TV Mail (BBC1)

THIS is a bad idea even by the less demanding standards of daytime TV. Two celebrities travel the country delivering special messages on behalf of viewers who, presumably, have no faith in the postal service offered by Consignia or can't handle e-mail.

As the basis for a half-hour show, it's flimsy to start with. And no amount of energy and enthusiasm on the part of TV postwomen Nadia Sawalha and Ingrid (wife of Chris) Tarrant can put life into it.

The first edition featured Jenny Newby, who'd always felt guilty that she hadn't reacted well when her 19-year-old daughter Michelle had announced she was pregnant. Nadia promptly marched round to the travel agent where Michelle works and made her read out a message from mum, putting into words what mother and daughter had been unable to discuss in person. It reduced the poor girl to tears, so I suppose the makers of the programmes had achieved their aim.

TV Mail's opening edition also featured a son who wanted to send a message to his mother, telling her that he'd got engaged. Even before reading the message Mum told Ingrid that son Ian had "a very nice girlfriend" and "perhaps one day he'll get married", so the contents weren't much of a shock. Much more interesting was finding mum icing 160 muffins for a friend's wedding instead of a traditional cake.

The show all comes across as a cut-price Surprise Surprise, although in that Cilla's actions in reuniting long-lost relatives and the like actually seemed a worthwhile service. TV Mail is just a boring time filler.