Ben Williams (I)

The best of 2012: comedy

Storytellers, dark clowns and ruddy good puns, Ben Williams picks his favourite (and least favourite) comedy gigs of 2012.

It all sounds very About A Boy. A selfish, immature thirty-something gets landed with caring for an intelligent, far-too-grown-up-for-his-age 11-year-old. But Uncle - the fourth and final pilot in the 4Funnies strand - isn't an fluffy romcom, it's a smart, foul-mouthed sitcom with a brilliantly rude lead performance by stand-up circuit fave Nick Helm.

Andy (Helm) is a depressed, selfish, washed-up musician on the cusp of killing himself. But just before he can take the suicide plunge he receives a call from his single-mum sister Sam (Daisy Haggard), who begs the miserable layabout to pick up her son, Errol, from school and take him to football practice. Andy hates Errol and Errol hates Andy, but when a blackmailing truce is called, they begin to get along. If this all sounds a little predictable, it is. But Uncle's sharp script shows promise - it's packed with jokes and neatly balances dark gags and cutesy morals. And Helm's performance makes Andy a sweary, sarcastic, self-centred treat.

Paul Foot's guide to showbizness

Paul Foot, the ultimate purveyor of fey whimsy, has truly embraced the celebrity lifestyle. He offers advice on coping with fame.

Prop shopping with The Boy With Tape On His Face

Time Out go prop-shopping with the award-winning silent comedy sensation Sam Wills, aka The Boy With Tape On His Face.

Character comedian David Earl has popped up in Extras, Derek and Cemetery Junction, so it's no surprise that Ricky Gervais acts as executive producer on his 4Funnies pilot. Earl plays Brian Gittins - an oddball, gravel-voiced minicab driver - who means well but is a little creepy. This Gittins is a toned-down version of a character who's been a regular fixture on the live circuit (albeit as a café owner rather than cabbie) for Earl. We follow Gittins's car journeys: awkward flirting with colleague Cheryl over the taxi's radio, dating advice from his daughter and conversations with eccentric passengers. Earl's performance is subtle and generous to his supporting cast. The set-ups can be a little clumsy - 'Right Dad, I'm on Google,' his daughter says to establish one scene, before slowly reading out exactly what she's typing - and the half-hour's more likely to induce giggles rather than belly laughs. But it has its moments, with Seb Cardinal's cameo as an Irish passenger obsessed with the volume of dog mess abroad being a highlight: 'My whole memory of Holland was a country jam-packed with dogshit.'

Jerry Sadowitz interview

Jerry Sadowitz is the ultimate comedians' comedian, loved and feared in equal measure. As he returns to the stage, he tells Time Out what keeps him angry.

Anyone who's seen Dr Brown's live work, including his triumphant Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning show this year, will be slightly taken aback by his TV pilot. He speaks! Brown - the clowning creation of American Phil Burgers - is largely silent on stage, performing slow-burning mime pieces with an unnerving edge. His small-screen debut is a bundle of short, snappy, subtle sketches, many taken from his Comedy Blaps series on the C4 website. Some skits are wordy, others not, but they're all brilliantly bizarre. We meet an upbeat hippy skateboarder, an emotionally unstable jogger, a jibberish-speaking Kimono-warring nuisance and many unsettling relationships. Much like his live work, the punchlines are often odd and unexpected, with his understated delivery and superb physical comedy skills raising the biggest laughs. Let's hope C4 gives Burgers a series; having been silent for so long, he must have plenty more to say.

Susan Calman interview

Susan Calman's new show is her most personal, political and passionate yet.

Greg Davies's favourite childhood activities

Adulthood is the central theme of comedy giant Greg Davies's new show. But Ben Williams discovers he hasn't lost his silly side as he shares some of his favourite childhood activities.

Paul Sinha interview

Ben Williams puts stand-up and professional quizzer Paul Sinha's knowledge to the test.