”We like to think of ourselves as the fourth emergency service,” said two cheery delivery drivers on Marston’s Brewery: One ale of a Job! (C5, 9pm, 29 August). They probably weren’t even exaggerating. There would be panic on the streets if the pubs ever ran dry.

Preventing that panic are the heroes behind Marston’s brewery, which supplies more than 2,000 pubs in the UK. The operation doesn’t come without challenges, hence the arrival of this new three-part docusoap.

The success, or otherwise, of a docusoap can be impossible to predict. Nobody marooned in an airport for hours would have bet that Airline would run for a decade, while plenty of people thought a quirky company like Greggs would have made good TV, when the end result was as lukewarm as one of its bestselling steak bakes.

This show was similar. As likeable as everyone was, watching several truckloads of kegs being delivered will never make for great TV. And, like the title of the show, everything felt a little forced. Maybe that’s just the inevitable consequence of everyone being fully aware they are required to play up to the cameras these days, rather than being caught unawares like the earliest reality stars, whose unwitting tears and tantrums spawned the genre.

In fairness, things got more interesting when the science of brewing came under the microscope. And if you work for Marston’s, or in the brewing trade, or are genuinely fascinated by beer, there will be enough to keep you interested. But the chances are the average viewer will switch off faster than it takes to down a pint.

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