Ideal: Music behind the magic

Tonight's episode of Ideal, aside from hopefully being funny and moving and quite scary, will also be mightily tuneful. The soundtrack to this particular episode features contributions from, amongst others, Broadcast, DJ Kudos, The Frequency, Slipstream, Warpaint, Barry Adamson, Clinic, Misha Begley, Venus Ray and Coil.

Happy birthday Ideal!

Tonight will see Ideal reach it's 50th episode. An uncommon achievement for any programme. Especially a British comedy series. Whilst U.S. comedies frequently rack up hundreds of installments, it's very rare indeed for a UK production to pass the 12 episode mark. Many of course, don't even make it that far.

An Ideal who's who

To celebrate Ideal's 50th episode, series creator Graham Duff lists his 50 favourite characters.

Ideal: Not just about drugs

If you were to listen to received wisdom, Ideal is simply "a show about drugs". In reality, of course, Ideal is no more a show about drugs than Only Fools And Horses was a show about stolen goods.

Moz tries to call in his debts but a surprising number of his mates are conveniently skint. Meanwhile, Nikki's sister is falling for Cartoon Head, despite Nikki's warnings to steer clear. This seventh series is warming up nicely (after Paul Weller's ace cameo last week) and which other UK sitcom can boast the subtle, un-starry presence of Janeane Garofalo in a supporting role, back to her Larry Sanders best? Graham Duff's ability to write seven of these incredible series (and play one of its funniest characters) should be enthusiastically applauded.

A seventh series for Graham Duff's exemplary weed-com, starring Johnny Vegas as Moz, the hapless dealer and woman magnet. We join him desperately trying to win back the heart of Jenny, but dismayed to find she has taken up with the police force. And lord knows he's been through enough already, what with the kidnapped dad and the Triads and so on. Any sitcom that can leap deftly from straight drama to surrealism to full-blown musical and back again deserves far more acclaim than Ideal gets. Truly a show of which BBC3 can be proud.

Graham Duff on Ideal Series 7

Ideal returns to BBC Three tonight for a seventh series at 10.30pm. Writer Graham Duff explains the art of finding a special guest...

Stewart Lee confirms 'Fist of Fun' DVD

Stewart Lee has confirmed plans for a Fist of Fun DVD.

Stewart Lee interview: The Fringe, Comedy Gods and Fist

It seems right that I start my interview with Stewart Lee by asking about an e-mail he had sent to promoters of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, criticising a poll they had created to find the public's Comedy God...

I must say, three years on, Ideal has bedded in very nicely. Moz has now acquired a permanent partner, an infant son, and an assortment of regulars, who, while odd and sometimes nasty (such as the criminals led by the eerily comic Cartoon Head (David Sant) and Moz's necrophiliac neighbour, Judith, played by Joanna Neary), all work within the series' logic.

Graham Duff's writing was sharp, with the gags coming thick and fast, and while not all made the grade, the hit-rate was impressive. Well done BBC3 for sticking with it.