Jason Byrne

Gangly Irish stand-up Jason Byrne likes to dash about the stage, giddily enacting his rib-tickling anecdotes. On the radio, he expresses that same exuberance by gently interrogating his live audience and hooting at their responses - and his laughter is infectious. This third series kicks off with an age-old comic subject and Byrne favourite: marriage. Between comic sketches, he regales us with tales of his own, from the terrors of the missus's dinner parties to conjugal sex. Goodness knows what his (presumably very understanding) wife will make of it, but Byrne is guaranteed to cheer up every other listener's evening.

Ben Elton kicks off a series in which comedians perform a gig in their home town - Catford, south London, in Elton's case. It's a Live at the Apollo set-up prefaced by a cursory visit to Elton's childhood house (a standard Edwardian semi) and primary school. Also on the bill are two non-Catfordians: Irishman Jason Byrne and Canadian Tom Stade, who attributes his drawl to a misspent youth. Byrne re-enacts his juvenile misadventures, while the more risqué Stade proposes Afghanistan as a dream holiday destination. Performing stand-up for the first time in five years, the star attraction isn't quite as sure-footed. Rebranding experts, creationists and the Tories are all on his hit list, but Elton is best on ageing gracelessly, which seems rather apt.

Among the hosts who'll be revisiting their home towns in this new series are Johnny Vegas and Russell Kane, but for tonight's opener it's Ben Elton, performing his first live stand up in a decade. The so-called "Godfather Of Alternative" has become comedy's embarrassing Dad in recent years, what with We Will Rock You and all, but his routines on rebranding and body piercing in particular show that he's still driven by the same moral sense and sarcastic despair at modern life as ever. Jason Byrne and Canadian Tom Stade guest.

Jason Byrne interview

Jason Byrne is recognisable as a record-breaking comic, who is the biggest ever selling Edinburgh Fringe artist.

Jason Byrne has the honour of providing half of the official comedy on 2 at the moment - Vic Reeves's panel show Does the Team Think? makes up the other 50% - though regular presenters Mark Radcliffe, Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr can all make you splutter into your cuppa. Byrne, though, is different: his show is proper stand-up, complete with audience interaction. There are a couple of silly sketches but the bulk of his half-hour is like being in a decent comedy club with a much-more-than-decent comedian. The lines are sharp but it's the atmosphere and delivery that make the show. This week's topic was food. Byrne asked if anyone had ever eaten something they shouldn't. "A tick!" came the bizarre answer. "You mean the insect?" asked Byrne. "Or maybe you stopped talking and meant to say 'tac' after that." Ace.

For Jason Byrne, disaster is never far away

Energetic Irish stand-up Jason Byrne is back with a new series of his Radio 2 show, and he took a moment to tell us about how events in his own life provide him with even the most unlikely material he could wish for.

Jason Byrne, who follows Vic Reeves' show should have him weeping into his pillow. Not because what he does is that groundbreaking - it's just observational stand-up and sketches - but it's obvious that someone has sat down and thought about what he was going to say, memorised and rehearsed it, rather than believe that all you have to do is show up and be brilliantly funny because it's part of what you are.

Why do you have to sit in chairs designed to hold the bottom of a five-year-old when you visit your child's form teacher at parents' evening?

It's playful accurate observations like this that make comedian Jason Byrne such an engaging host. He ensures life's shared experiences - starting with education - are far funnier than they ever seemed at the time.