Peep Show star suing for £200,000 after breaking back

Claudia Winkleman's actress sister is suing for more than £200,000 compensation after breaking her back in a car smash.

Lady Sophie Winkleman, 40 - married to Prince Michael of Kent's son Lord Frederick Windsor - has not worked full-time since the accident.

I'm a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy comedy, but ElvenQuest has always come across as "good, not great". However, this new, fourth series started with an episode which could change my opinion...

For those unfamiliar with the series, it's a set in a Tolkien-esque fantasy world called Lower Earth, where a group of "Questers" are trying to find the all-powerful Sword of Asnagar. Two of the Questers are Sam Porter (Stephen Mangan), a fantasy writer from our world, and his dog Amis, who's transformed into a human (Dave Lamb). Both were sent to Lower Earth by the other Questers.

Elf leader Vidar (Darren Boyd), Dean the dwarf (Kevin Eldon), and warrior princess Penthiselea (Ingrid Oliver, though formally Sophie Winkleman) complete the cast.

In this opening episode, the Questers defeats some trolls in the kingdom of Premenstrua - ruled by unpredictable Queen Eleanor (Louise Delamere), who is celebrating her birthday and wants a present. The 'present' is the entire story of the Questers, which they must write up over the course of a single night on pain of death...

Probably the main reason this episode stood out was because of Sam, and how useless he is in comparison to the others. But by the same token, the characters are the main issue with the series.

Some of them are great - especially Lord Darkness (Alistair McGowan), whose cunning plans often get too cunning... and he's brought down by something simple like forgetting his keys. However, other characters aren't so well fleshed out. Penthiselea just seems like a typical fantasy, sci-fi heroine - somewhat violent and slightly sexual, but often just filling a gap because the writer thought they needed at least one woman in the story and they couldn't think of anything more imaginative.

If the writers manage to flesh out their creations more than this series could well be perfect. That's the only thing holding ElvenQuest back.

Trolls, giants and damsels abound in this clattering sword 'n' sorcery spoof, starring Stephen Mangan as Sam, left behind when all the rest of the questors go off doing the heroic action stuff. In comes Eirwen (Sophie Winkleman), a lovely maiden, saying he's saved her. But who comes next? Lord Darkness (Alistair McGowan) trying to conquer Lower Earth, if only his servant Kreech (Kevin Eldon) can work out how. Aha! Kreech has discovered a prophecy which dictates that the Lord must impregnate a hideous creature to bring forth the UnChosen One. Look out, Kreech...

Winkleman finds that US comedy is no laughing matter

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The son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor, has married actress Sophie Winkleman in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

Stephen Mangan, a wonderful television actor who can do radio very well too (it's a rarer gift than you'd think) plays Sam, a fantasy novelist who gets swirled off into the alternative universe of Lower Earth to do battle for ownership of a magic sword which controls (naturally, what's the use of a magic sword otherwise?) everyone down there. Alistair McGowan plays his fiendish opponent Lord Darkness. There's an Elf Lord too (Darren Boyd), a dwarf called Dean (Kevin Eldon) and a Warrior Princess (Sophie Winkleman). Dave Lamb plays Sam's dog, Amis.

For Craig Charles, one of the highlights of making this three-part special was finding he could still fit into the leather jacket and trousers that he wore as Dave Lister 21 years ago.

All the cast (minus Holly in either of his / her incarnations) are here, too - Chris Barrie as hologram Arnold Rimmer, Danny John-Jules as Cat and Robert Llewellyn as Kryten - for this much-anticipated reunion.

The sci-fi comedy ran for eight series on BBC2 between 1988 and 1999, picking up an International Emmy on its intergalactic travels. So well done to Dave (the channel, that is, not Lister) for doing what the BBC never managed - getting the crew of the Red Dwarf back to Earth.

Actually though, that's down to guest star Sophie Winkleman - a comedy favourite thanks to her Peep Show appearances. She plays the new holographic Senior Science Officer Katerina Bartikovsky, who works out a way to send Lister to a new dimension.

Katerina's arrival is bad news for Rimmer - this spaceship's not big enough for two holograms - but good news for Lister as, being the last surviving human, it will be his job to go forth and multiply.

Tonight's episode might feel a bit flat as the crew battle a sea monster but, in the next two instalments - tomorrow night and Sunday - there'll be plenty of surprises as they arrive on Earth in the year 2009 and find themselves on a Manchester street you'll certainly recognise.

Sophie Winkleman injects glamour into Red Dwarf

This attractive rival should certainly bring Red Dwarf's Arnold Rimmer down to earth with a bang. Actress Sophie Winkleman, who is due to marry Lord Freddie Windsor this autumn, will inject some glamour into the cult sci-fi comedy and give uptight hologram Rimmer (Chris Barrie) some stiff competition.