Kevin Eldon

If you can't picture Kevin Eldon, you'll know his face the moment you see him. He's the Zelig of British comedy, on the fringes (and often in the best bits) of great shows, from Brass Eye and Big Train to Harry & Paul and Hunderby. Now, giving the lie to the idea that comedy is a young man's game, he gets his own show at 52, and it's exactly the mad, absurdist grab-bag his fans would hope for.

If you've never seen Eldon's version of Beatles producer George Martin you're in for a treat, as he imagines how Hitler would have come across with the voice of the plummy, anecdotal Brit: "Me and the boys marched into Austria, bold as brass, and I immediately knew we were onto something big..."

Hidden away late in the Sunday-night schedules, this cheerfully silly sketch show from comedy veteran Kevin Eldon is filled with sight gags, odd noises and mad musings of every hue (from the difficulty of finding lost property offices to fly psychology and what butlers get up to on their days off). A delight from start to finish.

Stewart Lee: Who is Kevin Eldon?

Kevin Eldon is described as British comedy's most prolific supporting star - and for the first time, he's got his own show, It's Kevin, starting on BBC Two. Kevin's friend and long time collaborator Stewart Lee introduces who exactly this Kevin Eldon bloke is.

Kevin Eldon: Too many chefs

Kevin Eldon - veteran of Brass Eye, I'm Alan Partridge and Spaced urges you to ignore Masterchef and watch his new sketch show.

Kevin Eldon: the bridesmaid becomes a bride

He has worked on virtually every landmark British TV comedy series - and now, at 53, Kevin Eldon is finally getting his own. Bruce Dessau meets the star of It's Kevin

Kevin Eldon interview

Kevin Eldon has a peerless television résumé. Now he brings his sketch show, It's Kevin, to BBC Two.

We need to talk about Kevin Eldon

He's the comedian you've seen on telly but who's name you might not know. That's about to change. Hugh Montgomery meets the next big thing.

It's Kevin: Kevin Eldon is out on his own

Even if you don't know Kevin Eldon's name, chances are you've seen him many times over two decades in the best of Britain's TV comedy, and now he's getting his own show.

I'm a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy comedy, but ElvenQuest has always come across as "good, not great". However, this new, fourth series started with an episode which could change my opinion...

For those unfamiliar with the series, it's a set in a Tolkien-esque fantasy world called Lower Earth, where a group of "Questers" are trying to find the all-powerful Sword of Asnagar. Two of the Questers are Sam Porter (Stephen Mangan), a fantasy writer from our world, and his dog Amis, who's transformed into a human (Dave Lamb). Both were sent to Lower Earth by the other Questers.

Elf leader Vidar (Darren Boyd), Dean the dwarf (Kevin Eldon), and warrior princess Penthiselea (Ingrid Oliver, though formally Sophie Winkleman) complete the cast.

In this opening episode, the Questers defeats some trolls in the kingdom of Premenstrua - ruled by unpredictable Queen Eleanor (Louise Delamere), who is celebrating her birthday and wants a present. The 'present' is the entire story of the Questers, which they must write up over the course of a single night on pain of death...

Probably the main reason this episode stood out was because of Sam, and how useless he is in comparison to the others. But by the same token, the characters are the main issue with the series.

Some of them are great - especially Lord Darkness (Alistair McGowan), whose cunning plans often get too cunning... and he's brought down by something simple like forgetting his keys. However, other characters aren't so well fleshed out. Penthiselea just seems like a typical fantasy, sci-fi heroine - somewhat violent and slightly sexual, but often just filling a gap because the writer thought they needed at least one woman in the story and they couldn't think of anything more imaginative.

If the writers manage to flesh out their creations more than this series could well be perfect. That's the only thing holding ElvenQuest back.

Tonight, on top of the increasingly good main cast, we get a gift-box of guest stars: Keith Allen, Kevin Eldon and Phil Cornwell all drop by - enough comic talent to power a series on their own. Allen plays a mad comedy farmer (with shotgun and ukulele) in whose field our bunch of friends go to camp. And as his saucy daughter, it's a barely recognisable Sophia Di Martino (Polly from Casualty). She coaxes Beggsy into an assignation in the hay-barn that could be a mistake.

Meanwhile, Glyn is on a promise with Julie, which in this sort of show means everything that can go wrong, will. It's lovably silly, knockabout farce and it puts a smile on your face.