Jane Anderson (II)

Those familiar with the work of living vaudeville legend Count Arthur Strong (Steve Delaney) will need no introduction to his work. Old-school entertainer, after-dinner speaker, raconteur, ventriloquist, mind-reader and celebrity chef do not do his illustrious career justice. For those unaware of his work, he is also the master of malapropisms. Never has the English language taken so much of a lashing as when the Count gets his gums around it.

Here he finds himself railing against the hopelessness of public transport and decides his only option is to get his minx out. That's a Hillman Minx, which he's not driven for 30 years. A chain of events is set in motion by this dangerous decision that sees my hero sending an innocent insurance clerk into an abyss of despair: "Is there something wrong with you?" asks the Count as he tries to get a quotation. "Have you been off work and come back too soon?"

This altercation ends with a pricey quote because Count Arthur Strong works in the entertainment industry and "might have someone like Terry Wogan" in the back of his car.

Why should he pay for Terry Wogan to travel in his Minx? Does the clerk think he should take him shopping and pay for his food bills as well? There's only one thing for it: the Count must confront Terry Wogan himself...

I shall leave the marvellous malapropisms to him. Just be sure not to mess thus.

Do you know what "Jedwood Justice" is? It is not, as the audience gathered for this new panel show obviously hope, some primeval punishment dished out upon the Grimes brothers. Fortunately, Stephen Fry knows exactly what it is, and host Gyles Brandreth is able to congratulate him with magniloquent verbosity.

Pure silliness abounds as Dave Gorman hosts a one-off show in which he asks his contestants - Chris Addison, Roisin Conaty, Geoff Lloyd and Seymour Mace - to compete for gold medals in, quite frankly, ludicrous rounds. For example, Usain Bolt can run the 100m in 9.58 seconds: what do the panellists think they could do in 9.58 seconds? It's fantastic to see Absolute Radio's Geoff Lloyd pop up on a panel show. He's one of the sharpest wits on air.

"A funny family sitcom" is not a phrase I often find myself using these days. But this Jason Byrne creation is that rare thing - and it doesn't take a whole series to bed in. It's offered up a high percentage of laughs-per-line since its debut. That's partly due to the writing, of course, but equal credit must go to the ensemble cast.

Last week, I highlighted Pauline McLynn, who plays Jason's fictional mother, but the star of this episode is Dominic Applewhite (The King's Speech, The Inbetweeners) as belligerent son Dylan, who delivers such telling teenage lines as: "Don't leave me with Gran and Grandad - they smell of Countdown."

A special edition of the show as it hits its 45th birthday. "Am I really that old?" asks 88-year-old host Nicholas Parsons, thinking back to when the series started in 1967, and has to answer himself with an honest "Yes".

Well, old it might be but it's lost none of its wit and edge. Ross Noble is particularly hilarious here - although not very good at scoring actual points.

Imagine the scene: you're trapped in a motorway traffic jam with bickering parents, a wife who does not get on with them, and a surly teenage son embarrassed by you all. The comic potential is obvious and writer and star Jason Byrne does not waste a single word or nuance in getting as many laughs as he can from this cross-generation claustrophobia.

The best lines are delivered by Pauline McLynn, who plays his extremely religious mother. She believes "dogging" to be the proud display of pampered pets, which leads to more double entendres on the subject than is right or proper.

Comedian Will Smith's self-penned starring role in this sitcom about a young married couple has gone from a hopeful but wobbly pilot in August 2010 to an impressive, well-written and smartly observed new series in 2012.

The scenes are split between a counselling session for the couple with an oleaginously smug therapist and glimpses into events at home that have led to these heart-to-hearts. It's unashamedly middle class and Middle England, but that does not stop it from being funny.

Acerbic tongues have been licking up the lemon juice in preparation for the return of Claudia Winkleman's deliciously scurrilous take on celebrity life. Joining her to tell us things that are not necessarily true about events that probably did happen are Dom Joly, Nick Hancock and Jo Caulfield. A crack legal team are on standby.

Sit back, pour yourself an after-dinner drink and enjoy a really good laugh as David Jason presents Christmas clips from The Goon Show, Morecambe and Wise, Only Fools and Horses and The Royle Family. And there are even a few choice words from Ronnie Corbett.

If you've not encountered Giles Wemmbley Hogg in any of his previous incarnations on Radio 4 the best introduction is to say that this creation of Marcus Brigstocke is the closest thing we have to a modern version of The Goons. Each episode is driven by a particular situation at the start, which rapidly falls off down the left-field surreal slide. It's a bit hit and miss but still worth a listen.