Farscape doesn't usually present itself as humorous. But that doesn't mean it can't be one of the funniest programmes around when it sets its mind to it.

Lava's a Many Splendoured Thing is a brilliant tour de force of the ridiculous. What other science fiction series could take itself so lightly that a whole episode is dedicated to a character's attempts to have a good schlock? If the scene of Crichton, Chiana and D'Argo spraying the contents of their stomachs everywhere doesn't make you feel ill, the amount of laughing you'll do during Lava will.

It's a tribute to those cheesey old Original Star Trek episodes which saw Kirk and crew phasering their way around cave-riddled technicolour planets. There's the traditional foam rock set, plenty of expendables to shoot, and even a sexy alien dancing babe.

Unlike Star Trek, it doesn't take itself seriously, sending up the genre relentlessly. The peacemaker, Noranti, just causes more and more trouble, the dancing girl comes with a twist Kirk definitely wouldn't have appreciated, and Trek has always been far too po-faced to make the liberal application of vomit a major plot point.

Lighthearted this episode may be, yet the scripting of the characters is as spot on as ever. Even when played for laughs, D'Argo and Crichton's bickery relationship always convinces, and the subtle powerplay and accomodation between Chiana and Sikozu is compelling. In fact, the lamest thing about the episode is the title, a weak pun which makes no sense.

Granted, Lava is never going to be the most studied episode at any future Institute of Farscapology, but who cares? With moments as funny as D'Argo and Crichton's look of horror on seeing Noranti's naked wizened bosom, this is about as much fun as sci-fi's going to get.

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