All hail Russell Brand. The notoriously unfiltered British comic, author and scene-stealing actor had a banner year in 2010 - releasing his second memoir My Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal, marrying pop-star girlfriend Katy Perry and landing plum roles in both The Tempest and an upcoming remake of the Dudley Moore classic, Arthur.

As a performer, Brand is at his best when he's let loose, and watching his rapid-fire, twinkle-eyed riffs on both late-night talk shows and in movies, I'd swear he's some kind of mad genius and heir apparent to Robin Williams. He's that quick and that good.

Further proof of Brand's gifts surfaced on the internet yesterday, in footage obtained from an early rehearsal for Julie Taymor's screen adaptation of The Tempest. In the film, Brand is (type)cast as the jester character, Trinculo, a role he apparently took so seriously, he was able to deliver a complete off-the-cuff backstory for his character on day one. His stream-of-consciousness channelling of Trinculo shows the performer at his manic, motor-mouthed, fiercely intelligent best - Brand's such a marvel that seasoned pro Alfred Molina can only look on in awe. It took my breath away, too.