Thanks to Freeview's revitalisation of data services attached to TV channels, you no longer have to trawl through a multitude of pages full of ugly, blocky text to find out what's on TV. Most digital boxes feature an EPG that's stunningly easy to use, allowing you to find out what's on the box in a flash.

Trying to do so can often cause vitriolic cries from whoever else may have their eyes glued to your idiot box, so having a backup plan is a good idea. That's without even considering when you may want to check listings when you're not at home. TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide is a very simple app that lets you do just this.

Whenever you boot the app up, you'll be met with the now and next listings for your TV's channels. Fully optimised for the UK, you can select exactly which channels you want to appear in this list, including regional variations for channels like ITV. Even if you're hooked up to Sky, Freesat, Virgin Media or Home Choice, you can get full listings.

There are profiles setup for each of these TV services, but you can also select channels manually, one by one. Obviously, a now and next listing is pretty limited in terms of what it can tell you, so TVGuide.co.uk also let you see the day's full schedule just by tapping on the channel's entry.

Rather than just listing the names of the programmes, there's also a short blurb for each, the standard text that accompanies each broadcast as seen on your TV's or dig box's EPG. You can also see the listings for subsequent days just by hitting an arrow that's on this full listings screen. Thankfully, once you've downloaded this info, it's retained by TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide, so you can still plan your TV viewing paper-free if you find yourself without an internet connection.

There are several missed opportunities inherent in TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide. Firstly, you can't actually plan your viewing from within the app. So, if you want to view a specific programme, you can't make the app remind you. There's also no option to remove the text descriptions, or a search function, for faster schedule surfing.

However, what TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide does do, it does almost flawlessly. Once you've customised the app so that it features you favourite channels, it's a dream to use, offering a lightning-fast way to check out exactly what's on. It even links into the BBC iPlayer so you can actually watch some broadcasts, Internet connection permitting. 

Sure, there's much more scope for advanced features, but the key to TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide is that it's so easy to use, we'll actually carry on using it ourselves.