Peter Serafinowicz: His new book, Twitter & fun things

"It's just a silly, stupid, clever, clever, clever, stupid, ridiculous, pointless book that I hope makes people laugh a few times," says Peter Serafinowicz of his new book, A Billion Jokes (Volume One).

Peter Serafinowicz: Letter to my younger self

Peter Serafinowicz, 40, on growing up in Liverpool, his wife Sarah Alexander, and the 'nightmare' of his name...

Peter Serafinowicz interview

Digital Spy got on the phone with Peter Serafinowicz and asked him all about jokes, stand-up, working with Hot Chip, heckler murder and why he both loves and hates Stewart Lee.

Peter Serafinowicz interview

Peter Serafinowicz is one of the most followed Brits in the Twittersphere and boasts a varied and impressive CV. So it's a little puzzling to find him so often dubbed a 'cult' figure.

As befits a sketch show that made its debut online, this takes aim at the internet and gaming culture, beginning with a Facebook morality tale that's as likely to make you wince as guffaw. Appropriately, the comics include YouTube stars Chris Kendall and Jenny Bede, who made a name for herself after spoofing Cheryl Cole, while Peter Serafinowicz supplies a deadpan voiceover. Highlights include a Sherlock sketch in which the investigator's ability to see clues everywhere proves more hindrance than help, and a prime minister who can't tear himself away from his laptop.

Mangling accents and genres with glee, Bad Sugar is one of the more promising pilots of C4's Funny Fortnight. Starring three-headed comedy hydra Julia Davis, Sharon Horgan and Olivia Colman, it's equal parts telenovela, costume drama and pseudo-glossy, 'Dallas'-style family saga. The plotting - centred around the will of an ageing patriarch (David Bradley) and the scheming of his three children (plus Horgan's cuckoo in the nest, Lucy) - is self-consciously ridiculous. But Bad Sugar is sustained by a host of brilliant performances. In addition to the above, look out for Kayvan Novak (dim gardener Simon) and Peter Serafinowicz (closeted son Rolf). Tonight, the fingers of Colman's piano-playing naif Joan are mangled by a red-hot boule ball; the absurdity can only escalate when a full series airs next year.

Amnesty brings its comedy fundraiser to the US for the first time to celebrate the organisation's 50th birthday. The line-up is an Atlantic-straddling bobby dazzler at New York's Radio City Music Hall: the US contingent includes Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman and Kristen Wiig, and the UK sends Peter Serafinowicz, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand. Music comes from Coldplay and Mumford & Sons. The ball always comes off best when it's a combination of standup and sketch comedy, so fingers crossed for some surprise team-ups.

Before I start I should point out that I've never really been a huge fan of Lenny Henry, but I must admit that The One Lenny Henry wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. For me his stand-up was better than his sketches, particularly the material about film piracy and trying not to be funny when performing Othello.

However, most of the sketches were a bit dull, lacklustre in places and in several cases thought he was overshadowed by those alongside him; in particular Peter Serafinowicz and Omid Djalili.

On a final note, during the show Henry gave a short rant about obituaries, saying that when he dies his will probably read "Premier Inn Bloke Dies." I'd just like to say: "Whose fault is that exactly, Lenny?"

Was the BBC's 2010 Ronnie Corbett-centric Christmas special The One Ronnie really so successful that they feel able to riff on the title for this similarly outdated Lenny Henry showcase? The first minute-and-a-half - as Lenny busts into a serious Swedish crime drama - promises good things, but it's downhill all the way from there: there really isn't a single joke here that works. It's partly redeemed by the fact that Lenny remains an effortlessly likeable performer, even in the most cringeworthy sketches - and there's some spectacularly lazy writing here, particularly when it comes to tackling anything political - and by a guest cast including Ronni Ancona and Peter Serafinowicz. A mostly harmless half hour, but don't expect a comeback.