In 16th-century Europe, courtiers would dutifully inspect the royal wedding sheets to verify that the marriage had been properly consummated (and the consequences could be dire for everyone involved if they didn’t find what they were looking for). Five hundred years later in Bolton the stakes are not so high for Atul (Reece Ritchie) or Veena (Amara Karan), but still, shame and unhappiness spread out across their extended family and social circle as it becomes common knowledge that she’s still a virgin because he cannot rise to the occasion.

East Is East writer Ayub Khan-Din has no trouble locating the funny bone in this potentially melancholy yarn, updating Bill Naughton’s 1960s comedy The Family Way and translating its class concerns to a modern Anglo-Asian setting. Poor old Atul’s performance anxiety is understandable. His overbearing father—the wonderful Harish Patel—invades the bridal suite on their wedding night to assure the happy couple that he’s just on the other side of the paper-thin bedroom wall if either of them needs anything. A sturdier bed might be a start… Directed with typically self-effacing skill by comedy specialist Nigel Cole (Made in Dagenham, Calendar Girls) and beautifully acted by a cast that also includes the redoubtable Meera Syal as Atul’s long-suffering mother, All in Good Time expertly balances boisterous humour with delectable slivers of emotional insight. A good time is indeed guaranteed.