This week sees the soft-launch of a new range of four one-off comedies for Sky Arts, featuring a selection of TVO regulars and familiar faces.

The quartet of comic nuggets begins with Ruby Robinson (Thursday, 9pm) which stars Hollywood legend Kim Cattrall alongside Mike Wozniak and Cariad Lloyd. Cattrall plays Ruby, who lives in a huge, isolated and dilapidated house with a troupe of unusual acrobat helpers that she has come to take for granted. She yearns for the company of her nephew (Wozniak, who also wrote the piece) and his family but a visit from them spells trouble for Ruby, who comes to learn to appreciate that the people who truly love her are right under her nose. Cariad plays Wozniak’s sadistic wife, and as usual relishes every minute of her time on screen.

Next Thursday (10th September) sees the debut of Rotters – which follows a blundering gang of idiots who attempt to rob an auction house owned by an antiques dealer, played by Frank Skinner (Doctor Who, Baddiel & Skinner). Continually stepping on each other’s toes, the motley crew battle against a dazzling array of security devices, a meddlesome traffic warden (stand-up Pat Cahill)their own incompetence in this action–packed slapstick riot of a show. Man of the moment Sam “Fosters Award” Simmons leads the gang, which also comprises former Foster winner Dr Brown (aka Phil Burgers), Top Coppers‘ John Kearns, rising stand-up star Lolly Adefope and House of Fools very own Daniel Simonsen.

Also in the season is Brilliantman! – written by and starring Kevin Eldon as a humble council worker Ian Hedge who is also a wannabe suburban superhero. Having assumed his secret identity as Brilliantman, Hedge tangles with a variety of local characters including a mugger, a burglar and a potentially murderous parrot. The legendary Johnny Vegas plays his sour-tempered landlady Mrs Wardle, making this even more of a must-see.

The final production in the run is Three Kinds of Stupid which in fairness, only has secondary connections to TVO, but what impeccable connections they are. Written by Chris Reddy (Pixelface, Sorry I’ve Got No Head, That Mitchell And Webb Look), it follows the misadventures of three community police officers who befriend a blind man, played by Jim Moir… aka the onle and only Vic Reeves. Things go badly wrong when one of the gang accidentally kills the blind man’s guide dog with a prawn sandwich. Unable to tell him about the tragedy, they go to elaborate ends to convince him his dog is still alive and well. Sean Walsh (Monks), Marek Larwood (Murder in Successville) and Jocelyn Jee Esien (The Sarah Jane Adventures) play the hapless CPOs, with Diane Morgan (aka Philomena Cunk) also making an appearance.

All four shows will be broadcast on Thursday evenings starting this week, and will be available on SkyGo and NowTV for some time afterwards, further building the impressive collection of alternative comedy Sky have been building over the past few years. If you’re still missing out on all they have to offer, click here to learn more about a great pay-as-you-go way to access their back catalogue.