DIANE MORGAN'S NEW COMEDY ANN DROID IS A RATINGS HIT FOR BBC

New comedy Ann Droid, which launched last month on BBC One, has become a hit for the BBC. Episode 1 of the comedy has consolidated to 4.61 million viewers after 7-days - the highest rating programme of the entire week of release, only behind the World Cup.

That figure puts it marginally ahead of the last BBC comedy breakout hit - Small Prophets - which consolidated to 4.43m over the same period in February. Small Prophets eventually consolidated to 7.6m after 28-days.

Written by Diane Morgan (Mandy, Cunk) and Sarah Kendall (Frayed, The Other One), Ann Droid also stars BAFTA nominated Sue Johnston (True Love, The Royle Family) who plays Sue, and Paul Ready (Motherland) who plays her son Michael.

In a world where AI is looming larger and ever present, Ann Droid asks the question: what is replaceable and what is not? As funny, as it is poignant – Ann Droid tells the story of an unlikely friendship between Sue (Sue Johnston) and Linda (Diane Morgan) a social humanoid robot, created to keep elderly people company and monitor their heal

Sue’s (Sue Johnston) husband David passed away 18 months ago and her only son, Michael (Paul Ready), is moving out – again - to try and fix his marriage - again. But the good news is he’s got Sue a surprise to help her live independently, a care provider with a difference - a second hand AnnDroid Z58/100 Basic Eldercare Robot (Diane Morgan). Created to keep the ageing population company and monitor their health, taking the pressure off the ever-stretched NHS.

It’s Sue’s worst nightmare. An overly attentive, socially inept pain in the arse. But she soon works out she can use the droid to her benefit in settling scores and doing the things her son never gets round to. What develops is a buddy comedy between an older woman and her robot who isn’t quite as advanced socially as she is technically.

Ann Droid is available now on BBC iPlayer.