IT'S quite heartening that the BBC is now searching for shows like "Dad's Army" to pull in viewers.

They have asked comedy writers to create shows "with a big cast and silly humour".

Re-runs of "Are You Being Served?", "Porridge" and "Only Fools and Horses" on the Sky channels prove the enduring popularity of well-written offerings.

There's a delightful innocence in their appeal which is quite at odds with the cool "Am I bovvered?" approach of the Noughties.

I suppose to be contemporary they should be looking for a series based on life in a benefits' office, or how a gang of Polish plumbers cope with life in a foreign country.