The eighth series of Peep Show kicked off on Channel 4 last night (November 25, 2012), easing viewers into the working week with a new day and timeslot. Previously, the escapades of Mark and Jez had aired on Friday evenings, though it didn't detract from the comeback of one of Britain's best loved comedies.

We picked up with Jeremy still living in Mark's South London flat, despite promising to move out to allow Dobby to move in. Mark becomes increasingly worried that his former flatmates reluctance to move on will mean his girlfriend opts to live rent free at rival Gerard's house instead. However, it soon becomes apparent that he doesn't have to worry about that any longer, because Gerard is DEAD. The former JBL man dies of the flu, leaving Mark to arrange a hasty funeral and set about buying a "wake cake." He chooses a funeral parlour because "it looks like Gerard's kind of place" before leaving the event early to attend his third interview at a toilet and bathroom sales place. 

Season eight is likely to focus on the awkwardness of Mark and Dobby living together with Jez still around. Although the plot might not have the firepower of previous seasons, scribes Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain aren't likely to get any less funny and last night's first episode offered plenty of promise. When Jez visits a therapist (paid for by Mark), he convinces himself that he must discuss his main issues in life, "drugs, drinking, women, career and not being able to go to sleep properly without wearing a woolly hat". 

Oh, and Johnson's back! Speaking at the funeral, he addresses Gerard as "the little man in the big box."

Peep Show returns on Sunday, when Mark receives news that his book 'Business Secrets of the Pharaohs' is accepted by a publisher.