The original Oz version is good. I don't watch it every week but it's funny. Great actors, clever concept, clever script. It's the cringe factor which makes the show funny.

Magda Szubanski, who plays Sharon, is my favourite comedian, ever, or at least is my equal favourite with John Clarke aka Fred Dagg (Did you see The Games? It was aired in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in Sydney, 2000, and was based around the Olympic organising group - in very few countries could the national, government-run tv network air a brilliant, scathing comedy about the biggest ever upcoming major international event.) Magda used to have her own show, and before that she was in Fast Forward, and related comedy skit shows. (The other actors had their start on Oz tv in the same shows, I think.) Magda is very, very funny and she does clever comedy, not the usual drivel! She has also made a series of movies called Dogwoman, and she was in the two Babe movies.

I have never seen a US remake of a UK, or Oz, or other country's movie or show which has been worth watching. I'm about to be disgusted all over again when the US version of Life on Mars starts tonight on Oz tv. US tv/movies are not so good on subtlety. The UK show was brilliant. I'm prepared to eat my words tonight, but I don't think I'll have to.

It beggars belief that US tv and movie producers think they can take a brilliant, quirky idea which has been perfectly realised in the original and change it into something vaguely related which usually misses the point, and expect it to be a success.

Have any of these projects succeeded?

Helen