Fans salute 'real Alan Partridge'

26 fans travelled from as far away as Australia, Thailand and the US to pay homage to veteran BBC Radio Norfolk early-morning show host DJ Wally Webb - allegedly the inspiration for Steve Coogan's hit character.

Coogan writing Alan Partridge film

Steve Coogan is back in the follow-up to 2006's Night At The Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian. The British comedian reprises his role as Octavius, the Roman general brought back to life by museum night watchman Lawrence Daley (Ben Stiller). He says it was a pleasure to work with Owen Wilson and reveals an I'm Alan Partridge film is also in the works.

Owen Molloy (Marc Wootton) is a mild-mannered, slightly porky school janitor who spends his days painting radiators, picking up litter and gently lusting after mousy teacher Miss Violet. So he's surprised when he's approached by a shadowy figure (a local tramp, as it turns out) who anoints him 'Caretaker Of The World: Brighton Division'.

This sitcom pilot from Steve Coogan's Baby Cow productions is essentially a provincial British take on Quantum Leap, with the earnest moral sermonising replaced by absurdity and mild bathos.

It's painfully slight, but rescued from complete inconsequentiality by the quirky premise - a lab assistant attempts to vanquish rivals at a local beer festival with his homebrew - and a decent cast including Tom Basden, who recently distinguished himself in BBC4 sketch show Cowards. At the very least, it's streets ahead of most recent BBC3 comedy commissions, which may be damning it with faint praise, but should make a series a formality.

Sunshine was a three-part BBC series from the pen of Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, starring Steve Coogan. Never quite sure what it wanted to be, the show was diverting enough, but had a tendency at times to be overly mawkish and sickeningly sweet.

Armando's Loop gets Sundance premiere

Armando Iannucci's movie spin-off from The Thick of It is receive its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. In The Loop - which stars James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, and Steve Coogan - will have its first public screening on January 22.

The ladies behind this new all-girl sketch show - Alice Lowe, Sarah Kendall, Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Clare Thomson - have earned their stripes around some of the best: their comedy CVs include shows with Mitchell and Webb, Steve Coogan and the Little Britain boys. Here they extrapolate events from pop culture - the girls scallywag about as four Russell Brands and there's a what-they'd-really-say take on Sex and the City. They then add in everyday moments with a surreal veneer - should you go on a date dressed as a duck?, etc. A few bits of nostalgia and poignancy may raise smiles, but Beehive is otherwise a punchline-free zone.

In the final episode, the inveterate gambler (Steve Coogan) seeks help for his addiction and tries to find a job. Many viewers may find it cloying and sentimental, and no doubt parts of it are. This addict, after all, remains charming despite his destructive behaviour and even the worst of the misery is ameliorated by laughter. But look at it another way. Thousands of lives are destroyed by addictions of one sort or another, and television plays an important role in passing on information. Sunshine uses jokes and warmth to suggest that addiction doesn't have to be a terminal illness. If it sugars the pill, is that so terrible?

This lovely little drama from Craig Cash and Phil Mealey comes to an end as Bing (a rather excellent Steve Coogan - which is a relief after last week's criticisms of his live show) attempts to beat his gambling addiction once and for all and win back his wife. He has a lot of hurdles to overcome, and then there are his dad's problems waiting to come to light - will they send Bing spiralling back into the grip of addiction? There'll be tears and laughter before bedtime, mark my words...

If some people see life as a comedy, while others insist it is a tragedy, then the writing team of Craig Cash and Phil Mealey must fall into the first camp. They just can't help themselves from seeing the funny side of the most dire situations. They would probably get the giggles at a funeral.

And while that's better than going through life being a total misery, that could explain why this series about the very unfunny problem of gambling addiction is looking a bit unsteady on its pins as it lurches drunkenly from the sweet to the sour.

Having said that, if you don't get a little seasick from the shifting tone there's plenty to enjoy here - especially in the cockle-warming friendship between little Joe and his grandad George. And also, of course, in Steve Coogan's central performance as eternal loser Bing Crosby.

Usually dramas about addiction are a misery to watch, but this one manages to remain upbeat in spite of its subject matter. Having already been thrown out of the house by his long-suffering wife, Steve Coogan's inveterate gambler still can't kick the habit. Yet he remains as funny and engaging as ever, refusing to face up to his problem and believing, like all gamblers, that he can win his way out of trouble with a streak of good fortune. My wife thinks I can't turn over a new leaf, and I'm going to show her that I can. Do you want me to put a couple of quid on it for you? Sunshine doesn't avoid the nasty stuff, but it is balanced by an abundance of warmth, good humour and humanity.