Peter Serafinowicz

The first in a new series of Playhouse Presents, Hey Diddly Dee was an extremely enjoyable, deliciously dark comedy about a dismal West End production's final day of rehearsals.

Tensions are already running high when obnoxious star Roger Kite (Peter Serafinowicz) denigrates the production in front of the cast, humiliates his understudy (Mathew Horne) and unceremoniously dumps his co-star mistress (Kylie Minogue). But most recklessly of all, Kite threatens the theatre's lucky cat - never a good idea, given the theatre world's preoccupation with superstition and the supernatural.

Writer and director Marc Warren throws in every conceivable showbusiness cliche and mixes them up to fun effect. The story itself gets a little lost, and the ending is confusing to say the least, but the performances from the starry cast are terrific. I particularly enjoyed David Harewood, fresh from being blown up in the series finale of Homeland, as the hapless director trying and failing to keep his volatile star sweet.

Peter Serafinowicz, Mathew Horne and Kylie Minogue star in this comedy-drama about the cast of a new Andy Warhol musical putting up with Serafinowicz's monstrous star turn, until the theatre's mysterious cat gets involved. Actor Marc Warren writes and directs a delightful tale of the unexpected, and Serafinowicz has the time of his life swanning about in Warhol's wig. Another treat tucked away on Sky Arts. Keep an eye on them: turn your back for a second and you could miss a gem.

They gave us Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe sharing a bath in A Young Doctor's Notebook and now we've got Kylie Minogue gyrating to The Velvet Underground - Sky Arts' Playhouse Presents... certainly has pulling power.

In Hey Diddly Dee, a star-studded cast - Mathew Horne, Peter Serafinowicz, Homeland's David Harewood sporting a Brummie accent - find themselves caught up in a theatrical black comedy which trips them back to Andy Warhol's Factory glory days, with a potentially fatal clash of ego and ambition.

Oh, and a scene-stealing black cat.

Kylie Minogue, Mat Horne and Peter Serafinowicz? Maybe we shouldn't be surprised. With casting coups including Emma Thompson, Harry Shearer and Daniel Radcliffe, the first run of 'Playhouse Presents' established itself as an amiably eccentric short-drama strand to watch.

This series opener, written and directed by Marc Warren, is a messy curio, but not without merit. Serafinowicz is the stage star with an ego inversely proportionate to his talent; Kylie his vampish co-star with a secret; and Horne the gofer with acting ambitions of his own. All three are brought together under flailing director David Harewood (excellent) for a doomed fringe production based on Andy Warhol's life.

It's an odd blend of slapstick, satire and Twilight Zone-ish mystery, and showcases Warren's direction more flatteringly than the uncertain writing. The pacing and tone are haphazard, but occasional sequences impress (in particular the Warhol 'Venus in Furs' montage which plumbs remarkable depths of intentional awfulness) and the performances just about hold it together.

If we're being honest, the Sky Arts channels aren't usually our first port of call when we're lazing on the sofa with grease from a doner kebab dripping into our trouser-less laps. However, this week marks the return of the rather brilliant Playhouse Presents, a series of expertly-done standalone dramas and comedies. And in a DS-friendly development, the first one features an appearance from Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue.

She stars alongside Homeland's David Harewood, Peter Serafinowicz and Mat Horne in Hey Diddly Dee, a short written and directed by Mad Dogs actor Marc Warren, telling the tale of a West End Andy Warhol biopic that takes a tragic and mysterious turn.

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.