For all the world, ITV1's latest bright hope, Lost In Austen (ITV1, Wednesday, 3 September, 9pm) looked like a show designed for, and quite possibly made by, the girls. That's the thing with period dramas. There's something weirdly girly about them. The dashing dukes, the elaborate dresses, the melodrama, the plight of women and their issues. There's a certain amount of depth in the emotions of period dramas, or rather, the books that they're based on, that us blokes could never hope to understand (read: we could never let on that we're in tune with such feelings because we don't want to appear 'soft'). So with this new kooky look at the world of the doiley, it felt even more girl-centric. Oddly for a bloke, I had a good feeling about it...

You may have gathered that I'm no fan of period dramas. In fact, I'm not even sure what a period drama is. Surely it just means that it's a drama set in a particular period? That period, by my reckoning, could be this morning. It's this dumb procrastinating that has ensured that I've never enjoyed a period drama in all my days. So what was so tempting about Lost in Austen?

It's hard to put a finger on why I was looking forward to it so much, but when boiled down, I think the main thing was fun. It looked like a show that was going to be cheekily written and a good laugh. Not necessarily 'dumbed down' or 'throwaway', because fun isn't always a by-product of thickness. No, this looked like it was going to be just smart enough and diverted away from the usual po-facery of these periodicals.

And it was. Jemima Rooper (who played main character, Amanda), whom I've always thought had something about her (even in the teen-dross of 'As If') brought loads to this part. Indicative of a girl in her twenties-approaching-thirty who has yet to find The One. Not finding the perfect man saw her throwing herself into her favourite book... literally. In a neat twist on the old kid-flick fave of 'Being Sucked Into Another World of a Book', Amanda found herself completely baffled by her new, yet oh-so-familiar surroundings.

Where a lesser programme would have kicked things off with panicked banging of doors and possible fainting, Amanda generally yelled, belched, got drunk, found herself dying for a fag and announcing that she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown (any normal person would assume the same having suddenly found themselves in the middle of a book).

Fact is, this isn't just a time-travel piece. This is clearly a journey through the mind. All is not clear or straight-forward. As yet, it's not obvious whether Amanda must ensure that the plot of Pride and Prejudice should continue as normal, or whether it's a journey of self-exploration. However, it's not answers we need as yet. Last night's show was a brilliant and fun outing that played the 'modern-versus-old' card so well, that you completely forget all those rubbish films that have cavemen in the modern world or whatever.

Lost in Austen has a great balance of daft and smart, attention to detail, and more, to keep just about everyone happy. Providing you're not being a snob or a bloke with hang-ups who won't allow enjoyment in the presence of such material. For the latter, it's more of a loss to you. This looks to be a cracking little show and kicked things off very brightly indeed. I'll be watching this with a great big stooopid grin on my face from now on. Not only is it what we all need, but it's what ITV1 have been craving too. Brill.