Jeremy Paxman

Charlie Brooker on Jeremy Paxman and Susanna Reid

Good Morning Britain viewers who have had their fantasies thwarted might like to turn their attention to the outgoing Newsnight presenter instead.

Radio Times review

Russell Brand almost torpedoed Jonathan Ross's career after the Sachs Incident, and caused convulsions within the BBC that still smart to this day. But the scandal didn't lead to a falling out between the terrible twosome - Brand appeared on Ross's show a year ago and he's back again.

As Brand is never more than a stone's throw from an outraged newspaper headline, he's bound to fulfil expectations as the country's chief Contrarian Comedian, particularly after all of that nonsense about not voting during his Newsnight interview with Jeremy Paxman. Also on the show are actress Goldie Hawn, Dermot O'Leary, presenter of the National TV Awards (22 January), and troubadour James Blunt, who provides the music.

Agreeable standup and Fresh Meat star Jack Whitehall moves the Edinburgh fringe chat show he did with his dad (a former theatrical agent) to BBC Three. It's Adam Buxton and Bad Dad for the under-30s. And their first two guests are quite the mixed bag. Disdainful Newsnight prober Jeremy Paxman lines up next to right-barrel-o-monkeys paranormal investigator and actor Danny Dyer. No previews available, sadly, but Paxman with his tie off is always good fun.

Matt Lucas has had his mum on his show, so comedians bringing a parent on board to share the presenting load is not entirely unprecedented. And the son-and-father team of Jack and Michael Whitehall has already been successfully road-tested on Million Pound Drop and live comedy shows. But a chat show is a tough act to pull off, so it will be interesting to see if the pair's fractious but affectionate relationship works its magic and gets their guests to open up. First to submit to a Whitehall grilling are Jeremy Paxman - on the receiving end for once - and new EastEnder Danny Dyer.

Jack Whitehall's star continues to rise and, rather endearingly, he's inviting his dad along for the ride. Having written a book and done stand-up together, Michael (a theatrical agent) and his son have bagged their own chat show. If the guestlist for tonight's opener is anything to go by, it should be both eclectic and hilarious. Imagine, for example, Jeremy Paxman's face when he was told he would be sharing airtime with Sir Daniel of Dyer?

But a word of warning. It's not the first time a comedian has had their parent on the show. Maybe it's kinder to use Adam & Joe's Bad Dad as the barometer, rather than the presenter's mum on The Matt Lucas Awards. Preceded by a live Whitehall gig at 9pm, Backchat may yet shed the curse of the BBC comedian-led talk-show that has beleaguered everyone from Sarah Millican to Rob Brydon.

For the debut of his brand new chatshow, Jack Whitehall's got the two hardest men on British TV sharing a sofa: Jeremy Paxman and Danny Dyer.

Guests aside, this new series is all about another double act - the one between Jack and his 73-year-old father, Michael, a former showbiz agent.

You might have seen them paired up on the Million Pound Drop, but that didn't really give you much idea of Whitehall senior's dry sense of humour and poker-faced delivery.

They've previously done a show together at the Edinburgh Fringe, and they've just published a book called Him And Me - a joint memoir in which they write a chapter each.

In the chat show role of second banana, Michael acts as saboteur, even ganging up with Paxman to point out Jack's failings as an interviewer, as a student and as a son, generally.

"It's literally like having two of my dads here," wails Jack at one point.

Danny Dyer's colourful language could be the reason why this is now being screened half an hour later than originally scheduled.

There's no shortage of chatshows on TV right now, but this is different enough to carve out its own territory.

You might have read that Jay-Z would be one of Graham's guests tonight, but he's dropped out and his spot has been taken by Jeremy Paxman, or Jay-P as we should maybe start calling him.

Trust me, you'll scarcely notice the difference. But could Jay-Z host tonight's very special round of University Challenge?

I think not.

Graham's other guests are Dame Judi Dench, comedian John Bishop and Sir Elton John, who will be performing his new single Voyeur as well chatting about his burst appendix, the joys of fatherhood and dancing with the Queen. A typical day in Elton-land.

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