Robert Webb

Webb: Playwright in pyjamas who took my breath away

If my daughters ever decide to go into comedy, I hope I'll be understanding, says Robert Webb.

Red Nose Day is good thing, but that won't stop moaning

Telethons are like line-dancing - boring and embarrassing unless you join in, writes Robert Webb.

Numberwrong

According to Robert Webb, BBC Three genuinely asked him and David Mitchell to present a real version of their impossibly nonsensical quiz show sketch, Numberwang.

It looks like this could be the end for flat-sharers Mark and Jeremy when Jez announces on New Year's Eve that he's moving out. Mark (David Mitchell) is surprisingly philosophical, as his mate's absence means he can at last finish his great work, "The Business Secrets of the Pharaohs". It's the last episode in the series, and it's packed with tiny treasures, including Jez's (Robert Webb) demand that Mark should party: "Shake your booty, tonight even Paxman's out!"

If you've already overdosed on seasonal goodwill and need to sharpen your jaded nerves on a bit of black comedy, then welcome to Peep Show and an excruciating Christmas with socially inept flatmates Mark and Jeremy. The day doesn't start well when Mark (David Mitchell) gives an overexcited Jez (Robert Webb) awful gifts: a pair of cooking tongs and his Scotrail sleep mask from an overnight rail journey. The febrile atmosphere in the household isn't helped by Mark's nervousness as he prepares to host his first family Christmas with his ghastly parents and sister: "I'm in charge! I've launched the Christmas putsch. I carve the turkey!" It's painfully, bleakly comic and forms the centrepiece of Peep Show Night, which features a documentary about what has turned out to be Channel 4's longest-running comedy, with two classic episodes chosen by Mitchell and Webb.

Crack open the Pringles and settle back for a few hours of brilliantly scripted comedy as David Mitchell and Robert Webb take over C4 tonight. Behind-the-scenes documentary Peep Show And Tell kicks things off, followed by the penultimate episode of the current seventh series (in which Mark invites his parents over for Christmas lunch). Then there's a re-airing of two priceless episodes as picked by the viewing public: the one in which Mark marries Sophie and the one where Mark's gastric flu threatens to ruin Jez's magic mushroom party.

A three-hour festive extravaganza for Channel 4's favourite sitcom starring socially inept flatmates Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Telegraph columnist Robert Webb). The evening kicks off with Peep Show & Tell, which explores the comedy's cult appeal through the eyes of cast members, writers and fans. That's followed by the penultimate episode of the current series (at 10.05pm) in which Mark invites his parents for lunch on Christmas Day. Following suit are two classic episodes chosen by Mitchell and Webb - Wedding from series four (10.40pm), and Shrooming from series three (11.15pm). Nice.

The fourth episode of the seventh series of Peep Show airs tonight - for those who haven't cheated and watched it online already. The cult sitcom is perfect communal viewing so it's really worth waiting until it airs every Friday on Channel 4. Tonight's is a corker. It's the day of baby Ian's Christening. Will Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb) get there in time? Well, no... They are trapped in the air-locked corridor of Jez's love interest Zahra's apartment block with no obvious way to escape. Farce ensues, while the hilarious friction between the two main characters once again reveals the brilliance of Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong's scriptwriting.

Imbecilic men-boys Mark and Jeremy are locked inside Jez's (occasional) girlfriend's flat, trapped in the hallway on the very morning that Mark's son is christened. He's obviously anxious to get to the ceremony because he doesn't have much going for him as a father: "All I have in the dad-bank is my record of punctuality." But humiliation is heaped upon humiliation, in true, excruciatingly funny Peep Show style as the pair (David Mitchell and Robert Webb) tussle over the delivery of a pizza. Jeremy is infuriatingly laid-back about their predicament, until the arrival of his beloved Zahra's egregious boyfriend forces both Mark and Jeremy into unwanted intimacy in a shower.

Mark and dim Dobby are now an item, though Mark (David Mitchell) is sexually insecure. He's lost his "dirty mojo", according to best mate Jez, whom he unwisely consults for sex tips. Mark also finds a new friend called Kenneth, but the less you know about that, the better. Jez (Robert Webb) has romantic difficulties of his own as he fakes interest in foreign films, the theatre, contemporary dance, magic realism and historical novels to worm his way into his beloved Zahra's heart. He's such an idiot it's almost adorable to hear him trying to get to grips with reading all 372 pages of Wuthering Heights: "I've been on the same four pages for three hours." But possibly even more delicious are Super Hans's (the brilliant Matt King) maniacal displacement activities after he gives up crack. "Cycling, running, cooking, knitting, quilting..." And there's an emergency when he accidentally runs all the way to Windsor.