Frankie Boyle

BBC Trust apologises for Frankie Boyle 'angry Jew' joke

Standards committee of corporation's governing body upholds finding that remark offensive, but calls for no further action.

My disability is not a joke

Last week, comedian Frankie Boyle caused a furore when he joked about Down's Syndrome; he was challenged by the mother of a child with Down's. Here, one woman shares her experience of being the butt of jokes about her disability.

This update of Channel 4's 2007 poll of the 100 greatest stand-ups should include some of the new comedy stars who have risen to fame since. It's unlikely that Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard or Michael McIntyre will have shot straight in at No1, but four hours of watching skits from some of the nation's funniest people remains an undiluted pleasure.

This update of Channel 4's 2007 poll of the 100 greatest stand-ups should include some of the new comedy stars who have risen to fame since. It's unlikely that Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard or Michael McIntyre will have shot straight in at No1, but four hours of watching skits from some of the nation's funniest people remains an undiluted pleasure.

Can you define offensive comedy?

As Frankie Boyle's Down's Syndrome skit lands him in hot water, it's time for us to draw a line between humour that works and humour that hurts.

The Down's Syndrome Association has issued a statement regarding comedian Frankie Boyle's controversial new show.

Do I detect a slightly more relaxed and free-handed atmosphere now Frankie Boyle's not around to dominate proceedings? Mock The Week still can't match 8 Out Of 10 Cats' jovial atmosphere, but it's certainly getting there. The guests all got a chance to shine, which was the main thing. Chris Addison (best known for his role in political satire The Thick Of It, but also a stand-up comedian) got a few big laughs (mainly with his suggestion that we counter a tidal wave created by the Chinese jumping simultaneously with a similar wave borne of the UK's obese children), and stand-up comedians Sarah Millican and John Bishop both made enough of an impression to prevent total domination by the regulars.

But I'm still disappointed MTW even has so many "regulars" - because what's wrong with the traditional two team captains format? It just feel unbalanced and, frankly, I've grown tired of Hugh Dennis and Andy Parsons' shtick. And it still irritates me when the stand-up round features topics designed to give the guests the opportunity to reuse their stand-up routines (I mean, "Language"? The broadness of "Politics"?), but otherwise this was a fun episode - if still something you'll have forgotten about by ten o'clock.

Frankie Boyle's been lanced, Russell Howard's wearing specs, but it's otherwise business as usual for satirical news quiz Mock The Week; a fusion of Have I Got News For You? and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, with irrelevant scoring and a weird mix of rounds that go from sitdown quiz to stand-up performances. It's all a mere conduit for ribpoking of the week's news stories, and MTW is perhaps more consistent than its contemporaries because four of the pannelists are regulars.

The downside of that consistency is that Hugh Dennis stopped being funny in the mid-'90s and Andy Parsons has never been funny, leaving host Dara O'Briain and Russell Howard to shoulder most of the comic burden. And, like a great many modern panel shows, a lot of guests just become glorified audience members, desperate to shoehorn in paraphrased segments of their standup material. This week, Mark Watson coped well as a guest (he's a veteran of this format), Patrick Kielty had the confidence to soldier through any difficulties he encountered, and while Milton Jones sometimes struggled to recycle his material appropriately, he at least didn't just sit back and do nothing. It helps that his stage persona is a spaced-out weirdo, so his weaker moments and slipups could be forgiven as part of his "act".

The top-notch panel show returns with guests Mark Watson, Patrick Kielty and Milton Jones - but how will it fare without the savage brilliance of Frankie Boyle?

Mock The Week may become less vicious

Dara O'Briain seems genuinely curious when asked whether Mock The Week can survive Frankie Boyle's departure. "I don't know," he says. "It could be the ushering in of a new era. We may change the theme music to, Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead and then we the munchkins will appear and sing our happy munchkin song.