Love Matters

Sky continues to champion the short comedy with three sweet-and-sour double bills on the awkward business of modern romance. First up at 9pm is ‘30 and Counting’, a romcom examining online dating through the eyes of hapless singleton George (Daniel Lawrence Taylor, aka Geoff from ‘Hunderby’). It’s a little broad and uneven, but a couple of virtuoso set-pieces really impress, as George’s mates create his ideal virtual girlfriend, and then reluctantly kill her off while the outro from ‘Layla’ plays.

The formidably funny Katherine Parkinson then takes the lead in ‘Officially Special’ at 9.30pm, playing Jo, a judge of world record attempts, whose work problems take her eye off her partner, busily planning a surprise. Said surprise is realised in excruciating fashion, and the show has enough smart observations to make about Jo’s commitmentphobia to override a few clunkers (gags about a girl called ‘Fanny’?).

With a bit more polish to the scripts, we could see either making a series. And no other broadcaster has shown such consistent willingness (or, probably, budgetary capability) to take a chance on underappreciated talent. This, more than anything, makes ‘Love Matters’, well, matter.