Kate Livingstone: My new love affair with the TV remote

A few pounds have definitely crept on and something needs to be done if I’m going to shape up for summer.

The problem is the TV is just so good just now and a Sunday night drama isn’t quite the same without a wee glass of wine and a few nibbles.

I was hooked on A Line of Duty – even if it did get a bit too gory for me in places – and I’m delighted to hear they’ve commissioned a fifth series before the fourth one has even been broadcast.

I will miss my old friends Scott and Bailey, however, with their run coming to an end after the last episode. I loved seeing two women take on such high-profile roles and their wee gossips in the ‘ladies’, reminded me so much of my own workplace.

Now it’s Marcella which is occupying my mind, even though the plot leaves me somewhat baffled. Hopefully, it will all become clear as the finale nears – or, even better, Marcella herself will explain it all just before she unmasks the villain, just like my old favourite Columbo used to do in years gone by.

Despite my rather lengthy list of favourite programmes, I’m confident I could cope with it all if it wasn’t for my habit of channel flicking before heading to bed.

More than once I’ve been planning to head upstairs after the 10 o’clock news only to find myself still staring at the screen when it’s gone midnight.

Mind you, sometimes you can unearth a real gem and the other week I found myself absorbed in a documentary about the inmates of a Norwich prison and their attempts to maintain the relationship with their families.

Thankfully none of my troop has ever been a guest of Her Majesty but my heart went out to some of the mums and wives of those locked up.

While many of the prisoners were real scoundrels I must admit to falling for some of the sob stories. One young man had never been in trouble before but stupidly ordered a stun gun over the internet and, when police caught him with it, it was off to jail with him. His mum and girlfriend were distraught and who can blame them.

Unfortunately, many of the crimes which landed the men inside were linked to drugs with some on their fourth and fifth sentence.

Despite this, in a lot of cases their partners stood by them – good on them for being so loyal but I’m not sure it’s a commitment I could give.