Your mobile phone will soon be able to air official video clips of some very known comedy programmes. Hat Trick, the production company responsible for Have I Got News For You, Father Ted and The Kumars At No 42 have signed a deal with a digital content licensor to make it happen.

The provider, i-Rights, has licensed the rights to sell clips from these shows and others on mobile phones, wallpapers and ringtones.

i-Rights have also made deals with Eddie Izzard and The Fast Show. Content is likely to include several well-known catchphrases and characters, including Ted and Ralph, Ken and Kenneth and Sir Rowely Birkin ("I was very, very drunk...")

Paul Cohen, head of legal and business affairs at Hat Trick, said: "It has become clear over recent months that this is an area of increasing importance to Independant Producers."

My Cynical Translation Device converts that into "We realised we could make some decent money out of it". We can hope that this money is spent on developing and making new shows, of course.