Robert Popper

Video: Bird, Popper and Rosenthal talk Chickens

Simon Bird, Robert Popper and Tom Rosenthal, makers of Channel 4's Friday Night Dinner talk to The Guardian's John Plunkett about the new series, whether this is a golden age for comedy and their new show for Sky, Chickens.

Last week's guide to Norfolk pressed the pedal marked "Partridge" to the floor and drove a comedy Range Rover Sport V8 directly into our faces; this is more of a slow-burning curio. Alan appears on a watery discussion show, Open Books with Martin Bryce, presented by Chris Beale (Robert Popper).

He arrives, sporting a neckerchief that unmistakeably denotes a writer, to chat about his autobiography and read extracts from it. Chris is diffident, the programme's editing is uncertain and the studio audience are catatonic. At first it's gentle anarchy, but Alan's interplay with Chris and the audience builds beautifully.

After the glory years, it's comforting to see Alan returned to his natural enivrons of regional programming. Appearing on a literary discussion show to promote his autobiography, I, Partridge, Alan has to contend with both technical mishaps and awkward chat with the audience and the show's host, Chris Beale (sic) - the latter a made-to-measure foil played by Robert Popper. It's a notch down from last week's Norfolk heritage doc, with large portions of the show given over to Alan reading aloud from the book. But these recycled jokes more than bear repeating and his ill-considered philosophies on literature, which range from sexuality v sensuality to a deep love of wordplay, are priceless, and superbly delivered as ever.

After last's week's welcome Partridge Pilgrimage, Steve Coogan gives us another one-off special, this time parodying the kind of quietly deferential book shows that pepper late-night arts schedules. Open Books is 'Norfolk's foremost forum for lovers of literature' and Alan, sporting a necktie, tweed and floppy hair, has his memoir to promote. No prizes for guessing he needs little help from his interviewer (played by Look Around You's Robert Popper) to dig himself into ever-sizeable holes as he tries to act the literary colossus.

The second of Sky's Partridge specials sees Alan appearing on fictional literature show Open Books With Martin Bryce, hosted, confusingly, by someone called Chris Boyle (Friday Night Dinner scribe Robert Popper). Partridge discusses his inspirations and reads extracts from recent autobiography I, Partridge, covering much the same ground as the recent audiobook version of the tome. Luckily, there's some sharp interplay between Partridge and Boyle to propel things along; at one point the host suggests that Alan and literature don't sit well together in the mind's eye. "No, but they do sit well together in the brain's ear," replies Partridge.

New sketch comedies have been so mediocre recently that the format itself has sometimes looked on its last legs. However, portents for this new show are good. For a start, Robert Popper is producing. Also, it's been dropped straight into the BBC2 schedules without the customary trial period on BBC3/4, which indicates a certain assurance. Sadly, this confidence seems misplaced. Lorna Watson and Ingrid Oliver have good chemistry, but the scripts and ideas remain resolutely earthbound. There's a sketch lampooning mannered costume dramas. An extended, tedious musical turn from John Barrowman. A sketch about the enduring hilarity of working-class people's vocabulary and speech patterns. But nothing to suggest that Watson and Oliver might buck the trend.

BFI celebrate 10 years of Look Around You

Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper are heading to the BFI in January for a special Q&A session to celebrate the ten years since the comedy science spoof Look Around You hit the screens.

Robert Popper's vaguely autobiographical sitcom isn't black-hearted, cruel, vituperative or blushingly filthy, yet on C4 earlier this year it still secured a devoted following of viewers who liked its inherent good-heartedness and lack of guile. Certainly this E4 rerun is very welcome and might help to keep fans going until the arrival of series two. Popper has adapted his own early family life to bring us the Goodmans: Mum, Dad and two grown-up kids, who gather round the dinner table every Friday. Mum (splendid Tamsin Greig) is daffy and obsessed by MasterChef, while Dad (Paul Ritter) is a bit bonkers, and has a bizarre obsession with his yellowing collection of ancient New Scientist magazines. It's all a bit Mike Leigh, only funnier.

How did 'Friday Night Dinner' taste?

I reviewed Channel 4's new comedy Friday Night Dinner when it debuted, and quite liked it. It was nothing special, but it was likable, although I had concerns about the inflexibility of the concept (two young adult brothers have weekly dinner with their Jewish parents), and the lack of belly laughs. As a fan of the sublime '70s docuspoof Look Around You (co-created by FND's writer Robert Popper), I was prepared to stick around to see it grow. Sitcoms often take a few weeks to settle down and find their voice, particularly a character-based comedy like FND.

More toe-curling in suburbia as Robert Popper's delightfully daft sitcom comes to an end.

Tonight, Jackie has organised a surprise for son Adam: inviting her friend's daughter Tanya to the Goodman's Friday night meal and a spot of match-making.

The appearance of good china and odd ­background music should be a hint that something sinister is about to take place.

"Is that somebody playing the lute?" demands Adam, confused.

Adam and Tanya haven't seen each other since they used to take baths together as babies, so have a lot of catching up to do.

Needless to say, Adam would prefer to do this without his mother and deaf, parsley-eating father shouting ­encouragement.

This episode ends the series on a pinnacle of ­embarrassment.

But am I the only one who can't quite get their head around Tamsin Greig being cast as Simon Bird's mother?

If playing their real ages, she'd have been pregnant at 16. What would the neighbours say?