Harry Enfield

Somebody who appears to have no desire to be a fully-rounded grown-up just yet is Jack Whitehall, whose sitcom Bad Education returned for a third series. In the series opener, Whitehall and co-writer Freddie Syborn tried to convince us that much had changed over the holidays. Tarty Chanelle was becoming engrossed in her studies, brainy Ying had become an existentialist and wheelchair-bound Rem Dog had turned Emo. However, I wasn't convinced that anything had changed at all as Bad Education still contained the same juvenile jokes and the recurring gag that Alfie Wickers (Whitehall) was the world's worst teacher. Although things appeared to be turning around for Alfie due to his blossoming relationship with Miss Gulliver (Sarah Solemani) the arrival of his father Martin (Harry Enfield) at the school look to threaten his domestic bliss. Martin threatened to sack one of the teachers due to Abbey Grove's limited budget and the prime target looked to be his idiot son. However, just before Martin could fire anyone, the teachers went on strike with the resulting consequences making Alfie question his teaching abilities. Just when I thought that Alfie's new attitude would make Bad Education interesting again things reverted back to type as the kids once again began to slack off in lessons. Once again I found that the most enjoyable moments of Bad Education featured Matthew Horne as woeful headteacher Fraser who was more interested in selling his new invention, the Segdesk, than he was at running the school. Horne appears to be having so much fun in the role that it's hard not to enjoy his scenes however I personally wish he'd appear more. Meanwhile the young actors who portray Alfie's class are full of energy and eager to make the show as funny as possible. Unfortunately I feel that Whitehall is phoning his performance in this series whilst Solemani is under-utilised as the principled Miss Gulliver. Whitehall recently claimed that this would be the final series of Bad Education, which I feel is the right move as it now seems to be rehashing old ground. I'm just hoping that the sitcom reverts to the quality set by its first series as I'd love it to end on a high rather than peter out with a disappointing final run.

Bad Education is welcome, light-hearted, puerile, peculiarly British relief. Abbey Grove has a new deputy who, worse luck for Jack Whitehall's character Alfie, turns out to be his dad (Harry Enfield). Or, put another way - headteacher Fraser's way - there's a new banterlope at the watering hole. Fraser (Mathew Horne), incidentally, has started a new clothing range, Dolce and GoBanter.

Someone needs to go, to save money. There are interviews. Not Fraser, says Fraser. He is a "succeedophile ... a massive unrepentant succeedophile and you better put me on the goddam register sister, cos I will reoffend ... at succeeding."

Not Alfie either, says Alfie, who insists he's not feckless: "I've got loads of feck, I'm a fecking motherfecker so why don't you three just back the feck off ..." I know, very much the same kind of idea as the succeedaphile one. And very silly. But still funny.

The third series of Jack Whitehall's sharp secondary school comedy kicks off with some big surprises for his incompetent educator Alfie Wickers. Abbey Grove's new deputy head is none other than his dad Martin (Harry Enfield), and money worries at the school mean that Alfie's job is on the line. As usual, the pupils are on fine form: as the teachers begin a strike, Stephen's (Layton Williams) ignorance sparks a hatchet job from a local journalist, while Joe (Ethan Lawrence) struggles to adapt to his newfound veganism.

Radio Times review

Back for a new term at school, the third series of the super-childish Bad Education has some new faces in the classroom... and one of them is Harry Enfield.

The comedy legend has made occasional appearances as the dad of Jack Whitehall's idiotic and needy teacher Alfie Wickers but is now the headmaster. And as well as making puerile jokes about his son's sexuality, budget cuts mean that he has to sack a member of staff, with Alfie the most obvious candidate.

This is a comedy that requires a bit of patience. It is idiotic, perhaps even offensive at times, and Whitehall's character does not seem enormously different from the posh buffoon he plays in Channel 4's Fresh Meat. But there's something engaging about this ensemble, it's skilfully directed and sometimes the gags do hit home. Will we ever look at Whitehall again without thinking of him as "a Topshop Peter Sutcliffe"? I think not, Sir.

Harry Enfield on starring in Bad Education

As the veteran comic returns to the BBC Three series he explains that taking on the role of the Dad to Jack Whitehall's Alfie Wickers is the worst thing he could do to his own children... and that was rather the point.

Fringe Q&As: Hennessy & Friends

Hennessy & Friends discuss Harry Enfield and haggis, neeps and tatties with HeraldScotland.

Harry Enfield on Rik Mayall

Harry Enfield pays tribute to his "perfect, unrepeatable" hero.

Harry and Paul's Story of the 2s was an irreverent look back at the history of BBC Two as a whole. The programme was set out as a mockumentary with Harry Enfield taking the role of Simon Schama as he took us back to 1964 where Auntie Beeb gave birth to her second child. Enfield and Paul Whitehouse appear to have been given free rein to mock every programme that the channel have ever produced.

I was personally surprised that programmes such as Fawlty Towers, which are often held in high regard, were picked apart in a matter of minutes by the mischievous duo. Highlights for me included Paul's perfect impressions of both Mary Berry and Jools Holland with the latter presenting an ill-fated breakfast show 'Earlier with Jools'. I also thought the extended pastiche of the channel's recent reliance on panel shows were expertly done with Paul Merton's input on Have I Got News for You being perfectly lampooned.

At the same time I found a lot of the programme to make fairly obvious jokes including the fact that the majority of the BBC Two executives went to Oxbridge universities. In addition I felt the programme took its time getting started and that the early focus on long-running war documentaries weren't really that funny. At just under an hour in length, it felt at times as if Harry and Paul were struggling to find programmes to mock and even included a sketch from an unaired episode of Blackadder, a programme that never featured on BBC Two. But ultimately I do feel the programme was a success which featured more comedy hits than misses and just enough laughs to justify the length of the programme. Enfield and Whitehouse proved why they're still the go-to comics of choice for the BBC and the Story of the 2s was a perfect inclusion in the Bank Holiday comedy marathon. I did also find it admirable that Enfield took time to even mock himself as one sketch focused on his jealousy over the fact that Whitehouse's Fast Show had one multiple BAFTAs while his own show had never been recognised.

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse skewered the entire output of BBC2 over the past 50 years in Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos, and not even that kindly. Enfield, as Alan Bennett, as a Talking Heads Stalin, torn between curtain-fussery and genocide, was the most surreal vision this perfect pair have ever concocted, but worked: as did their evisceration of such sacred cows as Monty Python, I Claudius and Have I Got News For You. It was wonderfully written, and brave, and I'd like to think that all the famous targets decked themselves with laughter. Mr Cleese may have even ventured a smile.

Radio Times review

As part of the 50th birthday celebrations, Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse have a laugh at the expense of pretty much everything that has ever been on BBC Two. From a Likely Lads parody to a re-imagining of The Killing (featuring Pingu), it's a catalogue of derision that barely stops for breath.

Sacred cows get the bolt gun along with everything else: Enfield does a wheezing John Cleese impression that is spot-on and makes a lovely Alan-Bennett-as-Stalin in Talking Heads of State. The show is full of these kind of involved spoofs, not all of which come off, but enough do.

My favourite was Whitehouse doing Later... with Jools Holland re-imagined as a breakfast show ("And what a treat - Jeff Beck! Jeff, perhaps, if I could prod you awake...?"), but there will be something here for everyone.