Denis Lawson

The enduring call of Local Hero 40 years on

It is the story of a US petro-chemical giant seeking to build a refinery in a coastal village whose staff are won over by the gentler rhythms of local life.

Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson, Stephen Tompkinson in Art

Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson and Stephen Tompkinson will star as Serge, Marc and Ivan in the new touring production of Art, which kicks off at Cambridge Arts Theatre in February.

There's some quality comedy on offer tonight, with the second instalment of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's address-based series paying inspired homage to silent movies in a dream home robbery caper co-starring Denis Lawson and Oona Chaplin.

Radio Times review

Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton are superb comic actors and ace gag-writers, but what makes them precious is their willingness to attempt difficult concepts, because they know that if it works they'll have something really special.

Last week we spent half the episode inside a wardrobe; this one-off story roams around the house of the week, a glass-walled millionaire mansion. Denis Lawson is at home, arguing with his wife (Oona Chaplin) and oblivious to the presence of two inept cat-burglars (Shearsmith and Pemberton). As they try to steal from him, there are near misses, pratfalls, murder and farce, all beautifully choreographed. But no dialogue.

Having got off to a brilliant start last week, the latest episode in Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's series of self-contained black comedies is so good that it may well leave you speechless. It is the funniest, cleverest, most imaginative and original television I've seen for as long as I can remember - one of those fabulous programmes where time stands still and the world around you disappears. It stars Denis Lawson and Oona Chaplin alongside Shearsmith and Pemberton, and it takes place inside one of those ultra-modern designer homes made of steel and glass that are filled with conceptual art. And that, I'm afraid, is as much as I can say without spoiling the fun.

By "them" they mean those people, and by "that thing" they mean several different things, or programmes, that have been funny on Channel 4. They (the people) include Kayvan Novak (Fonejacker), Sally Phillips (Smack the Pony) and Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners). But they were upstaged in Them from That Thing, a two-part sketch show with a hit-rate of, I'd say, about 40 per cent, by "proper" actors such as Simon Callow, Bill Patterson and Denis Lawson. The highlight: a libidinous Callow in a satin dressing gown receiving his order of one banana from a supermarket as a ruse to flirt with the delivery boy, saying: "I've been running short of these yellow bitches."

The "Them" of the title refers to comedy stalwarts like Sally Phillips and Blake Harrison. But what's startling about this patchy sketch show is that it also features comic cameos from serious actors such as Denis Lawson, Jane Asher, Bill Paterson and even Simon Callow. The sketches, ranging from unhinged to downright surreal, come thick and fast, so when they don't work so well (the talking blancmange man), there's a better one round the corner, like the stretched-head boy whom doctors diagnose as being born at the wrong aspect ratio). Continues tomorrow.

Kayvan Novak, Sally Phillips, Morgana Robinson and Blake Harrison take turns to spoof a series of generic dramatic set-ups (the crime scene, the politician's mea culpa, the workplace) in this promising new sketch show scripted by a team including Charlie Brooker and Ben Caudell. A quality supporting cast of 'serious' actors, including Simon Callow, Ewen Bremner and Bill Paterson, provide the essential foundation of gravitas - it's worth a look just to see a poker-faced Denis Lawson ask, 'What kind of trousers does a cunt wear?' - while someone has also taken the smart decision not to risk trying the audience's patience with catchphrases or recurring characters. The result is fresh, funny and, impressively, even springs the occasional surprise. Better still, there's more tomorrow.

Funny Fortnight charges on with a sketch show with production values higher, unfortunately, than its writing quality. Still, the sheer range of actors who appear in it is appealing: Sally Phillips, Denis Lawson, Inbetweener Blake Harrison - even Simon Callow.

Channel 4's Funny Fortnight continues with this ultra-starry two-part sketch show. A crack-team of comedians including Smack the Pony's Sally Phillips, Facejacker's Kayvan Novak and impressionist Morgana Robinson all appear, aided by cameos from Jane Asher, Simon Callow and Denis Lawson. It's a pleasure to see them at work together, even if the material doesn't always tally with their talent. Highlights include Novak as a manic Scots auctioneer and Robinson and Asher as frustrated policewomen desperate for a meaty murder to solve. Part two follows tomorrow night.