Catherine Tate’s recent success as Donna Noble in Doctor Who and her subsequent move to the land of high-profile theatre roles is just one ina series of examples of comics “going straight”.

We’ve got former standup Alan Davies who became Jonathan Creek and is now an ear-biting regular on QI; Peter Kay has appeared in Coronation Street and Doctor Who - neither wholly serious dramas, but neither comedies; Michael Palin starred in The Missionary; Julie Walters effortlessly switches between comedy and straight drama; William Shakespeare was equally at home with tragedy as he was with comedy. Which brings us to the crunch - comedy gets lambasted because it isn’t considered as worthy as day-to-day drama, tragedy or even action.

The examples above however easily prove that comedy - probably the most accessible of all dramas - is far from being the least important quality in an actor’s range, and could even be the most vital weapon in an actor’s armoury.

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