Alice Cooper

Noel Fielding: I called Alice Cooper at 5am for a chat

The Never Mind The Buzzcocks captain and comedian, 41, discusses steam with Stephen Fry and wallpaper with Courtney Love as he takes us through his photo album...

Friday nights are Lee Mack night, with Would I Lie to You? and the return of this endearingly silly sitcom, an unashamedly old-fashioned half-hour of daft gags, smut, wisecracks and wordplay. Mack plays a version of himself, the world's worst flatmate, Lee: an ageing slacker who's in (undeclared) love with his comely landlady, Lucy (Sally Bretton).

Lucy's dull financial adviser brother Tim (Tim Vine) has joined a rock band, the Auditors, and his supporters are out in force. But his onstage banter is painful, leading Lee to observe: "Somewhere, in a parallel universe, Alice Cooper is advising someone about the advantages of a cash ISA."

The best bits are generally not the guests railing against things they hate - insurance adverts, parrots, and so on. The best bits are when host Frank Skinner disagrees or tries to win them over. Tonight he comes to the defence of reality TV stars, Chris Moyles ("I see him as a cheeky Jabba the Hutt") and Jedward. The finest moment comes when guest Alice Cooper tries to condemn balloon sculptures and our host introduces a man with a riposte so jaw-droppingly impressive, even Cooper has to bow in mock-worship.

Also airing his peeves is Chris Packham, revealing an unexpected resentment - in the series' broadest swipe yet - of the entire human race.

We've been enjoying the funny and impassioned banter this rebooted panel show has prompted. It's in fine fettle again tonight as Alice Cooper rants about reality TV shows, Chris Tarrant bemoans Jedward and Chris Packham shakes his head in despair over his loathing of Chris Moyles, who he describes as 'a totemic figure for the celebration of mediocrity and ignorance'.

Another chance for celebrities to whinge on national television. The new format of this comedy talk show, back after a five-year hiatus, sees three guests putting their gripes to Frank Skinner. The programme has done away with the easy banter and intimacy of previous series. But the gags keep coming, and this week's guests are certainly an eclectic mix: rock god Alice Cooper, TV presenter Chris Tarrant and Springwatch presenter Chris Packham.

Alice Cooper wants to put reality TV into Room 101

Alice Cooper can't stand reality TV stars and Big Brother. The rock legend blasts them in BBC1's Room 101 next Friday, saying: "I hate all reality TV stars. Reality stars aren't stars as they have never worked for anything."

Chat between Alice Cooper and Noel Fielding

An intimate chat between the shock-rock great and the Luxury Comedy funnyman. Warning: contains dead chickens and goth golf clothing.

It's back, with shiny new titles, Frank Skinner in place of Paul Merton and not one but three guests competing to have pet hates banished for ever. Robert Webb, Danny Baker and Fern Britton select peeves such as homework, sci-fi, PE and punk, but it has all the awkwardness of a bad dinner party and little of the easy, intimate wit and banter of the original show; the best fun to be had is Webb's seeming disdain for the rather tedious Britton, who seems to think she's on Grumpy Old Women. Maybe future contestants - among them Alistair McGowan, Josh Groban, Sarah Millican and Alice Cooper - will make this more likeable, though they'll have a job getting laughs from the likes of Gregg Wallace, Gabby Logan and Mark Lawrenson.

5 things you might not know about Nick Helm

The former 'dinner lady' and 2011 Best Joke of the Fringe winner Nick Helm doesn't get on with Alice Cooper.

A best-of compilation proving that this has been yet another strong series. Your hosts include Tinie Tempah, who was confident enough not to try to be funny all the time, but was funny when he did try; and James Blunt, who was even more confident in that he did try to be funny all the time, and was. At one point Blunt had Phill Jupitus doubled over laughing at a naughty joke about the Pussycat Dolls. We can only hope Blunt devotes more and more of his time to comedy.

Meanwhile, the myths surrounding Alice Cooper's rock antics gave the show's gag-writers one of their best nights, and earlier this month Cilla Black made a surprise appearance.