Relishing the chance to camp it up, old queen style, thespian legends Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi team up as delightfully tart couple Freddie and Stuart for this theatrical new sitcom. There's something of the retro spirit of Rising Damp about Vicious, with its waspish wit and twilit interior - the fabulous Frances de la Tour is even on hand as fag hag Violet. Tickling the trio's sensibilities is young flat-hunter Ash (Iwan Rheon) who stirs Freddie's gaydar - which clearly needs a 21st-century upgrade - and to get the party started there's a wake in honour of an old friend who, naturally, had a massive crush on the self-obsessed Freddie.

Iwan Rheon: 'I'd be an idiot not to do a Misfits movie'

Iwan Rheon has suggested that he would be an "idiot" if he turned down the chance to appear in a Misfits movie.

The humour may not exactly be top drawer, but the cast list of ITV's latest stab at primetime comedy can't be argued with. Sir Ian McKellen - Gandalf! Magneto! - and Sir Derek Jacobi - Claudius! The Master! - together... surely it can't be that bad?!

The Sirs play geriatric gay couple Freddie and Stuart, who in this opening episode decide to throw a camp and catty wake for their recently deceased friend. Gurning Misfits actor Iwan Rheon also appears as sprightly leather jacket fan Ash, who's just moved in upstairs, while another acting heavyweight Frances de la Tour plays the couple's ravenous friend Violet. The jokes are groan-worthy, clichéd and occasionally offensive, so we don't expect everyone to come away from Vicious having loved it, but legends like McKellen and Jacobi cosying up together on the same sofa just has to be seen...

Can you believe they managed to get Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Derek Jacobi on a TV show together... and then forced them to make awkward '70s sitcom-esque gags? Nah, we kid. Vicious seems like good fun, and we'll be tuning in just to see how wide Iwan Rheon can get his mouth to open. Seriously, in the trailer his jaw is flopped down like a Sesame Street puppet.

It's a testing time for the super-powered community-service caper as the fourth series kicks off. It's survived the departure of a key player before, when subbing Joe Gilgun for Robert Sheehan proved a masterstroke. But with no less than three of the original cast, including Iwan Rheon's Simon, gone this time round, can it still cast its spell? With Karla Crome (so good in BBC2's Murder) among the newcomers, it's got a fighting chance.

So, farewell then Grandma's House. In an era of identikit comedies and endless meta-sitcoms, it was a beacon of unsettling creativity. For once, the star really did seem to be playing himself rather than 'himself'; if it didn't always work, at least it tried. The performances are now such a diffuse grab-bag of styles and methods that it's become charming rather than jarring - not least when Grandma recalls her late husband. And Simon Amstell once again makes hay from his appalling acting, apparently either on the verge of cracking up or breaking the fourth wall as Ben (spaced-out Iwan Rheon) returns with an awful new chum in tow and some potentially life-changing news. A peculiar series that improved with age, but even so has probably bowed out at the right time.

Meet the new Misfits

With filming underway on Series 4 of E4's award-winning series Misfits, ScreenTerrier can exclusively reveal the two new young stars joining the series after the departures of Iwan Rheon and Antonia Thomas.

'Misfits': Second star confirms show exit

Iwan Rheon has become the second Misfits star to confirm that they will not be returning for the fourth series of the E4 drama.

Iwan Rheon interview

With the third series of Misfits having ended with a bang, Den of Geek speaks to actor Iwan Rheon about what we can expect from series four...

No show gives two fingers to the idea that being popular is all that counts more stylishly than Misfits, where weirdness isn't just tolerated, it's actively celebrated.

It's getting mighty sexy too, with each character fracturing into different personalities, a neat concept that gives the exceptional cast a chance to show off talents that have thus far remained well hidden.

Iwan Rheon's introverted Simon suddenly became a sex god, snarling killer lines such as 'you think I risked my life travelling through the dimensions of time so I could sniff your knickers?' and earning rave reviews for his studliness.

'Don't take this the wrong way but you're way better than I thought you'd be,' cooed Alisha. It's always the quiet ones.