Ardal O'Hanlon

Over on Channel 4, rather later after the watershed for reasons that became quickly obvious, London Irish (***) started another six-week residency. The sitcom, about four Northern Irish twentysomethings living in the UK capital, is created and written by Derryite Lisa McGee. The foursome are sister and brother Bronagh (Sinead Keenan) and Conor (Kerr Logan), who share a flat with Packy (Peter Campion) and Niamh (Kat Reagan). Packy is a slacker, Niamh is a nympho, and has a jailbird boyfriend who bores her but whom she keeps in contact with "for a ride", while Bronagh has range of fruity insults for her dim brother, including "dickswab" and "fucktard".

They are part of a generation mercifully untouched by terrorism, so instead of brooding about the stereotypes of politics, religion and history, they can get on with living up to the, er, stereotypes of drinking too much, having lots of sex and and swearing like navvies. I think there's a joke in there somewhere, but McGee doesn't upend the tired tropes to make them funny.

Last night's story concerned Packy bumping into Ryan (Ciaran Nolan) from back home, who lost his hand while covering a shift in a garage for him, when he was shot in a hold-up. Packy organises a charity quiz - "like an exam in a pub" - at the foursome's local to raise funds for Ryan's new robotic hand. Cue lots of rather weak jokes about not him being able to clap or going to a fancy-dress party as Captain Hook - Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's one-legged actor auditioning for Tarzan it was most definitely not.

The opener was a bit frantic and unfocused, and the actors are all a little too shouty - always a bad sign in a comedy - and, despite some smart lines and the welcome presence of Ardal O'Hanlon as Bronagh and Conor's Da back home, it will have to improve swiftly to gain a dedicated following.

Review: Ardal O'Hanlon tour

Laid-back anecdotal humour from the likeable Irishman.

Ardal O'Hanlon: From the Comedy Cellar to Craggy Island

Having captured our attention as Father Dougal, Ardal O'Hanlon is still making us laugh as his latest show goes on tour.

Udderbelly Festival 2013: the top ten comedy shows

This year's Udderbelly three-month programme offers over 40 chuckle-inducing shows. Time Out picks Tony Law, Ardal O'Hanlon, The Boy with Tape on His Face, Susan Calman, Doc Brown, Austentatious, Glenn Wool, Nick Helm and Simon Munnery.

Returning for a second series, The Matt Lucas Awards is continuing to give out awards for all kinds of strange categories - and sadly it's still as bad as the first series.

This opening episode featured Ardal O'Hanlon, Robert Webb and Adil Ray, giving out awards in the categories of "Least compensable UK accent", "Most miserable day of the year", and the "Hidden talent award".

I say it's as bad as the first series - there have been a few changes. The musician David Arnold is no-where to be seen, and the awards are now given out by a panel of three judges. In this episode it was three Olympic bronze medallists.

But the second series has exactly the same problems as the first. It's way too gimmicky. In fact, with the inclusion of the judges you could argue that it's become even more gimmicky. You can tell it's tacky when you see Ardal O'Hanlon trying to sing Squeeze's "Up the Junction" in a Donald Duck voice, while dressed in a Donald Duck costume.

It's a huge shame; I really enjoyed the original radio version of the show, And The Winner Is...

There's something a bit odd about these spoof awards, which return for a second series. They are hosted by Matt Lucas, who awards prizes in "unrecognised comedy fields". It used to be on radio, and worked much better there; the TV format is gimmicky. Tonight's guests include Robert Webb, Ardal O'Hanlon and Adil Ray.

Little Britain's Matt Lucas returns to hand out another batch of tubby-tummied gold statuettes to celeb guests.

First on Lucas's sofa are Ardal O'Hanlon, Robert Webb and Adil Ray who take it in turns to nominate candidates for random categories.

Tonight's gongs, awarded by a trio of judges - Olympic bronze medallists Anthony Ogogo, Kate Walsh and Alex Danson - are for such achievements as Least Comprehensible UK Accent and Most Miserable Day Of The Year.

Lined up awkwardly on Matt Lucas's sofa, Robert Webb, Adil Ray and Ardal O'Hanlon look like guests at a bad party. Despite Lucas's sharp chatter, this returning panel show, in which guests suggest award winners in categories such as "most miserable day of the year", feels clunky and slow. The highlight is the award for best hidden talent, when Adil Ray reveals an uncanny ability to recognise 1980s cars just by hearing them rev. If only the rest of the show had more vroom vroom.