ElvenQuest

TV viewers will shortly get their own fantasy send-up series in the form of new BBC2 show Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword Of Fire, but Radio 4 sneaks in there first, with this six-part sitcom which series fantasy novelist Sam (Green Wing's Stephen Mangan) whisked off into a Tolkein-style universe where he must join a quest to find the legendary Sword of Asnagar and save Lower Earth from the clutches of Lord Darkness.

If your hobbies include masquerading as a wizard with a magic helmet, a ridiculous name and a penchant for slaying goblins, then Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto's fantastical new comedy should be right up your cobbled street. If not, don't worry - there are still loads of laughs in this affectionate lampoon of a genre that generally takes itself far too seriously.

Stephen Mangan stars as fantasy novelist Sam, who is whisked off to a Tolkien-style parallel universe by a noble elf, a sexy warrior princess and a feisty dwarf called Dean (why are dwarves always Scottish?). It turns out Sam's dog is the Chosen One destined to save 'Lower Earth' from Lord Darkness - an arch-villain reminiscent of David Warner's Devil in Time Bandits and played brilliantly by Alistair McGowan. It's so much fun you'll wish you'd joined the Dungeons & Dragons society after all.