Matt Lucas

Matt Lucas and David Walliams's airport-based comedy series introduced a great new line-up of grotesques but, just three episodes in, some are already beginning to feel a teeny bit repetitive. Thank heavens, then, for the arrival of customs officers Robert and Stewart, delightfully perplexed when they stumble upon a massive consignment of smuggled narcotics, and Penny, the airline company's most snobbish employee, who struggles to cope whenever the lower orders dare to travel first class. Also this week, Flylo ground crew Taaj Manzoor bumps into Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint.

I hated Little Britain... but rather like Come Fly With Me. Which is not racist and - according to everyone except me - not funny.

So harmless comedy character duo Matt Lucas and David ­Walliams stand accused of BNP-style white ­sup­remacism? Unbelievable. If that's what you think... PC off! Should we ban the boys from dressing up as anyone who isn't Anglo Saxon? No.

And now on to the more legitimate criticism that BBC1's airport spoof is about as side-splitting as Heathrow in a snow storm. Fair enough. But if it doesn't make you laugh, forget the ­furious complaints. Try the off switch.

Anyway, after last night's second instalment, I remain the founder - and possibly only - member of the CFWM fan club. Sure, it's tasteless. What did you expect... stylish satire?

At least it wasn't awash with bodily functions. Unlike revolting Little Britain. And by the way, with a staggering ­audience of nearly 11 million, Come Fly With Me was the highest-rated ­comedy of 2010. A smash hit.

The writing may not reach the heights of Little Britain at its best (what does?) but Come Fly With Me has enjoyable moments. Matt Lucas's way with a reaction shot is always a joy. There's a good sketch involving a couple complaining about their experience on FlyLo's new cruise service, where David Walliams plays an overbearing wife, but Lucas's worn-down husband is the real star. Similarly when we re-enter the tense world of Simon and Jackie Trent (Britain's first husband-and-wife pilot team), it's Lucas who shines as penitent Simon. Plus cheapskate airline owner Omar shows off his idea of a flat bed seat and hopeless immigration officer Ian Foot gets a geography lesson.

Come Fly With Me is tasteless comedy

The latest comedy series on BBC1 by David Walliams and Matt Lucas is not racist, but it is full of crude racial stereotypes.

Viewers protest at Lucas and Walliams's 'minstrel show'

Thousands of viewers have complained that the Christmas Day show by comedy duo Matt Lucas and David Walliams on BBC1 was racist.

Come Fly with Me, a spoof documentary series from Matt Lucas and David Walliams, was a little unlucky in its timing, following a week or so in which the only airport stories that mattered were about cancellations and flight delays. Quite a few of its potential viewers must have felt sick at the thought of even looking at a terminal building. It needed some luck too, because although it had some good characters there's a coarseness to much of the comedy that matches the unconvincing prosthetic work. Perhaps it's all meant to be cartoonish and obvious, and I'm guessing that Little Britain fans will have a good time. But with all the blacking-up and dragging-up and camping-it-up it sometimes felt as if it had been resuscitated from the Seventies without any modernisation work. Dick Emery would have loved it.

Little Britain special to be made for Royal Wedding?

Little Britain stars Matt Lucasand David Walliams are to bring back their hit comedy sketch show for a one-off, themed around the April nuptials.

It was funny that Matt Lucas and David Walliams's much-heralded airport-based mockumentary, Come Fly With Me, crowned a week when Heathrow was full of people not flying with anyone. But was anything else funny? The two of them are terrific mimics, and their array of characters is vast and all are well played. And it had its broad moments of hilarity - I liked the Japanese schoolgirls waiting for Martin Clunes and the security officer cupping the genitals of male passengers. But too much of the material was thin, too many of the sketches overworked and the punchlines too obvious. At this time of year one hopes for ho, ho, ho, but I came away thinking no, no, no.

I met Ronnie Corbett once. It was during my time as a gossip columnist on this paper. I spotted him at a party and, somewhat starstruck, decided to approach and introduce myself. He was all right, I suppose, though not terribly polite. He didn't, he sniffed, read The Independent. More of a Telegraph man (must be the jokes). Anyway, he's 80 now, and BBC2 has devoted a few hours of scheduling to the occasion. First up was a rerun of The Two Ronnies Christmas Special from 1984, and then Being Ronnie Corbett, a fawning programme of dedications. We got Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Catherine Tate and Michael Palin, Miranda Hart, Rob Brydon, Stephen Merchant, and Bill Bailey. Even Bruce Forsyth put in an appearance. They all heaped praise on him, and deservedly so. After all, it wasn't them he was rude to at a party, was it? And he's jolly funny, or used to be, back in the day. Repeated clips of The Frost Report and The Two Ronnies were testimony to that. His more recent stuff, less so. That Extras sketch is great, of course - "a bit of whiz, you know? To blow away the cobwebs" - but, really, Ronnie, Little Britain? "I was just grateful to be included," was his explanation. And, to be honest, I believe him. This is a man whose raison d'être has been making people laugh; of course, he wants to keep up with the times. Why else would he agree to cuddle a half-naked Lucas in the least funny show on television?