Chris O'Dowd

In Moone Boy, David Rawle's Martin Moone took us back to the painful days of the school disco with a Dirty Dancing routine that managed to be funny and touching and sweetly embarrassing all at the same time. You don't get that on Strictly...

It's only two episodes in but Chris O'Dowd's memoirs-of-an-adolescence sitcom set in a rural Ireland backwater at the end of the 1980s is already shaping up as one of the comedies of the year.

It's a long time since I had a crush on a teacher but it's a blush you never quite lose and, as Moone got caught up in the wafting skirts of his dreamy new art teacher (not literally, that would be pervy), I was right back there in second-year geography, puzzling over the miracle of how terminal moraine could be so darn horny. No names, not even now, my cheeks are burning up.

Can romance do the impossible - literally, impossible - and drive a wedge between young Martin Moone and his imaginary best friend, Sean? They've both got a crush on hippychick art teacher (Amy Huberman) and their shared passion comes to a head at the school dance. But nobody's going to put Sean or Martin in the corner when there's a Dirty Dancing lift to be pulled off... David Rawle and Chris O'Dowd charm the socks off us in this peerless comedy.

Radio Times review

Here's something to consider: if we lost The IT Crowd star turned Bridesmaids big-hitter Chris O'Dowd to Hollywood completely, we wouldn't have this fizzy and fabulous Irish sitcom. And that would be disastrous, frankly.

Clearly a very personal project, it fancifully depicts the 12-year-old O'Dowd - in the shape of Martin Moone - growing up in 90s County Roscommon. The quirk is that O'Dowd plays Martin's grown-up imaginary friend, Seán Murphy, and that quirk is given a fresh twist tonight in the context of a school disco.

It's the first day of secondary school and while Martin is nonplussed by the girls' conversation topics, the dishy, bohemian art teacher Miss Tivnan turns his little head. Less hyperactive than previous episodes, it's nevertheless a scrumptious buffet of sight gags, knuckle-gnawing cringe and punch-the-air individuality.

Chris O'Dowd: I turned down big movies for Moone Boy

You get the sense success has caught laid-back Chris O'Dowd on the hop.

Moone Boy is hair-rufflingly, cheek-pinchingly cute, with its little-boy-and-imaginary-friend premise, but this series opener is a little short on laughs. It's now 1990 and the Republic of Ireland are playing in the World Cup for the first time. Little Martin Moone is disgusted at the thought of a family holiday at such a crucial moment, but his dad is determined that they should all head to Donegal. Cue a trip to a mystery house with imaginary friend Sean (Chris O'Dowd) and a suitably nostalgic fallout.

Sporting their matching knitted bobble hats, Martin Moone (David Rawle) and his imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (Chris O'Dowd), make a welcome return for a second series of O'Dowd's enchantingly bonkers semi-autobiographical tales of growing up in small-town Ireland. It's summer 1990 and Ireland is gripped by World Cup fever - all except Martin's dad (Peter McDonald), who packs his clan into a van to head across the county border for a holiday filled with football-free adventure. At least, that's his plan...

Radio Times review

One of the hinterland hits of 2012, this delectably crackers rites-of-passage sitcom set in 1989 Ireland darted about like a toddler on sweets. Contemporary hits, cartoons and cutaways are all employed to unique effect.

As series two opens, 12-year-old Martin (fantastic find David Rawle) is still talking to his grown-up imaginary friend (co-writer Chris O'Dowd). That may sound weird but not only is it an endearing conceit; it's also very funny.

Now it's summer 1990, the Moones plan to go on holiday - just as the Republic of Ireland begin their group games at the World Cup finals. Cue some sweet trope-trampling as Dad Liam tries to stir couch-potato wife Debra into action.

The holiday-mobile is soon on its way, with Martin's oddball pal Padraic and Fidelma's boyfriend Dessie along for the ride, although Trisha is plunged into mourning over the Talking Heads splitting up. Can a family activity cheer her up?

Moone Boy simply has to be seen by more people. It's a beaming-ear-to-ear delight. Where else would Johnny Vegas dress as Doc Brown from Back to the Future Part II? Well, I'll tell you. Nowhere.

Chris O'Dowd: From Bridesmaids to Broadway

With a new series of his sitcom Moone Boy starting Monday night, a rom-com in cinemas and a stint on the New York stage with James Franco coming up, Chris O'Dowd is in demand on both sides of the Atlantic.

Moone Boy preview

Whilst Chris O'Dowd may be the big star, David Rawle steals most scenes with his wit and charm.

A bit like seeing Stan without Ollie or Eric minus Ernie, Nick Frost has ditched Simon Pegg to go it alone in a generally enjoyable if forgettable British romantic comedy.

Fans of Strictly should find plenty to enjoy here, even if the story is far from memorable.

Bullied by local yobs into hanging up his dancing shoes as a child, the now adult Bruce (Frost) it tempted to return to the ballroom after learning his foxy new boss is a huge salsa fan.

You don't need a degree in rom-coms to know the whole thing is going to end in a dazzling dance contest but, for an hour and a half, Frost and co-stars Rashida Jones and Chris O'Dowd provide amiable enough company.