The comedy of cringe has long been a dominant force on British TV with many citing David Brent and Alan Partridge as figures who turned a switch on this genre. Others will insist that Basil Fawlty is the godfather of sitcoms where you peer through your fingers at the ludicrous antics of, usually, a tormented man tying himself into even more entangled knots. What they all have in common is a febrile concoction of shame, self-delusion, humiliation, regret and rage, which is always on the simmer and forever threatening to implode.

This dangerous game was given a new spin in the hands of Julia Davis whose Nighty Night and Sally4Ever (plus the podcast Dear Joan & Jericha) turn up the psychological terror to way past 11. Throw in portrayals of twisted sexual desire that verge on the callous and cruel, and audiences were suddenly knee-deep in dark terrain which made a tall Torquay hotelier’s rants about Europeans seem quite genteel.

Such Brave Girls is cut from the very same frayed cloth as Davis’ output. Dubbed ‘Britian’s most gleefully offensive comedy’, it features the small lives and big issues of sisters Josie and Billie (played by real-life siblings Kat Sadler, who created the show, and Lizzie Davidson). Narcissism, anxiety, obsession and suicidal ideation are just the tip of a depressive iceberg that the pair are constantly slipping and sliding over, the abyss never too far from view.

They are ruled over by their dreadful mother Deb (Louise Brealey, as far from Molly, her lovable Sherlock character, as anyone could possibly get) whose husband went out for teabags a decade earlier and has yet to return. Not likely to ever be in the running for Mum Of The Year, Deb has a clear favourite in Billie, blaming Josie for everything from her dad’s disappearance to ruining the libido of Deb’s new man Dev (the brilliantly expressive Paul Bazely) due to her having a sad face. For his part, Dev is grieving his late beloved wife, so blinded by his misery that he concludes Deb to be a wonderful mother.

As the second season dawns, wedding bells seem to be in the air with Josie being forced into the needy and possibly psychotic arms of Seb (Freddie Meredith), despite it being clear to everyone that her sexual tastes veer more towards the female. Meanwhile Billie, finally realising that the man she yearned for throughout the first season is a lost cause does what any sane person would do: chucks themselves into a coercive relationship with a much older partner.   

If your taste in comedy requires feeling all warm inside, it might be advisable to steer well clear of Such Brave Girls. But if being challenged to sit through shocking ideas and wilfully tasteless punchlines is what gets you through an evening, strap in for a savage ride into oblivion. You might even earn points for your own bravery.

Such Brave Girls is available on BBC Three and iPlayer from Thursday 3 July.