In early 2007, BBC Four showed a series of comedy pilots - Freezing, HR, Lift and Stuck - all under the umbrella name of 'Tight Spot'. These weren't just any comedies, of course, but very much BBC Four comedies; understated and terribly English. The idea at the time was that one or more would be made into a full series, and we now have the first, and maybe only, of those, a full series of Freezing - if you can really call three episodes a series anyway. Apparently having learnt nothing from their experience with Outnumbered, the BBC have decided to run the episodes on successive nights.

Freezing follows a couple, Liz and Matthew, who are both finding it hard to get on in the media world now that they have hit middle age. I wonder if living in what is pretty much the most gorgeous North London house I have ever seen is any consolation...?

Matthew, played by Hugh Bonneville, is a literary agent and an aspiring author (though so far all he has managed is one page, and still hasn't decided whether he's writing about a he or a she) who has just been replaced at his publishing firm, meaning he must learn how to freelance. His American wife Elizabeth was something of a big deal back in Los Angeles, but now that she has moved to London, has found herself having to audition for tiny West End shows written and directed by some schmuck who has changed his surname by Deed Poll to Beethoven.

In other words, they are both struggling to find work in an industry that doesn't always appreciate, let's say, the positive qualities that maturity can nurture. Elizabeth is considered too old for a lot of leading parts - but isn't yet old enough to play the mother - and Matthew finds it hard to work out whether a sci-fi novel he's been handed is genius or just a load of cobblers. Also, they have to adjust to both being at home most of the time, getting under each other's feet, and feeling torn between good will and jealousy when the other is offered a job.

The problem I have, though, is that I don't really feel anything for these characters - and I certainly don't feel sorry for them. I just can't empathise with people who bump into Richard E. Grant and Alan Yentob - both of whom cameo here - in their daily lives, and have, as I said before, the most utterly beautiful house. I also can't believe that they couldn't just pull a few strings with their numerous contacts and get a job instantly, if they really tried.

And then there's the problem that it's not really very funny - I didn't laugh out loud once. I know you're less inclined to do that when watching on your own, as I was, but I didn't even come out of it desperate to see the next episode. The only spark, I'm afraid, came from Elizabeth's agent and Matthew's best friend, Leon. Played by Tom Hollander, he's the archetypal media monster - strutting around the office wearing a headset and ridiculous braces - and yet somehow he's hugely likable. I think this is probably because, in a rather dull and bland world, at least he brings something different. There's nothing terrible about this comedy, I'll admit, but the problem is that there's nothing particularly special about it, either.