Catherine Tate

The Vote at Donmar Warehouse, WC2

Is it theatre? Is it telly? Does it boast a preposterously talented cast of 44 that includes Judi Dench, Mark Gatiss and Catherine Tate? Is it any good? The answer to all those questions is a resounding yes, but still The Vote takes a bit of explaining.

Who should win best female comedy performance BAFTA?

Olivia Colman, Tamsin Greig, Jessica Hynes and Catherine Tate battle it out for the award, but who gets your vote?

The Vote review: all-star election-night farce

Judi Dench, a wonderfully twitchy Mark Gatiss, Catherine Tate and other famous faces make appearances at the polling station in Graham's entertaining ballot-box drama.

Steve Davis wants Catherine Tate to play him on screen

The sportsman is keen for a fellow flame-haired star to portray him if his autobiography is ever turned into a movie - even though she is a woman.

In a cracking special, comedian Michael McIntyre is presenting a whole host of variety in Michael McIntyre's Easter Night At The Coliseum.

Filmed at the majestic Coliseum in the heart of London's Theatreland, Michael will do his own brand of stand up, whilst also welcoming a stellar line-up of other comedians on stage too. He'll also be joined by singing superstars and jaw-dropping speciality acts.

Ella Henderson and Sia are two of the artists exercising their vocal cords, and Eddie Izzard and Bill Bailey will entertain us with some comedy. Catherine Tate's infamous Nan will also be stopping by to have her say.

Radio Times review

Variety is dead, apart from the several annual TV spectaculars that show it isn't. This one is fronted by cool people's least favourite stand-up, the superb Michael McIntyre, and takes place in a proper West End theatre.

Other comics on the bill include Eddie Izzard, Bill Bailey and, intriguingly given that she's no longer known for solo stage work, Catherine Tate. There's music from US star Sia and our very own Ella Henderson, and some magic, too: Mat Franco, who is getting people talking in the States, makes his UK debut.

One project that has mixed humour with serious subject matter for the last thirty years is Comic Relief which aired it's bi-annual Red Nose Day last Friday. As well as the climax of both The Bake-Off and The People's Strictly; Red Nose Day saw the return of many comedy icons. The sketch that the team seemed to be most proud of was the Little Britain clip in which David Walliams' Lou was now the carer for Professor Steven Hawking. However I wasn't a particular fan and by the clip's third airing I'd grown tired of seeing Hawking become a transformer and finish off both Lou and Catherine Tate's Irish nun. The more successful returns came courtesy of Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley with the latter presenting a cameo-laden sketch in which Geraldine meets her rivals for the position of the first female bishop. There were two sketches that I particularly enjoyed the first of which featured a host of famous faces vying to become Britain's newest national treasure. Featuring everyone from Salman Rushdie to The Chuckle Brothers; this sketch was amusing throughout and had a great pay-off. Similarly I felt that Comic Relief's take on Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen skit was inspired with a quartet of the organisation's famous fundraisers competing to see who had the most gruelling experience. There were other little moments that made me chuckle most notably when voiceover man Matt Berry came onto to stage to argue with host Claudia Winkleman. However, Comic Relief isn't really about the sketches or the laughter but rather the money that's raised at the end of the night. The final scene, in which Lenny Henry revealed that the organisation has raised more than a billion pounds over the past thirty years, was one of the most heartwarming TV moments I've seen all year. Henry's pride in what Comic Relief has done over the years was brilliant to see and it just proves what the British public can achieve when they put their minds to something.

Over on Radio 4, I've been ignoring Trodd en Bratt say "Well Done You" for almost two series now, mostly because it's called Well Done You, and that phrase, along with others such as "Aw, bless" and "x more sleeps til..." and "nom" (for food), makes me want to throw crockery at the wall. However, I've realised that Lucy and Ruth, the women behind WDY, are perfectly aware of how irritating WDY is (as though they wouldn't be), and I've realised that this, too, is a properly funny comedy programme. It's a sketch show, which means it's hit-and-miss, but that's the nature of it. A skit involving two women comparing how little they'd spent on stuff had some great lines, but suffered from the characters sounding too much like Catherine Tate (Tate casts a long shadow over female character comics). But other sketches, such as the really loud New York tourists, made me laugh - just at their silliness, really - while the women working in a shop where every product had to have a double function were original and very funny. So, you know, Ruth Bratt and Lucy Trodd, well done you!

David Walliams and Catherine Tate film new sketch

What a kerfuffle! David Walliams brings back his Little Britain character Lou to film a Comic Relief sketch with Stephen Hawking and Catherine Tate.

Bad Education series 2 DVD review

School-based comedy series have a somewhat hit and miss reputation as anyone who has seen Teachers or the more recent David Walliams/Catherine Tate sitcom Big School will agree. But while not exactly disproving this rule, BBC Three's relentlessly hip sitcom Bad Education is well worth skipping homework for.