If, like us, you were a huge fan of short-lived BBC Three sitcom Crims, you’ll remember that amongst is talented ensemble was a scene stealing performance from up and coming comic Ed Kear as the delightfully named Black Elton John.

Now Kear has created his own web-series, Blowing the Budget, which TVO is delighted to share the opening two episodes with you below.

In it, Ed plays an idiotic version of himself, offered the chance to get off Job Seekers Allowance and make his own show on YouTube for hot talent spotters Quipstar, then makes some serious faux-pas at the Job Centre.

It’s witty stuff, with Kear’s sheer likeability shining through even when this heightened version of himself is, let’s face it, a bit of a knob. As he demonstrated in Crims, Kear is a gifted performer with a bright future ahead of him, and hopefully this web series is only the start of a brilliant career. Above all else, TVO reckons its funny enough for you to take a look – because there’s plenty more where this came from.

TVO has also seen the next couple of episodes, in which Ed makes a highly questionable purchase, and hires an unlikely new assistant who needs to look – and smell – the part, and they’re even better than the opening instalments, so keep an eye out for those, and the rest of the eight part series, with a new episode over yonder every Friday.