David Mitchell (I)

"I'm a sex champion, and I'd like a trophy," declares Robert Webb, setting the gloriously quirky tone for a sketch show which, at the start of its fourth series, seems to have lost none of its originality. David Mitchell is perfect as the conscientious small shopkeeper who gamely cobbles something together using a snooker player and a badminton figurine. The skits range in subject from the timeless to the contemporary, puncturing pomposity whether the subject is Caesar referring to himself in the third person (and getting very confused in the process) or Apple's cooler-than-thou advertising campaigns. Even the fact that the duo once promoted the Mac themselves hasn't detered them.

As ever with this duo, most famous for their roles in the deliciously dark Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show, their verbal flair is evident. A generic 1970s-style company is called "Amalgamated Perforations", neatly skewering the meaninglessness of corporate language, while the head of a leading cosmetics laboratory berates his team of scientists for "wasting their time" on making genuine scientific breakthroughs. "Does perpetual motion do anything for the Sleek and Shiny range?" he demands huffily.

There's also a sketch about a couple who are forever having vicious arguments in front of their baby. The couple are played by Webb and his real-life wife, Abigail Burdess; although we presume the sketch has no autobiographical basis...

Was it madness or arrogance that persuaded the volunteers on Pete And Dud: The Lost Sketches that they could sketch in the shadow of genius? The idea of the likes of Angus Deayton and Adrian Edmondson attempting to emulate the comedy chemistry of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore seemed like the product of a lock-in after the Baftas. In other words, it should never have survived the cold light of day.

Yet, though it was light on belly laughs and clearly in thrall to its source material, Pete And Dud: The Lost Sketches was oddly entertaining. Introduced by lifelong Pete and Dud fan Jonathan Ross (and for once he seemed genuine), the set of sketches performed - 'lost' in the sense that the BBC unbelievably wiped the original TV tapes, so they only survive in audio or script form - at least served as a priceless reminder of one of the truly great comedy pairings.

It was like watching a rock tribute band who know all the words and get the notes in the right place. You could sing along but inevitably there was a spark missing. It was the brief clips of the real Pete And Dud that were worth sticking around for, the mix of surreal allusion, schoolboy smut and lady frocks making it clear how much the duo influenced everyone from The Fast Show to Little Britain.

There was a missed opportunity in the mix: Stephen Fry and David Mitchell, only featured as talking heads, would have made a perfect Pete and Dud.

Instead the originals were lovingly, though palely, imitated, new boy Jonny Sweet coming closest to catching the anarchic 1960s spirit that Pete and Dud encapsulated.

Now what we need is a series that rounds up every clip that still exists.

It's one of the tragedies of 1960s TV that so many episodes coveted by posterity were wiped at the time, either because it was assumed they'd be of no further interest or simply to reuse the tapes. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's Not Only... But Also fell foul of this folly. However, sketches have survived in script form and here Jonathan Ross assembles a contemporary cast including Angus Deayton, Ade Edmondson and Simon Day to recreate them, while Stephen Fry and David Mitchell among others consider Pete and Dud's legacy.

David Mitchell & Robert Webb interview

Funnymen David Mitchell and Robert Webb are back with a new series and they are still making each other laugh...

Five Minutes With: David Mitchell and Robert Webb

Comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb talk to Matthew Stadlen about how they started working together, the highs and lows of being comedians and the joys of having a rant.

James Corden's World Cup Live: The Aftermath

These half hour 'celebrations of football' will not be presented by Charlie Brooker and David Mitchell but the distinctively less amusing James Corden and Abbey Clancy.

Tuesday, Radio 4: Guardian columnist Charlie Brooker hosts comedy panel show So Wrong It's Right, with guests Victoria Coren, David Mitchell and Rufus Hound, signing off with his catchphrase, "go away!". Thursday, Channel 4: Brooker hosts comedy panel show You Have Been Watching, with guests Victoria Coren, David Mitchell and Andy Nyman, signing off with his catchphrase, etc. Shamefully, no explanation was given - although panel show fans are known to find change disturbing - for Hound's absence.

Log On Watch This: David Mitchell's Soapbox

Our weekly column takes you straight to the web's top videos. Today: Rachel Ward on the new series of David Mitchell's Soapbox, in which the comedian lets fly at subjects which get his goat .

Charlie Brooker sets out to expose, wallow in, and reward failure. Panellists David Mitchell, Victoria Coren and Rufus Hound are invited to share their wretched holiday experiences and write the opening line for a sci-fi novel, among other things. Let us hope that no one from BBC3 was listening to their pitches for the worst reality show they can imagine: Mitchell's spin on Brewster's Millions, in which contestants must deliberately lose all their friends, sounds like it's got legs.

Video: David Mitchell's Soap Box: Heroes of yore

Welcome to series two of the award-winning web series, David Mitchell's Soap Box. In this episode, David ponders the mythical heroes of yore.