I am currently enjoying the second series of the ITV drama Marcella.

Well, when I say enjoying - probably more the case of enduring it.

It is bleak.

If there were prizes for bleakness it would be Olympic Gold Medal winning and Anna Friel would be the world champion.

No-one has smiled, or even looked vaguely happy so far and it isn’t showing any signs of letting up.

Anna/Marcella literally stomps around from scene to scene like a very angry toddler and well she might since no-one seems to like her much and her life is falling apart around her ears.

Last series was equally dark, or Skandi-noir as I believe it is known, but this time around children are at the heart of the drama - and as you can expect, it is not sunshine and flowers.

It is the way most dramas seem to be going - how dark, how bleak can we be.

Seriously dark and bleak it seems.

The other night we watched an episode of Black Mirror about robot dogs going rogue in a future world and relentlessly hunting the human race. Things did not end well for poor Maxine Peake who just wanted a ted for her ailing son.

We had to dig out some Room 101 afterwards as an amusing antidote before we could go to bed.

The thing is - the stories at the heart are good - Marcella really is gripping or I don’t think I could really spend eight episodes thinking about its subject matter. There have already been a mountain of clue/red herrings and it is more twisty turny than a twisty turny thing. That’s what keeps you gripped and wanting to tune back in to something that is actually a bit repugnant. And it is good to see a character like Marcella who is not actually in charge and is a bit renegade, who is struggling with her family life and her work life and is plagued by her own tragedy. I am not holding out much hope for any frowns being turned upside down in the next six episodes but it would be good if they have a less confusing ending to this story. The first season seemed to pick the least likely candidate for the serial killer and then hope against all hope the viewers didn’t notice some of its didn’t add up.

I was too busy wondering if Anna would ever stop scowling or actually do a full day’s work without someone noticing she had just swanned off to get her kids for the eighth day on the trot. She must have to dig out the back episodes of Room 101 when she gets back from a hard day’s filming.