The well overdue third series of 'Rev' premiered on BBC2 on Monday evening (March 24, 2014) welcoming back Adam Smallbone - played by Tom Hollander - to our screens. 

Rev season 3The Cast of 'Rev' Season 3

The show - which revolves around a Church of England priest who becomes the vicar of an inner-city London church - has gathered a cult fan-base since debuting in 2010 and is often considered the finest comedy that the BBC currently has on its books.

The season three opener starts with Adam's wife - played by the unrivalled Olivia Colman - giving birth in a taxi. Elsewhere, the local playground still needs refurbishment and Adam fund raises with the help of the two congregations in a bid to impress the new area dean, Jill Mallory and diocesan secretary Geri Tennison - who plan to close the church.

"The performances are wonderful, by Hollander and Colman (both heading rapidly towards national treasure status) and by everyone else. It's clever - smartly written by James Wood (and Hollander too in this opener), and sharply observed," wrote Sam Wollaston in The Guardian.

Rev Tom Hollander Olivia ColmanOlivia Colman [L] and Tom Hollander [R] With Their Baby Girl in 'Rev'

"Rev's willingness to get stuck in has always set it apart from the bucolic likes of The Vicar of Dibley but also the funnier, yet surrealist, Father Ted," wrote Ellen E Jones in The Independent, "Most admirable is that it never scruples to offend the churchy set in the front pews in pursuit of a punchline."

"The secret to appreciating Rev lies in accepting it's about the journey rather than the destination. The series offers a payload of breezy laughs without any big comic pay-off. There are some wistfully ribald one-liners, funnier delivered by the nicely droll Hollander than written down," wrote Ed Power in The Telegraph.

Tom Hollander RevTom Hollander Is Back for 'Rev' Season 3

Rev - which as a sitcom has sold to 140 countries - continues its third season next Monday (March 31), with four episodes to follow after that. 

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