Mongrels: a tail Swift would be proud of

The second series of the excellent puppet comedy, Mongrels, is coming to an end on BBC 3 next week. If you like your comedy sharp, challenging and a bit daft, and haven't already seen it then watch it on BBC iPlayer.

In one sense, Mongrels is a standard sitcom with four characters trapped together hoping for something better. The fact that these characters are a fox, dog, cat and pigeon is the first hint that this is something a touch different. 

But what sets the show apart from formulaic comedy is its satire that has echoes of one of the greatest humorists, Jonathan Swift. 

Just as the author of Gulliver's Travels looked at humanity and found us wanting, the writers of Mongrels ridicule human folly with an anger that sometimes takes them to the edge of what most people find acceptable. 

It is rare to find that sort of writing on television these days, especially British television.