Brian Cox (I)

Brian Cox, interview for Bob Servant

BBC Four's new comedy Bob Servant Independent sees Scots actor Brian Cox return to his roots, says Ben Lawrence.

This crafty political comedy stars Brian Cox - the veteran actor, not the rock'n'roll physicist - who takes on the guise of Dundonian burger king Bob Servant. A bluff, opinionated entrepreneur, Servant is Victor Meldrew meets Malcolm Tucker and, following the sudden death of the MP for Broughty Ferry, he spots the chance to mould the world to suit his own ends by standing as a candidate in the by-election. But alienating Dundee's dog lovers is not the smartest electoral move.

Before you express disbelief at yet another TV vehicle for Brian Cox, this is Brian Cox the one-time Hannibal Lecktor. His character here is almost as antisocial: a burger baron and aspiring MP whose talent for self-promotion is matched only by his foot-in-mouth capabilities.

The first of a three-part series isn't troubled by subtlety, and Cox gives a full-blooded performance as "man of the people" Bob Servant.

First encountered on BBC Radio Scotland and then Radio 4, Neil Forsyth's creation, the deluded Bob Servant, graduates to television in a new comedy series. Servant made his name in Broughton Ferry's "cheeseburger wars", and here puts his hat into the ring as the independent candidate in the Scottish town's by-election; his poster campaign being: "You know him, he's OK". Veteran actor Brian Cox takes on the role of Servant - as he did on the radio - but despite his best efforts, the script does him few favours.

The creation of writer Neil Forsyth, Bob Servant is a character who has - through his email exchanges with internet spammers in Africa and Russia (he tells them, perplexingly, about the details of his life in Broughty Ferry, a Dundee suburb) - become a kind of Scottish national treasure, albeit a fictional one. This series, starring Brian Cox, attempts to bring this Pooter/Partridge-style creation to life on screen, and follows Bob as he campaigns to become an MP. Much like support for Bob, actual jokes are very thin on the ground.

Interview: Brian Cox on what keeps him coming home

Brian Cox, son of Dundee, has got brilliant recall of the first time he represented the city on screen. "I was 20, a young actor with the Lyceum in Edinburgh, when I got asked to go back up the road to narrate a wee film about the opening of the Tay road bridge," he says.

From New York to Broughty Ferry, the picturesque suburb of Dundee that Bob Servant Independent calls home. The TV début of a character previously established in a BBC Radio Scotland series and a popular range of books, this likeable and amusing sitcom stars Brian Cox as a vain, deluded, self-serving businessman who decides to stand in a local by-election. The only drawbacks are his political ignorance, his egregious personality, and his exceedingly dim view of the electorate.

Having previously played Servant on radio, Cox is clearly having a whale of a time in the role, and his relish is infectious. An idiotic, roaring blow-hard, Servant is a welcome addition to our rich history of sitcom monsters. He may even do for Dundee what Alan Partridge did for Norwich. Please don't ask me if that's a good thing or not.

Brian Cox on his surprise move into television comedy

The very idea of screen legend Brian Cox's move into television comedy with a new BBC sitcom is without doubt a cause for celebration.

Bob Servant Independent: the don of Dundee

It started as an email prank: a way of out-scamming the scammers. Then it became a book, and a radio play. So when Neil Forsyth was asked to turn his alter ego Bob Servant into a TV character, he fantasised about casting his hero Brian Cox. Then came a chance meeting...

Brian Cox interview

Brian Cox talks about Bob Servant, Independent.