Alistair McGowan

Stephen Mangan, a wonderful television actor who can do radio very well too (it's a rarer gift than you'd think) plays Sam, a fantasy novelist who gets swirled off into the alternative universe of Lower Earth to do battle for ownership of a magic sword which controls (naturally, what's the use of a magic sword otherwise?) everyone down there. Alistair McGowan plays his fiendish opponent Lord Darkness. There's an Elf Lord too (Darren Boyd), a dwarf called Dean (Kevin Eldon) and a Warrior Princess (Sophie Winkleman). Dave Lamb plays Sam's dog, Amis.

ElvenQuest - New Comedy Fantasy On Radio 4!

ElvenQuest is a new six-part, comedy, radio play starting on Radio 4 this Wednesday, at 6.30pm.

According to the Radio Times, it's the story of a fantasy novelist called Sam (Stephen 'Green Wing' Mangan), drawn into a parallel fantasy world by "a noble elf, a sexy warrior princess and a fiesty dwarf called Dean" because Sam's dog happens to be the "Chosen One" destined to save their realm, Lower Earth, from Lord Darkness (Alistair McGowan).

If your hobbies include masquerading as a wizard with a magic helmet, a ridiculous name and a penchant for slaying goblins, then Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto's fantastical new comedy should be right up your cobbled street. If not, don't worry - there are still loads of laughs in this affectionate lampoon of a genre that generally takes itself far too seriously.

Stephen Mangan stars as fantasy novelist Sam, who is whisked off to a Tolkien-style parallel universe by a noble elf, a sexy warrior princess and a feisty dwarf called Dean (why are dwarves always Scottish?). It turns out Sam's dog is the Chosen One destined to save 'Lower Earth' from Lord Darkness - an arch-villain reminiscent of David Warner's Devil in Time Bandits and played brilliantly by Alistair McGowan. It's so much fun you'll wish you'd joined the Dungeons & Dragons society after all.

Oh dear, this Mayo appears to be off

Holy flying son of God, but isn't your first reaction to Mayo (BBC One, Sunday) one of suspicion? "New Series: Impressionist Alistair McGowan as a grammar-obsessed cop called Gil Mayo" - it seems like a code for something. Some threat to our national security; or maybe a puzzle that leads to a jewelled hare buried outside Box Hill. If only we could understand it!

There's also Alistair McGowan's The Big Impression at 8.25pm on BBC One, which never seems to get the critical face-kissing it deserves, yet is clearly one of the cleverest programmes we have. He noticed that no one can ever own more than half the rights to the Queen Vic. That Richard Madeley would ideally do his links in little raps. And that Dot Cotton is almost Albert Steptoe. All Rory Bremner's done in 15 years is to point out that politicians aren't wholly candid.

McGowan and Ancona are certainly talented, but it's only with stronger scripts that they will move away from being a novelty act. Surely their talents could be used more appropriately in parodies of TV programmes and films, which could then have the accuracy which other parodies would lack. But without this edge, the whole series becomes more like a showreel.