Rhys Darby

Paddy McGuinness's nifty Riverdance footwork makes a lively opener to this new panel show, based on international news clips and with comedians Rhys Darby and Rufus Hound as team captains. But just as Paddy is game enough to show off his skills at Irish dancing, he's game enough to work with some pretty shoddy material.

The clips are on the geriatric side (there's a Star Wars-themed wedding from 2009) and some of the gags they throw up from guests Janice Dickinson, Louis Walsh, Jason Byrne and Rob Rouse are more mean than clever. Thank the casting department, then, for the presence of Rufus Hound, who kindly goes along with some of the soggier gags before interjecting with a proper one of his own. Saturday nights are a tough nut to crack, but Mad Mad World needs some sharper implements.

An interview with Rhys Darby

We bring you an interview with New Zealand born comic: Rhys Darby. Best known for playing Murray Hewitt in Flight of the Conchords, Darby is also a quick-witted, brilliantly original stand-up, known for mixing acerbic storytelling with mime and sound effects.

This new sitcom pilot about a small-town health and safety team comes from the people behind The IT Crowd and Ash Atalla, who produced The Office. It has elements of both shows: it's loud, bright, brash and has an almost hysterical laughter track, plus there's a David Brent-like figure played by Flight Of The Conchords' Rhys Darby, looking like something out of the 1970s. Fun, in a bulldozing kind of way.

Silliness abounds in writer Matt Morgan and director Richard Boden's pilot set in the offices of an accident-prone health and safety team. Rhys Darby, familiar as the dense manager Murray in Flight of the Conchords, hams it up to the max as the still more OTT office manager, Leslie. Katy Wix and Jack Doolan are good in support. It's hard to see where it can go in sitcom terms as there's barely enough material to fill this 30 minutes, but fans of knockabout comedy may find more to please.

The Amazing Dermot Review

Rhys Darby's cheeky enthusiasm wasn't enough to keep a sputtering script on the right path...

The weakest of what's been a promising run from C4's Comedy Showcase season, this will mainly be of curiosity value to fans of Flight Of The Conchords.

Rhys Darby, who plays The Conchords' ineffectual manager Murray, stars as hypnotist and magician Dermot Flint (or "Flunt" as it's pronounced in his New Zealand accent). Written by writing brothers Jack and Harry Williams (Roman's Empire), this sees Flint checking into a rehab clinic to repair his reputation after a series of scandals.

Noel Edmonds and Ulrika Jonsson (neither of whom are actually in this) are also reported to be patients, with "Edmonds" and his stash of prescription painkillers becoming the butt of much of the humour.

A deaf nurse and a body double are unwisely shoe-horned into a busy half hour that can't overcome the unpleasantness of the central character.

Still it's nice to see Holby's Alex MacQueen, who plays the director of the Wellbright centre, allowed out to do comedy.

"Does she know she's deaf? Poor thing keeps trying to talk." Rhys Darby's non-Conchord work has often paled beside scene-stealing Murray Hewitt. His stand-up, full of characters and sound effects, is just too sweet and silly to compete. Here, though, his fallen illusionist/hypnotist Dermot Flint puts him on to a possible winner. In rehab (for a career move), arrogant, stupid and self-obsessed Dermot attempts to get his career back on track while managing to insult just about everyone.

Kiwi comic Rhys Darby (previously known as Murray, the gormless band manager in the sitcom Flight of the Conchords) stars as a TV illusionist attempting to revive his career in this comedy pilot. I'm Alan Partridge explored this scenario with more wit and guile, and The Amazing Dermot soon resorts to crassness in a desperate bid for laughs.

Flight Of The Conchords's star Rhys Darby anchors tonight's comedy test-out pilot. He's Dermot, a not so amazing magician trying to get his life on track by checking himself into a rehab clinic after screwing up a hypnotising trick. he has a rubbish catchphrase and is as uncool as he is un-PC - qualities that bring to mind Alan Partridge's spell holed up in a Linton Travel Tavern in I'm Alan Partridge. It worked for Steve Coogan: will it work for Darby?