Fantasy fun.

WINNING this week's award for most eyecatching title of the week - and winning quite a few laughs, too - is Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire.

Starring Matt Lucas as an evil despot and a buffed-up Sean Maguire (looking very different from his East- Enders days) as a swashbuckling hero, this action comedy set in a fantasy world is good, silly fun. Matt describes it as "Lord of the Rings meets Blackadder meets Monty Python".

Tyranny reigns in the Merconian Empire thanks to nasty Chancellor Dongalor. The downtrodden people's only hope lies with Krod Mandoon, a good-looking idiot who's assembled a band of remarkably ineffectual freedom fighters, including beautiful pagan warrior Aneka (India de Beaufort).

Together they must overcome obstacles in their quest to save the world, including name-calling, hired assassins and bad hair days.

Sean had a couple of close shaves while working with his flaming sword, which is attached to a gas canister and really does catch fire.

He says: "I had one particularly exciting day when I had to point it at someone as if I was going to kill them, and the director kept saying 'Lower, lower!' but the flames started travelling up towards me. They put this gooey lotion on my hand to protect it from the fire, but the flames started licking around my wrists until they yelled 'Cut!'" Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, BBC2, Thursday, 9pm 7 things you never knew MATT LUCAS 1Born March 5 1974 in London, Matt comes from a Jewish family and went to Haberdashers' Aske's Boys School, which also educated David Baddiel and Sacha Baron Cohen.

2He worked for Chelsea FC as a sales assistant in the club shop, even though he's an avid Arsenal fan.

3Matt lost all his hair at the age of six. His parents tried various treatments including homeopathy and acupuncture and even rubbed seaweed lotion into his head, but nothing made his hair grow back. He doesn't know if it was a delayed reaction to a road accident or inherited premature baldness - his father was bald by 14. 4 He shot to fame as big baby George Dawes on Shooting Stars, later playing his mother, Marjorie Dawes, on Little Britain. 5 He married his partner Kevin McGee in December 2006, dressing as Aladdin and Prince Charming at the reception, but it lasted only 18 months.

Matt was granted a dissolution of the partnership after citing Kevin's unreasonable behaviour.

6His favourite band is said to be Queen. His cousin Alexa Tilley was a contestant on the 2006 series of The Apprentice, and he spoke of his disappointment when Sir Alan

Sugar fired her with the words " Yo u ' r e a lightweight!".

7Matt's next role is playing both Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee in Tim Burton's movie Alice In Wonderland..