Clare Balding

Radio Times review

Written by and starring the siblings Rebecca and Jeremy Front, this astute satirical comedy returns for a new run. Each of the five spoof documentaries has Jeremy, as a Radio 4 reporter, spending 24 hours in the company of one of the "incredible women" of the title, all played by Rebecca.

Today we encounter Danielle, a reality TV star whose concept of "normal life" has been weirdly warped by having her every move scripted for her - it's a cross between TOWIE and What Katie Did Next. Various famous voices pop up as themselves - Eamonn Holmes, Joanna Lumley, Clare Balding and Dame Stella Rimmington included - and my favourite is Barbara Windsor, who makes a knowing return to her Carry On days as a sexually predatory 87-year-old singer.

Clever, funny, quality writing - this is just what we've come to expect from the Fronts.

BBC head of values Ian Fletcher continues to try to assuage complaints of "institutional anti-West Country bias within the corporation", aided not at all by Jessica Hynes's savagely stupid PR Siobhan Sharpe. ("Let's ride this train, let's nail this puppy to the floor.") Meanwhile, with Carol Vorderman accidentally booked into a Clare Balding presenting gig, the Britain's Tastiest Village production team must "find a way of breaking the bad news to Carol in such a way that it doesn't sound like a giant and protracted cock-up". Delicious.

Tonight Jessica Hynes plays glorious havoc with the future of the BBC as PR consultant Siobhan snares head of values Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) on a fast train to Manchester.

He's on a damage-limitation exercise but Siobhan is on a cyber trip to hashtag mash-up city in a bid to launch 'Brand Fletcher' to the tweeting masses.

Back in London, events have set the lovely Carol Vorderman on a collision course with the lovely Clare Balding. Could get messy.

If you were disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Jessica Hynes's character [Siobhan Sharpe in last week's opening episode, tonight's blisteringly farcical instalment more than makes up for it.

The BBC's new Head Of Values, Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville), and Tracey "I'm-not-being-funny-or-anything," Pritchard (Monica Dolan), are on the train to Salford where Ian is going to be interviewed by Jenni Murray on Woman's Hour about the BBC's alleged "institutional anti-West-Country bias".

It's a golden opportunity for him to change the subject by announcing that Carol Vorderman will be joining Alan Titchmarsh to co-present a new series called Britain's Tastiest Village.

Until, that is, Siobhan starts tweeting incessantly on Ian's behalf.

Meanwhile, Clare Balding is on her way to New Broadcasting House because she thinks that SHE is presenting Britain's Tastiest Village.

A perfect storm of a PR disaster is brewing and Siobhan Sharpe is the lunatic steering the boat straight into the middle of it.

Radio Times review

The cha-cha-cha theme music from Animal Magic they use over the opening titles of W1A will hang around in your head for days if you're not careful, and so will some of its cruelly funny scenes.

Last time, buzzword bunny Siobhan "Totally" Sharpe (Jessica Hynes) barely got a look in. Here she's centre stage as she muscles in on Ian's trip to appear on Woman's Hour in Salford. "Let's ride this train, let's nail this puppy to the floor!" she drones, while launching a Twitter campaign that races out of control ("We've just been re-tweeted by Enrique Iglesias!")

Ian (Hugh Bonneville) is trying to scotch the idea that the BBC has an institutional bias against the West Country (and that it's institutionally sexist and ageist), but his encounter with Jenni Murray slides steadily into farce.

Meanwhile, back in London, there's a crisis meeting over the double-booking of Carol Vorderman and Clare Balding to present Britain's Tastiest Village. Step forward dim intern Will ("Yah, cool") to save the day.

W1A lends a further comedic lease of life to Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville) from the hit sitcom Twenty Twelve. The former Head of Olympic Deliverance has been appointed the BBC's Head of Values, with Twenty Twelve's PR guru Siobhan Sharpe (Jessica Hynes) trailing in his wake.

The rest of the cast and characters are all new, but the mockumentary format, inane narration, understated performances and comedy of social embarrassment are retained from Twenty Twelve.

Episode one got off to a very strong start, with Fletcher ineffectually grappling with such thorny issues as Cornish under-representation, Clare Balding dropping out of a proposed Countryfile/Bake Off hybrid show and the total absence of any desk or office to work out of. However, he hasn't tried to close BBC3 down, so at least that's in his favour.

Today's fan poll: if you had to choose between James Corden and Mathew Baynton being mistaken for a rent boy and forced to perform a boy dance for the pleasure of drunken Russian gangsters, who would you plump for?

Right answer. It was Baynton's Sam, the little of this little and large combo, who lost a last remaining shred of dignity as The Wrong Mans (BBC Two) cranked up the thrilling element of its comedy-thriller plot.

It was just one memorable moment in an episode that also involved Corden getting mugged by an airbag. Visual comedy doesn't often do it for me but The Wrong Mans gets it spot on.

Described memorably as 'a scrawny hobbit and a male Clare Balding' - now you come to mention it - Baynton and Corden have fast developed into a winning double act, the latter resisting the temptation and letting Baynton's befuddled straight man set the tone. Thus far, The Wrong Mans is getting it totally right.

Colin Murray regrets Clare Balding comments

'The second I said it I knew it was too much'. Colin Murray speaks for the first time about his regrets over the comments he made about Clare Balding on 5Live's Fighting Talk.

BBC 'got it wrong' over Balding gag

The BBC has admitted that it "got it wrong" about a live quiz show which discussed "curing" Clare Balding of homosexuality, on Radio 5 live.

Clare Balding, queen of TV presenting and all things horsey, trots in to chew the hay with Mr Carr on how she's raced through the field to achieve national treasure status. She's joined by former Take That pop pony Mark Owen, who's providing a taste of The Art Of Doing Nothing - his upcoming fourth solo album - which he hopes will mark a fresh chapter in his music career while he waits for Take That to get back into the studio.