Ian Wolf

Review: Rory Bremner's Election Report

I'm very fond of Bremner as a performer. His knowledge of politics is something that is often lacking in other topical comedy shows.

Inside No. 9 - La Couchette preview

It is not just the dramatic elements that work, but also the comedy. Anyone familiar with Shearsmith and Pemberton's work will already be familiar with their dark comic tone.

The Last Leg of the Year review

This the best sort of yearly review: one which takes place after the whole year has taken place, because you never know what sort of events are going to take place on the last few days of the year... and indeed something did happen which caused a bit of conflict between host Adam Hills and the viewers.

The Sarah Millican Television Programme - review

To me The Sarah Millican Television Programme puts me in mind of a show such as Russell Howard's Good News. Yes, they are not as serious as other similar comedies like Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe or Have I Got News for You, but they are jolly and fun. Sometimes that is all you need.

Review: Bill Bailey @ Theatre Royal

The coalition government, celebrities, Downton Abbey and computing acronyms were all under fire in the latest stand-up show from one of Britain's great musical comedians.

The comedy crime series Jonathan Creek returns for its first outing since 2010 and it's still as baffling as ever, although there have been a few changes...

The main change is that Creek (Alan Davies) has left the world of magic and his windmill home for an ordinary working life in an office, having married a lady called Polly (Sarah Alexander). While Polly goes away on a business trip, however, his sidekick Joey Ross (Sheridan Smith) tells Jonathan about a murder case involving an old friend's vanishing corpse in a locked room. Creek decides to dust off his duffle coat to take on the case - one that involves an old acquaintance of his: overbearing cop D.I. Gideon Pryke (Rik Mayall).

This episode had its ups and downs. I did feel myself giving a bit of a cheer when I saw Creek going through his wardrobe and pulling out his trademark duffle coat. The supporting cast performed well, although given that included the likes of Mayall, Joanna Lumley and Nigel Planer it's not surprising. What was surprising, however, is that given how energetic Mayall usually is it was interesting and refreshing to see him perform a role which demands almost no movement. There were some funny moments too, such as when Joey believes she has discovered a code, only to find out that Creek has solved it already. The way it's revealed was hilarious.

However, in terms of the case itself, there were some flaws in it. My brother was watching the episode as well, and remarked on one of the clues, which was a pair of footprints right up against a wall. The way the footprints were formed we by a pair of shoes being dropped from a high window and landing perfectly next to each other just in that spot. As my brother pointed out, surely the shoes would not have fallen straight to the ground, but tumbled as they fell.

So in this case, the performances as we good, but the writing could have been better. A new series is in the works so hopefully the show will return to form.

Another episode in The Many Faces of... strand on BBC Two, narrated by Sally Philips, focused on a comic actor famed for his laugh, his acting skill, and his rather wrinkled looks.

Broadcast to mark the 100th birthday of Sid James, which is in a few weeks, this documentary it has to be said didn't start well. This was nothing to do with James or the programme's production, but more to do with the fact that in the third cut-away you discovered that one of the talking heads featured in this programme was Chris Moyles.

But this aside, the other contributors, including Nigel Planer (busy week for him then) were good. There were also some rare outings of comedies now rarely seen such as Citizen James, which was basically Hancock's Half Hour without Tony Hancock, and looked like a decent show in its own right. There was also his straighter acting, which included appearances in a Quatermass film.

The Carry On films were the main area of covered, but for me the most interesting bit was the coverage of ITV sitcom Bless This House. I was unaware of how popular it was. It was one of the most watched comedies of its day, although this was helped by the fact that the show on the BBC at the same time was Panorama. This just goes to prove that what you really need to make a good sitcom is the right timing - not just good comic timing, but good scheduling too boot.

Returning for a second series, The Matt Lucas Awards is continuing to give out awards for all kinds of strange categories - and sadly it's still as bad as the first series.

This opening episode featured Ardal O'Hanlon, Robert Webb and Adil Ray, giving out awards in the categories of "Least compensable UK accent", "Most miserable day of the year", and the "Hidden talent award".

I say it's as bad as the first series - there have been a few changes. The musician David Arnold is no-where to be seen, and the awards are now given out by a panel of three judges. In this episode it was three Olympic bronze medallists.

But the second series has exactly the same problems as the first. It's way too gimmicky. In fact, with the inclusion of the judges you could argue that it's become even more gimmicky. You can tell it's tacky when you see Ardal O'Hanlon trying to sing Squeeze's "Up the Junction" in a Donald Duck voice, while dressed in a Donald Duck costume.

It's a huge shame; I really enjoyed the original radio version of the show, And The Winner Is...

When this show was first broadcast as a Comedy Lab pilot, I mentioned at the time some of the ideas appeared to be a bit limited, while others were repeated far too often. But this new series of Anna & Katy is a vast improvement on the original outing.

Written and performed mainly by Anna Crilly and Katy Wix, most of the sketches take the form of TV show parodies. Rice Britannia (Great British Bake Off with the only dish being bowls of rice), Küntwords (a German Countdown), and Ignition (a car servicing firm parodying The Apprentice) all make an appearance.

There's also Congratulation!, a series of sketches from the pilot, where the hosts congratulate minor things, with the "Biggest Congratulation" being displayed via the hosts... showing their censored vaginas.

I liked most of the sketches. Personal favourites included The Lane, a naff soap opera sponsored by an optician (resulting in the whole plot being driven towards promoting their glasses), and a poll show called World's Worst Word, which featured a comedian who looked not too dissimilar to Chris Ramsey.

Anna & Katy deserves to become a hit.

Gigglebox weekly #78

This week Ian Wolf encounters out-of-date satire, "Up the Junction" sung in the style of Donald Duck, and a sketch character that looks a bit like Chris Ramsey.