Count Arthur Strong

Apparently BBC 2's new comedy Count Arthur Strong was (or is) a long running show on Radio 4, which makes its recognition factor with the British viewing public about the same as if it had never been a long running show on Radio 4. But don't let that put you off, Count Arthur Strong is a strange, laugh out loud, hidden gem.

Arthur Strong ( brilliantly played by creator and co writer Steve Delaney ) is an old Music Hall comedian, who still has delusions of fame and, well, delusions in general. The Count is a twitching mass of madness and disaster. Into Arthur's manic world comes Michael (a fantastically restrained Rory Kinnear) he is the son of Arthur's old comic partner and is writing his father's biography. So who better to get some info from than Arthur? Wrong, because soon Michael is sucked into the Count's surreal antics like doing clueless Jack the Ripper tours from the back of an ice cream van.

While Ben Elton's cancelled televisual effluent The Right Way got a slot on BBC 1, sadly Count Arthur Strong has been a little buried on BBC 2. But then the Count doesn't have trendy Mock the Week/ QI comedians, or faded big name writers to boost its image. All it has is brilliant performances, strange surreal situations, and genuine laughs in its favour.

All the episodes are on the BBC iPlayer so do yourself a favour and enter the mad, mad world of Count Arthur Strong.

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