Douglas Hodge (2005); ITV's 2007 adaptation of "Mansfield Park", as Sir Thomas Bertram; and the made-for-TV film "Lift", directed by James Hawes, a 2007 Hartswood Films production for BBC Four, as Paul Sykes, "a constantly exasperated, highly-strung middle-aged businessman with commitments.". In 2010, he appeared in the episode "The Restaurant" of the third series of the popular BBC sitcom "Outnumbered" as Brick Bolenger, an American therapist who is married to Auntie Angela (played by Samantha Bond). The character is involved in a story line of the fourth series in 2011, but never appears on screen. In 2012, Hodge had a prominent role
Television comedy Television comedy Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was "Starlight", which offered a series of guests from the music hall era, which often included singers and comedians. Similarly, many early United States television programs were variety shows including the "Texaco Star Theater" featuring Milton Berle; comedy acts often taken from vaudeville were staples of such shows. The range of television comedy is extremely broad to the extent that anything under the heading comedy can be put before an audience through the medium of television. However, it