Lost : Alpert is back with brass in pocket

The ever youthful Richard Alpert is to play the key role when Lost returns for series five.

Nestor Carbonell has signed on for the duration after getting assurances that he will become a regular character on the island, rather than a cameo attraction.

So far Alpert has figured in just 10 episodes of Lost, although each appearance has added a new twist to the tale. Now he must help John Locke take control of his new kingdom.

Locke, as we know from the end of series four, has only a short time to live. But, as I've said before, the dead rarely stay dead too long.

Carbonell's diary is fast filling up. He'll next be seen as the Mayor of Gotham City in the Dark Knight movie which brings Batman back to the big screen next week.

(If you haven't entered Anorak City's competition to win IMAX tickets, shame on you!)

And he's sealed a deal to voice one of the characters in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, yet another Warner Brothers cartoon take on the caped crusader.

Let's just hope he doesn't don once more the mantle of Batmanuel, the spoof superhero he played in The Tick TV series. Yes, it's on DVD if you really must ...