Peter Serafinowicz

Peter Serafinowicz cast in 'The Muppets... Again'

Peter Serafinowicz and Dexter Fletcher will appear in The Muppets... Again.

The best sketch shows are still on kids' TV. CBBC, the channel that brought you Sorry I've Got No Head and Horrible Histories, hits the target again with this vaguely sports-themed series. 10,000m races that aren't over until the public votes on their winner, SWAT teams patrolling schools confiscating chips, and the new discipline of trifle shooting (in the Misspelt Games) are a few of the nice set-ups. Plus, Peter Serafinowicz's legendarily awful TV salesman Brian Butterfield is back! Rugby manager's shoes, anyone?

CBBC's been trying to produce a range of sketch shows that can be enjoyed by both adults and children, such as Horrible Histories and the now axed Sorry, I've Got No Head. While these shows have been big hits - and the former has become one of most awarded sketches of recent years - I've never been that keen on them myself. Having said that, for the purpose of this column, I thought I'd give this new sketch series a go...

Fit is - you guessed it - a sketch show based on health and fitness. It has a wide range of sketches, which include an epic coin toss in the latest test between England and Australia; the Misspelt Games, which holds "trifle shooting" instead of "rifle shooting"; drinking fountains working out of sync; and a reality TV show take on athletics.

Some sketches, especially some of the one-joke quickies, fail to hit the mark, and others seem to have little to do with the show's theme (what have two mimes putting up shelves got to do with fitness?) But there were plenty of others worth an airing, like a charity collecting farts to help Britain's wind farms, and a sports wearhouse run by Peter Serafinowicz's long-running character Brian Butterfield (which I loved and I must admit is the main attraction for me.)

Despite its scattergun approach, this show's definitely worth a second chance - though how many kids it will encourage to get fit I don't know. Maybe the problem's that they spend too much time watching sketch shows on CBBC...

A rather wonderful - and decidedly Pythonesque - new sketch show riffing on all things sporty, from a Swat Health team on a school dinners raid ("Put down the unhealthy option!") to a sight gag involving a drinking fountain that wouldn't disgrace the Marx Brothers. Starring a bunch of top character comics, including Peter Serafinowicz and Tony Way, and penned by some equally gifted comedy writers, Fit (along with Horrible Histories) confirms what parents have known for ages: that some of the best BBC comedy is being seen by children first.

Serafinowicz once paid to walk down the red carpet

Telly comic Peter Serafinowicz once paid to walk the red carpet at a Star Wars premiere - even though he was in it.

As ever in these media-saturated times, there is plenty for Charlie Brooker to sink his satirical teeth into over the last 12 months, though for once, not all of it has been bad. He'll be reflecting on the Olympics, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the jailing of members of Pussy Riot and, of course, the US presidential election in which the Republicans both scared us and added to the gaiety of nations. Limmy, Sharon Horgan and Peter Serafinowicz also contribute.

Peter Serafinowicz: His new book, Twitter & fun things

"It's just a silly, stupid, clever, clever, clever, stupid, ridiculous, pointless book that I hope makes people laugh a few times," says Peter Serafinowicz of his new book, A Billion Jokes (Volume One).

Peter Serafinowicz: Letter to my younger self

Peter Serafinowicz, 40, on growing up in Liverpool, his wife Sarah Alexander, and the 'nightmare' of his name...

Peter Serafinowicz interview

Digital Spy got on the phone with Peter Serafinowicz and asked him all about jokes, stand-up, working with Hot Chip, heckler murder and why he both loves and hates Stewart Lee.

Peter Serafinowicz interview

Peter Serafinowicz is one of the most followed Brits in the Twittersphere and boasts a varied and impressive CV. So it's a little puzzling to find him so often dubbed a 'cult' figure.