Comedy Showcase has a decent pilot-to-series turnover, and this promising writing debut from Inbetweeners Simon Bird and Joe Thomas looks set to continue that trend. Bird, Thomas and Jonny Sweet, best known for his role as Cameron in When Boris Met Dave, play three feckless young men who, for various, unconvincing reasons, have avoided first world war conscription. Chickens feels unfinished in places, but the performances are sharp.

Inbetweeners stars Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, along with comedian Jonny Sweet, write and head the cast of this period sitcom pilot set during the First World War. For reasons including flat feet and conscientious objection, three young men are left back home while their peers fight on foreign soil. Can they overcome their cowardly reputation in their sleepy village and win favour with the local ladies? It's a neat set-up that comes across like The crossed with Dad's Army and dressed in three-piece tweed.

Jonny Sweet: smell of success

Jonny Sweet played David Cameron on TV. Now he is attempting something even braver - a sitcom about the First World War. Alice Jones meets him.

Edinburgh Interview: Jonny Sweet

Emma McAlpine chats to the 2009 Edinburgh Best Newcomer winner about his second solo show, filming Pete and Dud: The Lost Sketches and taking on the Frank Chickens...

Video: Lost Pete and Dud sketch re-enacted

A lost Peter Cook and Dudley Moore sketch is re-enacted with Dud (played by Adrian Edmondson) waking up screaming from a dream. Pete (played by Jonny Sweet) decides to attempt to decipher Dud's dream using Freud's theories.

The Wardrobe sketch is from the landmark television comedy show, Not Only... But Also which was largely wiped from the BBC archives.

Was it madness or arrogance that persuaded the volunteers on Pete And Dud: The Lost Sketches that they could sketch in the shadow of genius? The idea of the likes of Angus Deayton and Adrian Edmondson attempting to emulate the comedy chemistry of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore seemed like the product of a lock-in after the Baftas. In other words, it should never have survived the cold light of day.

Yet, though it was light on belly laughs and clearly in thrall to its source material, Pete And Dud: The Lost Sketches was oddly entertaining. Introduced by lifelong Pete and Dud fan Jonathan Ross (and for once he seemed genuine), the set of sketches performed - 'lost' in the sense that the BBC unbelievably wiped the original TV tapes, so they only survive in audio or script form - at least served as a priceless reminder of one of the truly great comedy pairings.

It was like watching a rock tribute band who know all the words and get the notes in the right place. You could sing along but inevitably there was a spark missing. It was the brief clips of the real Pete And Dud that were worth sticking around for, the mix of surreal allusion, schoolboy smut and lady frocks making it clear how much the duo influenced everyone from The Fast Show to Little Britain.

There was a missed opportunity in the mix: Stephen Fry and David Mitchell, only featured as talking heads, would have made a perfect Pete and Dud.

Instead the originals were lovingly, though palely, imitated, new boy Jonny Sweet coming closest to catching the anarchic 1960s spirit that Pete and Dud encapsulated.

Now what we need is a series that rounds up every clip that still exists.

I've been to a couple of rather wonderful recordings of Radio 4 comedy recently. First up was the live recording of two episodes - 1 and 3 oddly - of Party, a four-part sitcom version of Tom Basden's play that I saw up in Edinburgh (ok, and down in London) in which five young and essentially clueless idealists set up a political party in its self-appointed leader's shed (or summerhouse, as he insists). It's broader than the theatre version, certainly, but the writing's still wonderful, and the performances still pitch perfect. Jonny Sweet is especially brilliant as that disputed leader, a campus Clegg/Cameron/Blair-like lothario; and Tim Key's immaculate timing is given a great showcase as the newest member of the party, drafted in because he new dad owns a print shop (though he thinks he's there for another reason entirely).

Party started with Tom Basden

Tom Basden's latest effort is a politically-themed satire called Party, starring Edinburgh Comedy Award winner '09 Tim Key, Best Newcomer Jonny Sweet, along with double act Anna & Katy.

Tim Key and Jonny Sweet - the grime and the glory

One of the comedy highlights of the year is upon us - Edinburgh Comedy Award winners Tim Key (main) and Jonny Sweet (newcomer) are bringing their shows to the Soho Theatre.

Tim Key and Jonny Sweet interview

Tim Key and Jonny Sweet have just returned from performing at the Sydney Festival and will perform together in Party - a play written by Tim's sketch group comrade, award-winning comedian Tom Basden.