Observations: Laughing in the dark

Heard the one about the comedian and the serial killer? Tonight on Channel 4, viewers can see how this "joke" pans out with the airing of a documentary made by the comedian Matt Rudge. He spent two months with the family of the convicted killer, Levi Bellfield, better known as the Hammer Killer, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last February for the murders of two women and the attempted murder of a third. Rudge's decision to make the documentary, part of the First Cut series that seeks out new directing talent, was motivated by the perception of comics as one-dimensional: "People try and pigeonhole you as one or the other, serious or funny, but the truth is I can't find a pigeonhole that fits me. This was a chance to show that I have a serious film-making side to me as well as writing comedy and performing stand-up."

The 29-year-old was intrigued not by "the victims of crime, or profiles on criminals, but by what happens to those who have nothing to do with the crimes, but are associated by name or by blood."

While his publicity material draws parallels with Louis Theroux and Morgan Spurlock (and Rudge himself also mentions Michael Moore in aspirational terms), Rudge says that the comic touch was a crucial tool in tackling the subject.

"The challenge was to make a film that wasn't too dark or too like a Crimewatch "special". The best comedians can always get light out of shade, and make darker subjects accessible through laughter, but without undermining the serious side. What I learnt on stage over the years about reading an audience and making them instantly like you, is what I put into practice with the family."

'First Cut: My Dad The Serial Killer', Channel 4, tonight at 7.35pm