Fred MacAulay

"I was never that good as an accountant..."

FACE TO FACE: Fred MacAulay interviewed by Elizabeth McMeekin.

Dara O'Briain presents a festive edition of the comedy panel show. The series's regulars - Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard, Andy Parsons and Frankie Boyle - offer their reflections on Christmas and review highlights from the series. There are also contributions from other nimble-witted comedians, including Fred Macaulay, Holly Walsh, Milton Jones and David Mitchell.

Just having something to laugh at in these grim times is enough. As Rich Hall said on 4 at The Fringe, "When people are happy comedians suffer." True enough, but Radio 4 listeners have sat through enough dire comedians to know some depths of suffering for themselves.

This show, the first of two, served up four acts from this year's Edinburgh fringe, all of them established and familiar. In fact, Fred MacAulay is so familiar we're almost related. Yet his style of observational comedy is really funny (budget airlines, dogs taking over from children as sofa occupants) and his timing is flawless. That, I suppose, comes with experience.

How familiar does this new comedy series sound? Two panels of two guests make fun of the news under the witty eye of a chairperson. It's impossible not to compare this to Have I Got News for You but I hope that this doesn't stop it from getting a fair chance to bed in and flourish. The pilot episode that I heard was recorded in the middle of the MPs' expenses scandal and the panel fed upon this like piranhas on a fresh bloody morsel. Fred MacAulay made an excellent chair but this show will ultimately be made or broken by the calibre and wit of the panellists.

This is the hallowed slot for Radio 4's topical comedy and it's a brave Controller who fills it with a brand new show. So best of luck to Fred MacAulay and his teams, competing to strike fresh sparks by rubbing together damp twiglets of the week's news. Rounds include What the Papers (don't actually) Say, Who's Who (who is the new who and why) and Apathy Attack (persuading a member of the audience to change his or her mind). Score warning: don't take it seriously. If the cricket runs over then it will be on FM only: Test Match Special will be on Radio 4 LW. No joke.