Al Murray

The BBC's successful Grumpy Old franchise - in which various aged or ageing TV pundits are encouraged to grouse on about a given topic - rolls on with this new programme focusing on the supposedly cheerful experience of mandatory education. Expect wry classroom anecdotage from the likes of Al Murray, Shappi Khorsandi, Ronni Ancona and Mark Radcliffe.

Witter: Al Murray

The world's fastest interview - 140 characters per answer. The 41-year-old Pub Landlord comedian on politics and Pamela Anderson.

Frank Skinner's TV appearances have been sporadic since he gave up his ITV1 chat show in 2005. This is the first full TV series of his comeback, a kind of comedy Question Time, with Skinner and two guest comedians discussing a topical issue before a "highly opinionated" studio audience. Something along the lines of Fantasy Football League, then, but reflecting Skinner's growing interest in politics. Each show will be recorded only shortly before transmission, but we can reveal that this first edition will feature comics Miranda Hart and Al Murray.

Russell Howard has got his Good News over on BBC3; now it's the turn of craggy-faced legend Frank Skinner to riff off the week's headlines. To shake up the theme, each show is filmed in a different part of the country, with two different comedians in tow. For tonight's promising series opener, Skinner is in London with Al Murray and Miranda Hart.

Al Murray interview

Al Murray, 41, started his stand-up career in the 1990s, eventually finding success with his xenophobic Pub Landlord.

He might be a friend of Ricky Gervais and a radio panel game regular, but Robin Ince isn't your average stand-up. He also runs a comedy institution called The Book Club, which involves him reading aloud from random second-hand tomes, and is a vocal atheist who curates gigs themed around science, Darwin and rationalism. This is a TV version of his festive variety show 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People, which combines gags from Dara O'Briain, Al Murray, Shappi Khorsandi and Chris Addison with music, plus more intellectual fare from scientists and writers - the movement's daddy, Richard Dawkins, among them. Stimulating stuff.

Despite being a fully-fledged member of the Grumpies' fan club I bet narrator Geoffrey Palmer and his gang of grouchy celebs are the Christmas guests from hell.

Ronni Ancona will moan that your Jamie Oliver-inspired turkey and cranberry sauce is "basically chicken with jam", Al Murray will tell you to "go away" when you talk to him about the joy of giving (he actually uses stronger language but I'm starting my New Year's resolution a few days early) and Penny Smith will moan that it's all "sentimental claptrap". Donna McPhail will terrify your dog by declaring Christmas is "worse than a puppy because you can't put it in a sack and drown it." And Ozzy Osbourne will consider getting back on his quad bike to avoid the whole thing for a second time. It's "just b******s," he says. Oh damn, there goes my resolution already.

What everyone forgets about Christmas is that it's a gigantic, weird nightmare: the nation syncs up to exchange disappointing gifts and gnaw stuffing that tastes like twice-cooked cardboard. So thank Santa for these curmudgeons - and it's now a mixed-gender complaints fest - who snarl in the face of festive bounty, traditions and gift-giving.

If, like them, you're a proud Grinch, then you'll lap up their guide to all things that people of an older persuasion like to moan about at Christmas.

Sir Cliff's Mistletoe and Wine gets a toasting, as does the implausibly popular culinary combination of turkey with cranberry sauce ("basically, chicken with jam", says Ronni Ancona).

Al Murray writes off "the joys of giving", while Ozzy Osbourne says he was grateful for that near-fatal quad bike accident, because it mean that year he missed Christmas altogether: "It's not good will to all men. It's just b******s." Glad to see his injury didn't dent his legendary articulacy.

Al Murray Interview

Al Murray's Pub Landlord is one of the most successful comedy characters in "beautiful British" history. In real life, of course, the Chiswick-based drumming enthusiast is far removed from his xenophobic alter-ego.

The quality of the stand-up comedians in the series has been so high that it isn't a question of one being better than another - it just boils down to which one you happen to like the most. My personal favourite tonight was Jon Richardson, mocking his own nerdy appearance and funny voice. "This is not a voice that will accentuate a sexual experience," he squeaks. Jo Caulfield discusses her mates ("Every woman has a slutty friend. And if you can't think who it is, it's you"); Micky Flanagan recalls the academic shortcomings of his East End comprehensive ("No kid from this school has ever gone on to drive a van"); and Al Murray's pub landlord explains the existence of God.