Robert Lindsay

Radio Times review

Actors Robert Lindsay and Rufus Hound appear as a duo tonight to discuss their upcoming performance in the West End version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - no doubt Ross will be quizzing them on how scheming they can be in real life. Stand-up comedian Seann Walsh, who is about to embark on his Lie-in-King tour, has kindly got out of bed to share some banter on the sofa as well.

It'll be interesting to see if Ross can rap along in time to Tinie Tempah, who will be performing live. Let's hope Tinie doesn't completely overshadow fresh-off-the-production-line X Factor winner Sam Bailey, who will also be taking the stage.

The first series of Alistair Beaton's Electric Ink, originally broadcast in 2009, gets a welcome airing on Radio 4 Extra, with Robert Lindsay as the curmudgeonly Maddox Bradley, an ageing broadsheet journalist with an aversion to the technological revolution bearing down on him like an unstoppable avalanche.

His editor (Alex Jennings) insists he should contribute a blog to the paper's website, and launch his own podcast. "You must embrace the digital age," Jennings orders him. Maddox replies, "Couldn't I just wave to it from the other side of the room?"

A Bafta winner and nominated for (but didn't win) an International Emmy last month, this espionage comedy caper certainly has its admirers even if some may find it overly silly. That said, the cast cannot be faulted, chief among them are the excellent Darren Boyd as the hapless, accidental spy Tim, and Robert Lindsay as his maniac boss, "The Examiner". In tonight's episode Tim gets just the required push needed to try to rekindle his romance with fellow spook Caitlin (Rebekah Staton) after he discovers he's on an assassin's hit list. Meanwhile, the precocious Marcus (the often scene-stealing Jude Wright), finds the perfect moment to humiliate a rival at school as he again seeks the affections of Justine (Ellie Hopkins).

Nope, they still haven't done a weak episode. This week, insane MI5 chief the Examiner (Robert Lindsay) has made an unbroadcastable recruitment video, so Tim and Caitlin step in. But they can't act until they assume ludicrous, sexed-up B-movie personas.

The role-playing reignites the spark between them and takes Tim out of his normal, footling self. He sticks with the stubble, blond wig and leather jacket even after filming. He's a new man, and Darren Boyd is a new variety of hilarious.

Meanwhile, Marcus is on a father-and-son TV quiz. Naturally, he's got a ringer in to replace his embarrassing dad, but the laws of sitcom say the two storylines must meet.

Spy has invested in a top-notch ensemble, but the star is still Bafta-winner Darren Boyd as rubbish spy Tim. All Boyd's strengths are in evidence this week: rising irritation as Tim tries to give a talk at his son Marcus's school; pratfalling as he tries to conceal that he's taken Marcus with him to the office, which isn't really feasible at MI5; and a glimmer of lovable warmth and vulnerability as the fiasco brings father and child closer.

Meanwhile, suddenly putting a character on drugs might normally be an unacceptable short cut, but when it's Robert Lindsay, trouserless and rattling with amphetamines, it's more than forgivable. He keeps thinking he's seen a demonic boy in the corridor, which of course he has.

After years of toiling in the background, Darren Boyd's Bafta for comedy performance in Spy was a welcome surprise. Series two brings more of the same, showcasing his aptitude for physical and verbal comedy, even if the excellent Robert Lindsay is still used only sparingly. Accidental MI5 agent Tim (Boyd) is back from holiday and given his first interrogation, while inadvertently reuniting unrequited love Caitlin (Rebekah Staton) with her ex. The star of the show is probably Jude Wright as Tim's poisonous son, Marcus, this week given a slippery (and therefore entirely worthy) adversary in the election for president of the school council. That said boy's name is Nick is milked to full effect in this age of non-existent Cleggism. The novelty value may have worn off, but Spy is still superior family-friendly fare.

Series two of the unerringly funny comedy about an idiot mistakenly hired by MI5. Darren Boyd won a Bafta for the lead role of bumbling Tim in the first series - but during the course of the run, an embarrassment of other good characters emerged.

So while Tim's ongoing efforts to snare his gorgeous colleague Caitlin (Rebekah Staton) and avoid being corrupted by his insane boss (Robert Lindsay) are still funny, they are subplots here.

Instead we focus on Tim's young son Marcus, played by the superb Jude Wright. Usually the most terrifyingly assured male on TV, Marcus now finds his opponent in the election for school president is a sharper, slicker version of himself. An über-Marcus.

Darren Boyd picked up a Bafta for his performance as hapless computer salesman Tim, who has accidentally been recruited as an MI5 operative, in this slight comedy. It's now back for a second series, and tonight Tim's precocious son, Marcus (Jude Wright), finds he has a rival in his bid to be school president. Boyd is good, as is Robert Lindsay as his odd boss, The Examiner, but it's often Wright who steals the show.

The second series of this sitcom has intimations of a soap; despite being set in the world of espionage, this takes a back seat to day-to-day romantic and family intrigues. A strong cast is headed by Darren Boyd as Tim, whose precocious son Marcus tonight makes his aggressive bid to become school president. Mark Heap is the hapless headmaster, Miles Jupp plays the appalling Owen and Robert Lindsay also features, looking like Jon Culshaw impersonating Alan Sugar. A running joke involving a hooded interrogee is the highlight of this week's silliness.

The season closes on one of the better of Sky's new comedies, the Spook spoof Spy, which features former Green Wing actor Darren Boyd as hapless loser Tim, who has somehow managed to land a job at MI5. Tonight's closer finds Tim receiving two intriguing offers from his boss, The Examiner (Robert Lindsay), while also facing a custody hearing over his son.