I don’t know what to tell people when they ask me if I think Peep Show (Channel 4, Friday, 25 September, 10pm) is funny. Yes. People are always asking me questions like that in an awkward “You’re a TV critic… is it alright if I like this show?” With most shows, I have a strong opinion or at least some pointless bit of trivia to appease… but Peep Show… I never know what to say and the new series is proving just as tricky to pin down.

Related: More Peep Show

Let’s get one thing straight before we carry on. The question of ‘funny’ is a tricky one because it’s so subjective and dependent on mood. However, should someone ask me the more ambiguous question of ‘do you like Peep Show’, then the answer is an unreserved ‘yes’.

Fact is, I’m a recent convert to the show. Early series switched me off initially but then, a penny dropped somewhere and the whole thing made retrospective sense. This was fun because it enabled me to enjoy the new shows that were tossed our way.

That said, like always, I found myself enjoying the new series of the show and generally speaking, not even slightly laughing. When I what Peep Show I don’t tend to laugh, giggle, chortle, snort or hoot.

This is something that has bugged me for a while. However, Peep Show isn’t just some dumb comedy… there’s a bit more to it than that isn’t there? I mean, you don’t necessarily tune for laughs. You tune in to see what horrors unfold and how many feet can be inserted into one mouth.

This is probably why Peep Show remains popular. Jokes, like cuts of trouser, date very quickly (apart from exceptional cases of course) and Peep Show doesn’t really tell gags. The skewed look at the absurd is where it gets its kicks and it somehow feels better to just drink it in, rather than laugh all over it.

I mean, half the time, I’d feel nasty laughing anyway. Someone pissing their pants or killing a dog. It’s not something to snigger at because it’s nasty. However, in the setting, execution and build up, there’s something very pleasing about the way the whole thing falls apart.

Basically, the new shows are as good as ever and I’m glad it is back on our screens.