David Mitchell (I)

Radio Times review

Rumbling Russell Crowe joins Jonathan Ross to talk about his directorial debut, The Water Diviner, about an Australian farmer setting out to find the bodies of his three sons who died at Gallipoli. No one will put him off (of course), not even snooty Brits.

Also on the sofa is Elizabeth Hurley, talking about her new US drama The Royals, which looks absolutely hilarious, though I'm not sure it's meant to be funny; and Downton Abbey's Lady Rose, Lily James twinkles by to talk about playing Cinderella in a new Disney film. Don't stay after midnight, Lily!

Best of all, the comedy corner is occupied by David Mitchell, and music comes from brilliant disco funksters Chic.

David Mitchell: this is definitely the last series

...But I'd still like to drop in on Mark and Jeremy when they're older.

Radio Times review

If I tell you that the expression "penal code" is enough to raise a laugh in this edition of QI and that at one stage Alan Davies is reduced to sticking his biro to his top lip for fun, you'll get the picture. It's not, I'm afraid to say, a classic. And that's despite the presence of the usually rock-solid David Mitchell, who is strangely subdued throughout.

So why watch? Well because even a sub-par, so-so QI can put a wry smile on your face and impart mildly intriguing titbits, such as the fact that a French documentary about King Edward VII's coronation featured a lavatory attendant standing in for the king.

Radio Times review

"I find nothing more relaxing than making scented candles," is the claim Adrian Chiles reads from his card to start the show. It's a splendid image - the football presenter dabbling with hot wax and perfume - and even better, it kicks off a heated dispute about what exactly candlestickmakers sell, which gets Lee Mack, Rob Brydon and David Mitchell barking at each other in a surreal shouting match.

Otherwise it's an episode held together by Mack's artful embroidery - right up to the point where guest June Brown almost collapses the whole format by replying in an exasperated tone, when asked if she thinks a story is true, "I don't see why it's so important!"

Harry Hill was the perfect Professor in The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm, a gag-a-minute Heath Robinson come to life with some delightfully grown-up gags, and some delightfully childish ones, and I wished, while watching, that I was 12 years old again and able to revel in simple glees.

His pretty village, Pagwell, is impossibly representative of an England lost for decades now, and David Mitchell and Ben Miller impossibly representative of cartoon villainy, but I didn't mind in the slightest because Norman Hunter's children's books have been re-rendered as impossibly good fun. I almost used the word zany but I've got through a whole 'nother year without using it, hurrah. Oops.

David Mitchell: 2015 in review

Now that 2015 is drawing to a close, the time for jumping to rigid and lasting conclusions about the previous 12 months is upon us.

Radio Times review

On the face of it, the formula for WILTY? is childishly simple. Celebs and comedians reveal daft things about themselves that may or may not be true. As formats go, it's a feather duster, an airy nothing. Yet there's no panel game on TV that so reliably creases you up. The battle of wits between David Mitchell and Lee Mack - or rather between their adopted roles of unworldly toff and philistine oik - always chucks up comedy sparks, but something in the vibe of the show keeps it likeable, feel-good and family-friendly. There's a reason it has won the British Comedy Award for best panel show three times: it's the best panel show on TV, end of.

Professor Branestawm: Why you should tune in

Although he's supported by a starry British cast including the always brilliant Vicki Pepperdine, Simon Day, David Mitchell and Ben Miller this is definitely Hill's big outing, and whether you enjoy it or not obviously depends on whether you actually like the former comedian turned King of Bloopers.

Radio Times review

There are certain RT people who have very fond memories of Norman Hunter's Professor Branestawm books from our primary school days and even after all these years we're a bit protective. But I think we're in safe hands, judging by the few clips that were available for preview. Harry Hill, a long-time master of eye-popping anarchy, actually looks the part of Hunter's bonkers, absent-minded inventor, a good-hearted buffoon who never does anything right.

Branestawm is the bane of his pretty village, Pagwell, where a buttoned-up, officious windbag of a councillor, Harold Haggerstone (David Mitchell), decides he's a menace to health and safety and wants his explosion-prone "workshop" closed down.

But of course this pettifogging bureaucrat has an ulterior motive: he wants to pave the way for evil businessman Mr Bullimore (Ben Miller) to open a munitions factory. It's deliciously old-fashioned, and could well be a lot of fun.