DROP to your knees, tilt your face to the heavens and sing Hosanna, for the greatest television programme bar none has returned to our screens, The Sopranos (Monday, 11pm, Channel 4).

It's been a while since Tony and co last broke bread in our living rooms, but on the strength of the opening episodes, the lengthy hiatus has been well spent.

Series number five started right where we left off, unsurprisingly. Tony and wife Carmela have separated, leaving son A.J. alone with his mother in the family home, a fact that worries Tony, particularly when a bear starts nosing around the garden.

Meanwhile, his life as a 'waste management consultant' (mob boss) is slightly rosier, due to several old friends being released from prison after 'the great mob busts of the '80s'.

This is one of the ways this series has introduced new characters during its run. Rather than confuse the viewer, you find yourself sitting there with a dopey grin on your face as familiar faces crop up in these roles. Steve Buscemi as Tony's cousin certainly looks like he will be a standout character in future episodes.

Dotted throughout the episodes are the motifs that have been the cause of plenty of controversy for the programme - sex, violence and increasingly harsh language.

The depiction of these never feels gratuitous however, thanks to the undercurrent of humour laced in the scripts, and the performances of the actors. Anyone who thinks the programme is just about fat men hugging or shooting each other while spouting profanity is being a bit ignorant.

While I think this is the finest way of spending an hour alone on the sofa (steady), I do have a couple of complaints with the current series. Firstly, why have Channel 4 placed this at 11pm on a Monday when garbage like NY-Lon clogs up much more viewer friendly slots?

And secondly, do the makers always have to feature so many scenes involving food? I find it impossible to watch without raiding the fridge halfway through. Must be a case of life imitating art.