The Old Guys (2009)

The odd one out, and worth knowing as such. This is the partnership in a gentler, more traditional BBC One mode: two aging housemates, Roger Lloyd-Pack's Tom and Clive Swift's Roy, both quietly sweet on Jane Asher's Sally across the street, with Roy convinced he is one of the country's leading intellectuals. The self-delusion is pure Armstrong and Bain, but the cruelty is dialed down and the laughs come in a conventional sitcom rhythm. It ran for two short series in 2009 and 2010, 12 episodes in all, so it is a quick watch for completists rather than an essential one. Come for Lloyd-Pack and Swift sparring, and for Katherine Parkinson as Tom's daughter.