So you can see why the comedy is dark and offbeat. The show seems fairly realistic about the challenges faced by public services these days - pressure of public expectations, autocratic management, budget cuts, etc. Having said that, the comedy often comes from the slightly less realistic / exaggerated behaviour of some characters (and their significant others) plus the dire state of the office kitchen. The characters are a mixture of experienced / weary social workers (primarily Jo Brand and Alan Davies, with Kevin Eldon), a new social worker out of his depth (Himesh Patel), their stern manager (Georgie Glen) and the not-very-bright temp assistant (Isy Suttie). Overall it works very well, providing a sympathetic view of an under-appreciated workforce, with a comedic twist, in fact several parts are very funny (the team meeting scenes especially).

As a man who grew up on tough council estates I always felt a bit damned as a child. Run with the pack or get run down by them - literally if Ada...(censored for legal reasons)...ey had stolen a car again. Just about every flat had a harassed looking man or woman knocking on the door armed with a file and a weak smile. These were the earnest souls from Social Services, looking to fill in the disastrous chasms with a metaphorical tube of polyfilla.Now Channel 4 pays tribute to these national band-aids with a dark comedy about their exploits. Familiar faces Alan Davies, Kevin Eldon, Jo Brand and Georgie Glen portray staff in an office that always looks on the verge of breakdown. There's Alistair (Davies) constantly fending off his former client Anne Marie's stalking - physical and cyber. Then there's Rose (Brand) who's received so many kicks in life that she's developed a healthy dose of cynicism. However, that heart just won't stop coming to surface when faced with suffering. Sneaky Nitin (Himesh Patel) is the sort of ambitious p***k who makes all workplaces miserable. Various other characters knit together the whole Hellhole perfectly.Right... I can safely say this is brilliant observed satire with just enough balance to stay perfectly amusing without being spiteful, poignant without being sentimental and well crafted without being plagiaristic.A pat on the back for everyone involved. I consider myself quite hard to please but this had me enthralled from start to finish. Maybe too early to call this the new Derek (Ricky Gervais' wonderful series set in a care home) but here's hoping. Damn fine creation!