TV Week: Dexter, Would I Lie To You? and The Charlotte Church Show

After the events of season 1, Dexter's lost his killing instinct and is forced to deal with the police discovering his victim's bodies, after divers chanced upon them on the seabed. The FBI, led by Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine), have rolled into town to find the "Bay Harbour Butcher", putting forensic analyst Dexter in an awkward position: as he's on the investigative team! Once again, the series revels in moral ambiguities and its central character's anti-heroism; providing tension, laughs, chills and excitement at every step.

If you've yet to be converted, snap up the season 1 box-set before approaching, but rest assured this is one of the more rewarding and delightfully twisted US dramas of recent times. Hall continues to give a textured, clever, playful performance as the killer-next-door, and season 2 benefits from the fact its writers aren't restricted by adapting one of Jeff Lindsay's novels. Stay tuned for Hustle's Jaime Murray as an oddball love-interest, revelations concerning Dex's foster father Harry (James Remar), a quirky relationship for Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), and Sgt. Doakes' (Eric King) pursuit of Dex's takes a significant step forward...

WOULD I LIKE TO YOU? (BBC1, FRI 10PM) The simple ideas are always the best. Angus Deayton hosts this second series of the truth-or-lie comedy panel show -- a variation on Call My Bluff, where celebs have to try and lie convincingly to their peers. Team captains are David Mitchell (a fixture on such shows, because his humour is bred for them) and Lee Mack (a comedian likely to tickle your funnybone at some point). The concept is good and offers plenty of laughs, as everyone tries to decide whose telling porkies -- although I do wonder how long it can last before regulars Mitchell and Mack run out of humorous truths to dispense...

THE CHARLOTTE CHURCH SHOW (CHANNEL 4, THU 10PM) Third series of the entertainment show, hosted by the likeable but overrated Charlotte Church. A talented singer with an enviable life and career, but this is evidence she'd best get back to making music. It's just a vanity project, allowing her to pretend she's funny (while actually just a half-competent autocue reader) and drag every celebrity interview back round to herself. How many times must we suffer her mentioning singing for The Pope as a youngster? Sorry, but we've moved on from the tabloid hysteria of this "Voice Of An Angel" stumbling out of nightclubs in the small hours, before echoing Posh Spice by grabbing herself a sporty boyfriend. All interest in her has been redirected at Lily Allen -- another trendy singer with a chat-show, but one still eating up tabloid inches and wisely refusing to give up the day job...