Alan Johnson

Car Share deserves a proper send-off

Car Share deserves a proper send-off says former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

Review: Unspun With Matt Forde, Dave

Matt Forde's new political series nearly hit the buffers before it had even been recorded. Forde's first guest was scheduled to be Labour leadership contender Owen Smith, but he pulled out. Forde suggested on the show that Smith was concerned about appearing laddish. It was a shame, but his stand-in, former Home Secretary Alan Johnson was good value for money anyway.

Unspun with Matt Forde review

A bold commission from what was once the home of the repeat, an ultra-topical political show recorded the night before transmission.

Video: Shappi Khorsandi on internet trolls & prejudice

On BBC1's This Week, comedian Shappi Khorsandi laughed at how internet trolls reckon she only gets on TV as she was a woman and Iranian.

She teased Andrew Neil about journalists asking her about prejudice - in a debate with Michael Portillo and Alan Johnson. She also defended Frankie Boyle who won a legal action over claims he was a racist.

Video: Stephen Mangan on emotions and giving birth

Actor Stephen Mangan, who has portrayed Tony Blair and currently plays a pregnant man on the London stage, spoke of emotions in the week when David Cameron's temper and the the "feisty form" of Conservative MP Ann Marie Morris were in the news.

Michael Portillo recalled losing his seat at Westminster - and also claimed there were "extensive similarities" between Andy Murray and Gordon Brown - as he debated political image and emotions with Andrew Neil and Alan Johnson.

The interview ends with the actor talking of his hopes for a new series of Episodes - in which he stars with Matt LeBlanc and Tamsin Greig.

A second series for the live comedy and current affairs show hosted by David Mitchell, Charlie Brooker, Lauren Laverne and Jimmy Carr. The recommission must have been touch and go, but the strand just about warrants persevering with. The first run was inevitably patchy and Laverne seemed underemployed in comparison to her male counterparts. But it got enough right in a lively enough style to merit another go. Weirdly, it managed a few scoops too; 10 O'Clock Live was the first show to announce both Alan Johnson's resignation and the UN's commitment to a No Fly Zone in Libya. By its very nature, live satire is probably doomed to miss as many targets as it hits. But, given the current volatility of world events, this might be a show in the right place at the right time.

Video: Stewart Lee on music, politics and prostests

Comedian Stewart Lee compared Glastonbury to the House of Commons as he discussed whether music was losing its political message and the power of protest with Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Alan Johnson.