Dermot O'Leary

Radio Times review

Russell Brand almost torpedoed Jonathan Ross's career after the Sachs Incident, and caused convulsions within the BBC that still smart to this day. But the scandal didn't lead to a falling out between the terrible twosome - Brand appeared on Ross's show a year ago and he's back again.

As Brand is never more than a stone's throw from an outraged newspaper headline, he's bound to fulfil expectations as the country's chief Contrarian Comedian, particularly after all of that nonsense about not voting during his Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman. Also on the show are actress Goldie Hawn, Dermot O'Leary, presenter of the National TV Awards (22 January), and troubadour James Blunt, who provides the music.

A drum roll, please, for the much-anticipated, always enjoyable offcuts episode. These are the attempts by celebrities to fool other celebrities that ended up on the cutting room floor, not because they weren't funny (they are) but because they were surplus to requirements - or just a bit too guessable.

But we can still revel in Charles Dance's claim that he answers the phone in a Belfast accent or Dermot O'Leary's obsessive approach to stacking crockery. Best of all is a duel between Lee Mack and Richard Osman over whether the latter invented a superhero called Snooker Table Man as a child. We're fairly sure Osman is improvising furiously, but if he is, he's doing a great job...

In the spirit of full disclosure: I actively dislike Celebrity Juice. I'm not even sure why I'm reviewing it; watching Celebrity Juice makes me feel dirty in all the wrong ways. It is like comedic torture.

For those blissfully unaware of Celebrity Juice, it is a 'celebrity entertainment' panel show. Keith Lemon (Leigh Francis) is your host: a tanned, bleached, ginger-moustached Yorkshireman. His team captains are attractive, large breasted blonde Holly Willoughby and attractive, large-breasted brunette Kelly Brook. Guests this week include Connor Maynard (yeah, I'd never heard of him either), Richard Madley, Johnny Vegas and Dermot O'Leary. The show is made up of a series of challenges and games, and the winning team of each game wins some points.

I can't say much positive about it, other than Johnny Vegas was pretty good. But it's not hard for someone genuinely funny to stand out in this sort of setup. I would imagine the show's main target demographic is the sort of person who thinks that changing someone's Facebook status to "I'm gay" is the height of comedy (Ha ha ha - isn't human sexuality hilarious...). How it has quite so many fans just completely baffles me. Maybe the average person relates to jokes about boobies, muffs and wank jokes. Is this what it has come to?

You know the routine by now: let the children stay up a little late, don your red nose and get ready to donate, as television's finest entertainers prepare to make us chuckle for charity. It's the 25th anniversary of this kind-hearted TV telethon, and the roster of celebrities involved is not to be sniffed at.

Some familiar faces present the evening's festivities, including Dermot O'Leary, Michael McIntyre and Rob Brydon. Things kick off with Rowan Atkinson masquerading as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Jessie J shaving off her hair and One Direction performing their charity single One Way - let's hope David Cameron, who featured in the video, makes an appearance. Among the many other highlights is the cast of Call the Midwife cast performing a mini-episode featuring an unusual birth. Meanwhile, Homeland's Damian Lewis guest stars in a Vicar of Dibley special. Office fans will also be delighted to hear that David Brent returns to our screens, when Comic Relief switches over to BBC Two at 10.30pm. As ever, this is a full-on evening. There will be laughter, probably some tears, and hopefully a large sum raised at the end of it.

The Marriage Ref is cancelled

ITV1 has got a divorce from Dermot O'Leary's new show The Marriage Ref after just one series.

Saturday night... The Marriage Ref. Last of the sizzling series. A landmark in television history. Will it come back? No.

But another rare chance to catch ubiquitous guest Sarah Millican and her dreaded Geordie wit. Which used to be quite funny... until she started appearing on every show in town.

"I can't believe you got divorced," gasped witless host Dermot O'Leary. I can. And I'm guessing Sarah's husband saw far too much of her. Like the rest of us.

Similarly over-exposed panel game favourite Micky Flanagan sighed: "I don't know why I'm here." Because Jimmy Carr and Jack Dee weren't around... and it was your turn on the rota. Same old faces... same old jokes.

As always, the ­contestants all loved each other deeply. But had some meaningless minor moan.

A dead show walking right from the start, this pointless pap was so ­stunningly dull it was shunted to a late night timeslot. Due to total lack of interest.

The Marriage Ref is perplexingly bad. Couples arrive with a problem that is either banal (she won't tidy her room) or manufactured (he won't stop doing magic tricks), Jimmy Carr and Jack Dee try to be funny and Katherine Kelly makes inane side-chat, having signed one of those standard TV contracts in which a woman is required to be exactly as boring as her male counterpart is funny. Dermot O'Leary I can understand, he has the clean features for such mid-evening blather, Carr has always struck me as a man who would sell an organ if the price was right, but Dee? How broke can he be? Is he trying to set up an orphanage? What's going on?

The Marriage Ref: celebrities judge boring problems

The Marriage Ref plods on as even Dermot O'Leary now seems to find the format faintly ridiculous.

Dermot O'Leary's 'Marriage Ref' sinks under 2m

Dermot O'Leary's ITV gameshow The Marriage Ref sunk to abysmal ratings on Saturday night.

Here's witless host Dermot O'Leary talking up his instant disaster The Marriage Ref: "We know how to make television." Yeah, crap television.

While we're on the subject, last night's misleading episode was full of couples who weren't married. It's not like it's a brilliant name for a show. So call it something else.