Kevin Eldon

Kevin Eldon often appears as the eccentric or unusually intense man in an ensemble comedy. We like the willingness to be odd: a supporting performer should be able to unsettle a scene rather than merely help the lead through it. His association with the surreal British comedy of the 1990s and 2000s makes sense, as does his effectiveness in darker material. The danger is that a succession of small parts encourages us to recognise the face and stop paying attention to the acting.

Fist of Fun (1995), with Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, gave him an early television breakthrough and characters including Simon Quinlank. In Big Train (1998), he was a key member of the sketch ensemble. That format suits a performer whose eccentricity need not be softened into someone we want to follow for a whole evening. It's Kevin (2013) eventually gave him a sketch series of his own, after years in support. Getting his own programme does not make those earlier parts any less worth watching.

In Spaced (1999), his role is simply Agent, while Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes carry the comedy about being young and broke. It is a funny, affectionate programme, and the performances are why we recommend it despite Edgar Wright occasionally overworking the film references. This is the sort of company in which we most value Eldon, among performers with distinctive comic personalities. We would rather stay with those performers than have another reference pointed out.

Hot Fuzz (2007) gives him Sergeant Tony Fisher in Wright's village police comedy, again within a cast led by Pegg, this time alongside Nick Frost. We laughed at Pegg and Frost's village policing because the jokes are sharp without making the affection seem false. Our enthusiasm comes with a caveat: repeated gags and overextended action make it longer than it needs to be. There are stretches where we would happily lose another gag to get the film moving. Start here, then try Big Train for Eldon working in a sketch ensemble.