Sacha Baron Cohen to star as Mandrake the Magician

It was way back in 2012 that Warner Bros first revealed plans to bring Mandrake the Magician to the big screen, but the project seems to finally be gaining some traction thanks to the apparent addition of Sacha Baron Cohen as the titular character.

Cunk on Shakespeare saw the curious alter ego of comedienne Diane Morgan attempt to discover exactly why The Bard's plays are as well-loved as they are. As a character Cunk is a brilliant creation; a presenter who has no actual idea about the subject she's covering but one who won't let this fact stop her at all. As is the way with all these faux-documentaries the most interesting parts are the ones in which the character interviews real experts in the topic. It's always great to try and work out whether or not the experts were taken in by Cunk or not and for the most part I feel they were. I felt that poor Simon Russell Beale probably had the worst of it as he had to complete the famous soliloquy from Hamlet which Cunk described as 'a speech about bees'. Meanwhile Educating Yorkshire's Mr Burton were as a little bemused by the presenter's pronunciation of iambic pentameter and theatre director Iqbal Khan who attempted to explain what the audiences were like in Shakespeare's day. The structure of the show was also expertly laid out with Cunk's idiocy being perfect exploited through several clever segments where she discussed Shakespeare's most famous works. I personally enjoyed the way in which Cunk drew comparisons between Shakespeare's work and the plot of the film Taken with the presenter taking the view that the latter was a more entertaining experience. However the most hilarious moments came at the programme's end when Cunk almost made us believe that Shakespeare's final work was Game of Thrones. Diane Morgan must be given credit for creating a believable character whose presenting style and way with words makes her utterly convincing as a ditzy documentarian. If Cunk on Shakespeare is a sort of pilot to see if a series of shows featuring Philomena would work then I would say it was a success. As long as the scripts are as sharp as they were here, I think a full Philomena Cunk series would be a welcome return to the sort of shows that Sacha Baron Cohen used to make when he was funny. Overall I found Cunk on Shakespeare to be the better of the two comic looks at The Bard's work in comparison to Upstart Crow and it's a shame that it's only a one-off. But that being said I think if the show had been over thirty minutes it may have worn out its welcome rather than being the sharp, witty mockumentary that it ultimately turned out to be.

Cunk on Shakespeare, BBC Two, review

Diane Morgan offers a more complete performance than Sacha Baron Cohen. Ali G's interview sketches were often smash n' grab comedy, but with Cunk we get a satirical dissection of the whole genre. At their best, her jokes unfurled with mille-feuille Alice-In-Wonderland absurdity, the writing, direction and acting lining up perfectly together.

Sacha Baron Cohen in mourning after his father dies

Sacha Baron Cohen is in mourning after his millionaire father dies aged 83.

Sacha Baron Cohen joins Britain's rich list

I iz rich! Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen joins Britain's rich list for the first time after amassing £104m.

Brian May criticises Sacha Baron Cohen

Brian May has slammed Sacha Baron Cohen after the actor pulled out of playing Freddie Mercury in their Queen biopic. May told Event magazine: 'Sacha became an arse."

Is it cos I is wack? Rise and fall of Sacha Baron Cohen

He gave us Ali G, Borat and fermented horse urine, all on the way to establishing himself as the king of shock comedy. But his latest film, Grimsby, is a huge flop. Where did it all go wrong?

This topical comedy show brings together young British comics, including Dane Baptiste, Ivo Graham, Rhys James, Ellie White and Jamie Demetriou. It feels like a scattershot ensemble, but makes slightly more sense when you learn this is being positioned as a reboot of The 11 O'Clock Show, the late-90s format that helped to shape the current comedy mainstream by employing everyone from Ricky Gervais to Sacha Baron Cohen, David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Charlie Brooker and Robert Popper.

Punching down: Sacha Baron Cohen & working-class cinema

British cinema has a proud tradition of telling working-class stories properly. But Cohen's Grimsby echoes the spirit of our times - embodied by Donald Trump - by beating on the little guy.

Grimsby bombs at the Box Office

The movie, which reportedly had a $35-$37million (roughly £25million) budget, pulled in just $1.2million in North America and $7.1million in other territories - resulting in a worldwide total of about $8.3million (£5.5million).