Frank Skinner

Frank Skinner: A tribute to a national treasure

Frank Skinner is back with a new show, Frank Skinner's Opinionated, and it's great to have him back. There's nothing post-modern about his style and he looks like he's been kicked out of the bookies, but as far as I'm concerned Funtime Frankie is a comedy great.

Much has been made of Frank Skinner's "rehabilitation" as a thoughtful talking head, as opposed to the New Lad icon of Fantasy Football, but he was never really that boorish back in the 1990s, and he's by no means so earnestly highbrow nowadays. Few details available, but this six-part run is set to follow the same format as the last, in which Skinner and guest comedians interact with audience members to ruminate amusingly, whimsically and often sharply on the detritus thrown up by current affairs.

The start of a second series for Frank Skinner's topical comedy show, which consists of Frank and two comedians chatting about the week's news.

It must have been a good idea, because ITV almost replicated it (minus comedians) when they enlisted another chap from the West Midlands, Adrian Chiles, to front That Sunday Night Show which finished last month.

Frank's guests this week are Lee Mack and Miranda Hart who have both done the show before and can be relied on to squeeze laughs out of almost anything.

As with all panel shows, the best stuff doesn't come out of the news itself but from all the chat in between - and with world events being a mixture of doom, gloom and apocalypse that's probably just as well.

Cultural Life: Frank Skinner, comedian

An interview with the comedian Frank Skinner.

Frank Skinner's heyday might have been during the lad-mag Nineties, but as the first series of this topical comedy show reminded us, he is a more interesting and in some ways more old-fashioned entertainer than that. He has matured into a witty and surprisingly wry host, and the BBC has signed Opinionated up for two more series, the first of which begins tonight. His guests, Lee Mack and Miranda Hart, are likely to be gently amusing but solidly uncontroversial.

A quick chat with Frank Skinner

One of the few good things to come out of the recession was the fact that it brought the quick-witted Frank Skinner back to our TV screens after he lost most of his life savings in the banking crisis...

Frank Skinner interview

Frank Skinner is back with more forthright and funny opinions on the week's news...

The second coming of Frank Skinner

Once he was the face of the ladmag generation, now Frank Skinner is coming over all perceptive and vulnerable.

For the meagre price of 5p per crisp packet to piggy-bank on this year's Comic Relief campaign, Walkers Crisps get the kind of publicity money can't buy.

This time there's no pretence at a socially responsible message (support British farmers! Eat crisps then go for a walk!), just an exhortation to scoff as many crisps as possible in the next month to support Stephen Fry, Al Murray, Jimmy Carr or Frank Skinner. While owner PepsiCo insists all Walkers advertising is targeted at adults, past years' Ofcom figures show that Comic Relief has the third highest child viewing figures of anything on TV.

The dozens of charities specifically funded by Comic Relief to tackle childhood obesity - such Dance Action Zone in Leeds, Girls Healthy Eating or the Merton Cycling Campaign, must be thrilled by the huge marketing bost for salty, fatty, junk food snacks.

Frank Skinner films Comic Relief Walker's Crips Advert

Looks like Frank Skinner has a bone to pick with someone as he dresses up as a chicken for a charity TV advert.