Yes, Glee is predictable in the story lines, does a lot of going back and forth (how many times can they each quit and storm out?!) and is highly unbelievable in many ways - BUT if you take yourself way back to when you were a teenager (and yes, James - I know you were one once!), you can appreciate how Glee might appeal to the younger generation. It acknowledges the repetative stupidity of "highschool" behaviour, the bullying, lack of confidence and general banality of being an outcast teenager... or, in fact, any teenager. Something to which they can relate.

Yes, the show features gross over-exaggeration of the points: everyone feels different and awkward; has hidden talents that in reality will rarely be overwhelmingly brilliant; and gets frustrated by the unfairness of the way they're treated by peers and overseers alike... but if you just sit back and enjoy the over-the-top point-making, and suspend your disbelief, and pretend you're one of the "not-IT" kids, it's actually all rather cute.

So I like it. That and the Mash-ups they do (has it reached that far yet on UK TV?) - which are adorably inspiring at times and worth watching the rest of the series so that you can build up the context. I'm not offering any spoilers by telling you to look out for the Police/Gary Puckett & the Union Gap mash-up in episode ten.

Give it a chance - if nothing else, just for Jayma Mays unbelievably sweet-yet-hypnotic eyes...