Ground Control To Minor Tom

Tonight's episode of The Family delivered more tension, uncontrolled rage and sporadic laughter. By now, we've come to understand that each week allows a character to come into particular focus. It's closer to William Faulkner than Big Brother and the edits are supreme. This time we witnessed 14 year old Tom, perpetually wired on computer games, household rivalries and rubbish sleeping patterns.

Father Simon is blowing his stack again. "You haven't invented over-tiredness," he bleats. The boy yawns plenty, and makes like an invertebrate at the dining table. Sister Emily carries the bruises from a recent Tom tussle. She's milking her status as a martyr. Dad is gurning in a smiley T-shirt while mother delivers her weekly catch-phrase: "why are you shouting?"

They are shouting because they are stupendously dysfunctional. And by way of a get-out, we tend to see them making up at the end, lolling around to Bob Marley and 'Could You Be Loved'. Adorable.