My own self

Hustle is back, and so is Mickey Bricks, but Danny Blue, Stacie Monroe and Billy Bond are not. Still, while I missed them, having Mickey, Three Socks and Albert back more than make up for not seeing the three people who were the lower half of the character ladder anyway. Worse is that they're being replaced with two new guys - and you just know where this is going. A new Stacie and yet another Danny, right? Well, sort of. While Emma and Sean, the two new people, sort of fill Danny and Stacie's functions, they are very much new characters. Emma, because she's a lot more like Mickey than like any other character, and thus distinctly different from Stacie. Sean, because he's not a conman by trade unlike Bond and Blue. Still, the dynamic between the gang and Sean as the junior new guy feels overly done. I wish they'd find some new group dynamic to play at than "dazzle and tease the new guy", especially when this is the third character going through those motions now.

As for the series itself, the six episodes were quite something. The marks who recurred in the final episode were awesome, especially the angry guy, and really brought something to the show. I hope we'll see him again in series 6. The same goes for the always stellar Tim McInnerny, who anyone should know from Blackadder if nothing else, who gave us a very memorable elitist judge as the main mark in one of the episodes. Mostly, this is more of the same, but with Bricks back in the driver's seat. And let's face it, if you check out the fifth series, it is probably because more of the same is quite fine with you indeed.

It certainly is with me. Come on, BBC, pump out a sixth series as soon as possible. I'm waiting.