MEDIA: THE PLANMAN - AN EXPERT'S VIEW. The Planman's glossy and slick but too implausible to be more than a one-off.

The pilot of The Planman: so, has ITV found Robbie Coltrane another vehicle to recreate his success in Cracker? On paper, it's got the potential - Coltrane as a Glasgow barrister who believes he can plan the perfect robbery, unlike his clients.

The production values are high and, as ever, Coltrane delivers another masterful performance. But will it give the BBC a run for its money? I believe so. But the story line is a little too far-fetched for my liking.

The plot unfolds as we see Coltrane successfully defend a policeman, who he than accompanies to a Rangers match. Coltrane proceeds to tell him throughout the match how to plan the perfect robbery and even tells him where one could be committed that weekend. Before we know it he's reading about it in the papers and the brown envelope appears stuffed with cash. The copper is 'bent' and has been at it for years, working for a top Scottish gangster.

The plot unfolds further as Coltrane enters his mid-life crisis - a barrister by day and the 'Planman' by night. He abuses his friends at a dinner party and his politician wife starts an affair with the

local police chief whom Coltrane despises.

To top it all, while he's in court his wife has the lover back at their house where he discovers what Coltrane's been up to and it's all left for a cliff-hanger finale next week.