Stephen Mangan

Lessons I learned from watching Dirk Gently

Starring Stephen Mangan and Darren Boyd, this quirky BBC Four series entertained and enlightened me. So without further ado, here are the lessons I learned from watching Dirk Gently.

Peter Richardson talks about new Comic Strip film

Peter Richardson has confirmed that Harry Enfield and Stephen Mangan are to star in the upcoming Comic Strip film It Ends Badly.

What ho! Jeeves and Wooster head for West End

Almost a hundred years on from their first appearance in print, PG Wodehouse's comic creations Jeeves and Wooster are being resurrected on stage. Matthew Macfadyen will play valet Jeeves with Stephen Mangan as the dim but amiable Bertie Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, by Robert and David Goodale.

Pointless giant Richard Osman tears himself away from his desk by Alexander Armstrong's side to slide into one of the guest seats for the first of a new series of the topical news quiz. Osman is surely destined for the guest host gig at some point but tonight it's down to Stephen Mangan to give Ian Hislop and Paul Merton free rein to roam around the lunatic fringes of the news, while Osman's fellow guest, Joan Bakewell, offers sage titbits.

The satrical edge on HIGNFY has dulled very slightly over the years. These days, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton don't so much lacerate the week's events and personalities as chew them over with the odd comic flight of fancy.

Occasionally, let's be honest, that makes for an underwhelming episode, where the panellists never get up a head of steam and only the host's scripted gags keep things rolling. But more often, the big old beast of a show rouses itself and delivers an enjoyably surreal spin on the news, providing us with a neat comedy coda to the week. One of the best episodes of the last series had Richard Osman as a guest, punning about David Cameron's "mandate" on gay marriage and showing an almost shameful knowledge of Spice Girls hits. Happily, he's back again tonight, with the excellent Stephen Mangan in the host's chair for the first show of series (drumroll, please...) 45.

On at exactly the same time and on the same day as Heading Out, Dave's panel show Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask returned for a second series this week.

The format's pretty much the same as before. Alexander Armstrong presents and all three of his guests, in this case Jo Brand, Stephen Mangan and Tim Vine, have to come up with the questions everyone will be asking. Amongst the questions that came up included the subject of the clurichaun (the "leprechaun's naughty cousin"), why the Aztecs were such unsuccessful warriors, and Adam's first wife...who wasn't Eve.

It's a good show, and while the fact it's on Dave means it will never get a big audience (much of it taken away thanks to Perkins's show on the other side) it still deserves a watch because it can throw up some decent moments. One example was a tangent which involved Manga talking about his upcoming role in the film version of Postman Pat - speaking parts only mind, the singing being down by Gary Barlow.

However, perhaps the best thing about this new series is that the idea of the "fact bunker" with Dave Lamb verifying the information has been got rid of. It never worked and I'm glad to see the change made. In fact, I pointed out this was the weakest moment when I reviewed the first series last year. Giz a job, Dave.

The panel show that's like a postprandial version of QI returns with Stephen Mangan, Jo Brand and Tim Vine doing the job of quiz-show researchers and coming up with the questions themselves. This time, Dave Lamb's role as fact-checker has been done away with, leaving Alexander Armstrong in sole charge. Everything else remains the same. There are laughs to be had, especially when the guests stray from the topic at hand - a discussion about Mangan's role in Postman Pat: the Movie being particularly rewarding.

It's hard to resist quoting from the press release announcing the return of this panel show, which described its host as "Pointless presenter, comedian and actor Alexander Armstrong". Unintended slurs aside, this series promises unscripted entertainment - tonight features Jo Brand, Tim Vine and Stephen Mangan.

I'm a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy comedy, but ElvenQuest has always come across as "good, not great". However, this new, fourth series started with an episode which could change my opinion...

For those unfamiliar with the series, it's a set in a Tolkien-esque fantasy world called Lower Earth, where a group of "Questers" are trying to find the all-powerful Sword of Asnagar. Two of the Questers are Sam Porter (Stephen Mangan), a fantasy writer from our world, and his dog Amis, who's transformed into a human (Dave Lamb). Both were sent to Lower Earth by the other Questers.

Elf leader Vidar (Darren Boyd), Dean the dwarf (Kevin Eldon), and warrior princess Penthiselea (Ingrid Oliver, though formally Sophie Winkleman) complete the cast.

In this opening episode, the Questers defeats some trolls in the kingdom of Premenstrua - ruled by unpredictable Queen Eleanor (Louise Delamere), who is celebrating her birthday and wants a present. The 'present' is the entire story of the Questers, which they must write up over the course of a single night on pain of death...

Probably the main reason this episode stood out was because of Sam, and how useless he is in comparison to the others. But by the same token, the characters are the main issue with the series.

Some of them are great - especially Lord Darkness (Alistair McGowan), whose cunning plans often get too cunning... and he's brought down by something simple like forgetting his keys. However, other characters aren't so well fleshed out. Penthiselea just seems like a typical fantasy, sci-fi heroine - somewhat violent and slightly sexual, but often just filling a gap because the writer thought they needed at least one woman in the story and they couldn't think of anything more imaginative.

If the writers manage to flesh out their creations more than this series could well be perfect. That's the only thing holding ElvenQuest back.