TV review by Steve Bennett As what’s hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime disruptor, the coronavirus pandemic is an unusual hook for a sitcom’s pilot episode. Lockdown is certainly not a ‘sit’ you’d want to return to time and again. But Pandemonium is proof of the maxim that the characters are more important than the setting for any comedy. So while the events of the past nine months are how viewers are introduced to the Jessop family, there’s a longevity in their relationships that should sustain more conventional storylines. It takes very little time for the viewer to feel like they know all these characters – aided, no doubt, by the number of instantly recognisable comedy names in the cast. Katherine Parkinson is the mum, Rachel, trying to hold the family together, whatever it takes. Alison Steadman’s gregarious grandma Sue isn’t so far removed from her Gavin & Stacey role as Pam Shipman, albeit with a more passive-aggressive edge. And as dad Paul, Ghosts’ Jim Howick tries to be upbeat and on everyone’s side - however awkwardly his attempts come off.