The Syndicate, BBC1 - TV review: Kay Mellor fails to hit the jackpot with return of lottery drama

This third series focuses on the below-stairs staff of a manor house in Scarborough

The Syndicate, Kay Mellor's ensemble drama about a group of lottery winners in Yorkshire

Recycling the same premise for another series was The Syndicate, Kay Mellor's ensemble drama about a group of lottery-winners in Yorkshire.

They were Leeds supermarket workers in series one, Bradford hospital workers in series two and for this third series, it's the below-stairs staff of a Downton-referencing manor house in Scarborough. The family of the house were struggling with debt, which meant the staff were in danger of losing their jobs, but surely a lottery jackpot win could be the answer to all their problems?

Writer Mellor's last soapy effort, the antenatal class-set In the Club was redeemed by its likeable cast. Here, Lenny Henry had roused himself from his Premier Inn slumber to play the gardener, but his portrayal of high-functioning Asperger's Godfrey wasn't quite winsome enough to compensate for the unsubtle dialogue and uninspiring characters. Could a show this frenetic ever be boring? Apparently so.