Television review: Dull humans vs the robot

16 July 2026, The Tablet

Diane Morgan and Sue Johnston in Ann Droid

BBC/BOFFOLA PICTURES, OLLY COURTNEY

It was co-written by the brilliant Diane Morgan who will be familiar to those who enjoyed Philomena Cunk, the on-the-nose spoof TV historian.

ONE OF THE interesting things I learned from watching Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future is that although AI can write a novel and robotic hands can remove your gall bladder or replace your hip, simple household tasks have proved to be surprisingly difficult for robots to manage. They are terrible at folding clothes and find picking up bananas challenging. So far, the robotic housemaid of science fiction seems a disappointingly distant prospect.

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