IN the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, pundits predicted a rise in the popularity of serious and "hard hitting" television programmes.

Instead, figures have revealed viewers across the globe have been overdosing on escapist or comfort television, such as Friends and Sex and the City.

In America, Friends recently regained its position as the number one show and in the week ending January 20, it was watched by a staggering 18.4m households.

At home, US exports have mingled with home-grown programmes such as The Vicar of Dibley and Pop Idol, to fill an emotional hole and provide the television equivalent of stuffing your face with chocolate.

Media studies lecturer Debbie Goodie says we watch comfort television to escape from everyday realities and pressures.

''It's a release from the real world," she said. "Having seen the buildings come down and the human suffering on September 11, we want to watch something nice and happy that's unaffected by trauma and international politics.''

It could be why familiar and un-taxing makeover and lifestyle shows, including What Not to Wear, presented by ''fashionistas'' Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, Delia's How to Cook, gardening programme Ground Force, and even the Antiques Roadshow are all listed in the latest BBC1 and BBC2 top 10.

Comedy, however, is probably one of the most important genres of comfort television, according to Julian Linley, deputy editor of Heat magazine.

In addition to Sex in the City, Frasier and Smack the Pony are in Channel 4's top 10.

''The news and footage of September 11 and the immediate aftermath upset a lot of people," he said. "It felt as if the world was changing in a way that was horror-filled.

COMEDY shows are particularly comforting after that. The characters are, so far, not affected by big events and comedy provides a fantasy people can escape from.

''In Sex and the City, bad things happen to the girls but it's things they can cope with. September 11 was something we couldn't control, but the problems we see on the television are things we think we can handle.

''And comedy reaffirms our faith in the human spirit. After September 11 people are a little less tolerant about fluff and want genuine warmth. That's why comedy is proving so attractive. That Sex and the City and Friends is about groups of friends is very important."

Small communities are also important in comfort television, like that in Monarch of the Glen - one of the BBC's top 10 shows.

Goodie says they are good because they showed personal relationships and companionships, which may be needed after terrible events like the terrorist attacks.

''There are a lot of people who are lonely and living away from those traditional structures that provide comfort," she said.

''Because a lot of people don't even know their neighbours, artificial communities provide their communities.

''They also provide a certain predictability. The outside world might be uncertain but you always know a pint will be poured at the Queen Vic.

''Some people haven't got comfort and support around them. Post-September 11, we're looking for comfort and we can get that by feeling close to a character on television."

Soaps are important in this respect. But it's also telling that ITV1's most popular show - Coronation Street - is moving away from issue-based storylines to character-led ones.

Although reality television is said to have reached a peak last year, Pop Idol has proved one of this year's favourites.

Linley says it is because it was a reality show that celebrated goodwill. ''It has a goodwill feeling about it,'' he said.

Goodie agrees. She said: ''We're seeing ordinary people in real life who are being made pop stars. There's a Cinderella aspect, the transferring of ordinary people.

THAT gives comfort. It makes people secure that the world is really a nice place. It gives solace. There are good things in life, not just misery.

"Reality shows and character-based comedy give people a subject of conversation, which helps them make social links in real life."

''Comfort television also provides a sense of personal identity. It ignores big issues and allows us to think of more personal issues in our lives - like, would I leave my partner if I thought he was having an affair?

''The viewers' top 10 are also quite old-fashioned in a moral sense. There definitely seems to have been a return to old-fashioned values."