The Armstrong & Miller Show

Check out the logo for the lads' new production company as the credits roll tonight. Ben Miller and Alexander Armstrong are embracing their inner toff, with their own Toff Media, and fittingly, that logo isn't even a logo - it's a rather saucy coat of arms.

It's in honour of a nameless BBC exec who once told them they were too posh to have their own show - and didn't anticipate that their ever-so-posh Second World War pilots who talk like urban rappers might turn out a bit of a hit.

Other regular characters back for series two include the posh well-informed Prime Minister, their very posh and very rude Flanders and Swann-style musical duo, and the not-so-posh Neanderthals.

But the funniest sketches tonight see them playing children's TV presenters, forced to explain to their young viewers about why their naughty behaviour has been splashed all over the tabloids yet again. "We wanted to cheer Jason up, so we took him to a special dancing club... to watch some dancing..."

It's fun to see a sketch show so deeply rooted in Britishness and tonight Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller fly the flag nicely. The posh World War II pilots who are fluent in modern-day teenage slang make their usual welcome appearance, this time facing a firing squad ('we never done nuthin'/'I need my inhalaaar!'), plus the duo try to explain away drunken and drug-fuelled exploits in the manner of Blue Peter presenters. The highlight, though, is the accident claims advert for people who have had an accident reconstructing accidents for accident claims adverts. Mad, but brilliant.

Armstrong and Miller: interview

As a clip of re-formed duo Armstrong and Miller goes nuclear on YouTube, the pair discuss their return to their BBC comedy sketch show.

BBC lines up spoof web review

Comedians Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller have revived their cultural critic characters Craig and Martin for a spoof online review show for the BBC.

BBC vetoes Armstrong and Miller's 'gipsy' joke

Armstrong and Miller have agreed to cut the word 'gipsy' from a sketch in their forthcoming series after "debate" with BBC executives.

Is using the word Gypsy racist or suitable material?

Comedian Ben Miller wanted to use the term in a comedy show but the BBC stopped him.

Armstrong and Miller get third series

BBC1 has ordered a third run of sketch series The Armstrong and Miller Show before the second has even aired.

BBC1's The Armstrong and Miller Show doesn't go in for easy catchphrases - the emphasis is on recurring characters and slightly more sophisticated comedy, like the pair of Second World War pilots speaking in upper class accents but with the vocabulary and attitude of Catherine Tate's petulent schoolgirl Lauren.

The situations and the characters are so familiar and low-key that watching them with the sound down you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd tuned into a slightly dull set of documentaries. But pay attention to the script and you find yourself transported to a different world where everything is inverted. This show has been made with a great deal of pace and visual panache.

The Armstrong and Miller Show has an eclectic mix of characters ranging from Rasta-speaking Second World War RAF pilots, a dentist that loves to tell you where he has previously had his hands while delving deep into a patient's mouth, and not to mention the weekly dregs of society that get interviewed only to reveal they became a teacher - hilarious.

It is hard to create a seamless entertaining comedy sketch show, but Armstrong and Miller for my money have done just that. The huge diversity of characters and the quality of script-writing pours effortlessly through the 42-inch plasma and washes over the reality-fatigued viewer. Pleasure could only really be increased by a glass of Pimms. A great transition to the BBC and a loss for Channel 4.

After my blasting of the woefully shoddy The Omid Djalili Show, it's a totally different story on Friday night, thankfully, with Armstrong and Miller. It's good to see some solidly funny sketch comedy for a change, and this has more hits than misses. The big hit of the series are the spitfire pilots with their clipped street slang lines, and this kind of comedy isn't a million miles away from Mitchell and Webb's equally top material. In fact, Armstrong and Miller could be the reformed older brothers of the more anarchic Mitchell and Webb.