Jack Seale

Radio Times review

Some people got a bit carried away and said this was even better than Harry Enfield's 1989 masterpiece, Norbert Smith: A Life. Steady on. But it was the best example yet of Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's resurgence as satirists who have the happy air of not caring a jot what anyone thinks, whom they upset or whether every impression quite works. Spoofing the entire half-century output of BBC2 led to many lovingly crafted jewels and included several things you suspect H&P actually like, but ripped the piss out of anyway. Linking the scattered bits was Enfield in a Comedy Award-winning turn as a sweeping, Schamanic presenter. That he was wandering round a deserted TV Centre underlined the sad subtext of golden eras having passed.

Radio Times review

Back after a three-year hiatus, the cleverest stand-up on TV had refined his tantric anti-comedy about comedy still further, flipping riffs this way and that for minutes on end like some sort of hilarity jazz trumpeter. Childish vandalism of a road sign to Shilbottle; UKIP; or Lee's own feelings of utter uselessness at being a middle-aged, vasectomised father of two drinking real ale every night: he can now work any subject up into comic nirvana by remorselessly observing not the detail of a thing, but the essence. And he made his new antagonist Chris Morris corpse. Twice.

Radio Times review

Ho and, to an extent, ho. Brace yourselves for the favourite gags of men from around the country who like to don baggy red trousers and an elasticated beard at around this time of year. Some of the jokes are merrily hovering just below cracker standard, and several are only fit for repetition once the kids are in bed and everyone's had five cooking sherries.

If your Christmas has been a thankless whirl of herding, fixing and organising, this sort of grown-up silliness could be the perfect way to let off steam.

Radio Times review

Pontyberry's first festive special is unashamedly tinselly and warm. Longing for absent loved ones, thinking of those less fortunate than ourselves and blazing rows about turkey: these are the fundamentals of Christmas, and they're the themes here. While Stella (creator Ruth Jones) takes on a difficult patient during a nursing stint on a children's ward, the rest of the town gathers, irritably, to audition and rehearse for Auntie Brenda's charity panto.

You know all the bickering and misunderstanding will work itself out in the end. That's the appeal. This is a lovely indulgence, but with plenty of salty laughs to complement the sweetness.

Radio Times review

Christmas needn't be all doom and gloom, you know: try to see the funny side of it with this collection of amusing clips and comedians' anecdotes. The age-old staples of festive observational comedy are thoroughly dealt with, from office parties and last-minute shopping to cooking the turkey and feeling sick on Boxing Day.

Jane Horrocks narrates, with Christmas bonuses also heading into the bank accounts of Al Murray, Linda Robson, Adil Ray, Eamonn Holmes and, offering some hope of frosty freshness, Dame Edna Everage.

Radio Times review

In a year when a celeb seemed to pop off every week, some losses were keener than others. Rik Mayall was 56 when he died suddenly in June: nowhere near retirement, as evidenced by his TV comeback last year in Man Down. That show's bereft creator, Greg Davies, contributes to this documentary, as do Michael Palin, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Tim McInnerny and Ruby Wax.

The rare footage here should illustrate how Mayall justified the over-used phrase "force of nature". He was like a child eternally refusing to grow up. That's why it was so shocking when he turned out not to be unstoppable after all.

Radio Times review

The Joan Rivers Position, a chat show with a saucy agony-aunt vibe that ran from 2004-06, is ripe for a one-hour retrospective. Partly because Rivers was mourned by the comedy world when she died in September, and this was one of the few UK shows where she was more than a guest. Partly because in all honesty, whole episodes were a chore - but the good bits were sensational.

Take Brigitte Nielsen storming out, coming back after the break, then going again. Or Graham Norton frankly discussing his sex life, including a namecheck for RT that very much didn't make it into any of our marketing materials.

Radio Times review

A peach of a series finale, running in real time with Lee Mack in his favourite spot at the bar throughout. Lucy (Sally Bretton) is on her way to a restaurant for a job interview, and if she gets the role she'll be leaving for good. So Lee and Toby (Hugh Dennis) ponder life for Lee without Lucy. Should he run next door and hammer on the window, like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate? Can he even admit he loves her?

The show's detractors say it's just a heap of puns with no soul. Not tonight. The underlying theme of the lackadaisical joker using silliness as a defence mechanism is blown open. Yet the gags - and there are many brilliant ones - never, ever stop.

Radio Times review

A sparkly, disposable bauble that reunites 24: Live Another Day co-stars Stephen Fry and Kiefer Sutherland, but in roles that could hardly be more different. Sutherland is a suburban dad and husband who's not very good at either. With Christmas coming, red bills are piling up and his failure as head of his family is about to be revealed. He needs money. The guy next door (Kevin McNally) is a pathetically seething cuckold who has money, and wants a nasty favour in return...

Fry is the magic element in a half-hour caper with a whiff of It's a Wonderful Life. Don't invest too heavily, but the crispness of Fry and Sutherland's long scene together - and the now-rare chance to see Fry flex his comic acting muscles - makes up for the tale not amounting to much.

Radio Times review

Jonathan Ross is your host as the nation's comics get together and royally rip the mickey. No tears. No compliments. It's their way of saying they love each other.

The nominations list shows 2014 has been an exceptional year - albeit primarily for white men, who are so glaringly dominant, it's a wonder there aren't any blokes up for best comedy actress.

The evening should belong to Matt Berry, whose riotous Toast of London is in line for six awards, the most nods since Gavin & Stacey seven years back. His fellow best actor nominee Mathew Baynton might have a better chance in the restored comedy drama category - if The Wrong Mans can edge out Rev. and the dazzling Inside No 9.

Or will it be a night for codgers? Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's labour of love Story of the Twos is justly recognised, and there are two noms for a gang of plucky UKTV debutants called Monty Python...