Jimmy Carr

Mistimed for Halloween, but well-timed as the thirteenth episode, QI continued its "G" series with a look at "Gothic". This was probably one of my favourite episodes in quite some time, not least because I'm saturnine enough to appreciate ghoulish trivia about gargoyles (they're actually water-spouts, the purely decorative ones are called "grotesques"), zombies (it would take about a month for one zombie to infect the entire world), novelty coffins (a modern tradition in Ghana, apparently), etc. Plus, great comedy does tend to bubble up from the darker corners of the human experience. To that end, misanthrope Jack Dee and the cynicism of Jimmy Carr were employed well, and Sue Perkins proved (where Sandy Toksvig and Jo Brand have failed to this year) that, yes, women on panel shows can be funny! Spooky.

Comedian Jimmy Carr guilty of speeding

Comic Jimmy Carr has been convicted of speeding for driving at 10mph over the limit through a village in Suffolk.

8 Out Of 10 Cats is rapidly becoming the best panel show around, isn't it? I think a big part of that is how everyone seems to genuinely enjoy the experience. Half the guests on Have I Got News For You look scared out of their wits, or spend their time walking on eggshells, while Mock The Week has always been very competitive and male-dominated, with guests often left to flounder amidst the regulars...

There's just a more pleasant atmosphere on 8 Out Of 10 Cats nowadays, and I really respond to that. Team captains Jason Manford and Sean Lock openly laugh at each other's jokes, Jimmy Carr appears to have toned down his cattiness, and this episode's non-comedians (EastEnders' Charlie Clements, presenter Claudia Winkleman, popstar Jamelia) didn't embarass themselves.

In fact, it appears that producers everywhere have realized Jamelia's TV gold with her ill-informed opinions and, well, good-natured stupidity. Can you believe she home-schools her kids?! She was better value than Iranian comedienne Shappi Khorsandi in this first episode, too. Shappi fell into the trap of mostly sitting on the sidelines and smiling at everyone else's gags, unless that was just very unfortunate editing. Also, am I alone in finding Sean Lock absolutely hi-larious on this show? The strange thing is, I find Lock's standup rather dull and tedious.

The topical panel show returns for a new series. Host Jimmy Carr, who delivers his pre-scripted waspish remarks with perfect timing, is joined by team captains Sean Lock and Jason Manford, with pop singer Jamelia and the perennial quiz show guest Claudia Winkleman.

Cats are supposed to have nine lives and if that really is the case, time could be running out for the smuggest man on the telly - because Jimmy Carr's comedy panel show is nine series' old today. Well, technically it will be nine whole series old in six weeks' time, at the end of the latest run. But that would ruin the intro to this preview!

As usual, each show sees the teams - captained by Sean Lock and Jason Manford - guessing what the British public thinks about the week's most talked-about subjects. And as usual, being correct will come second to who can give the funniest answers.

Lock up your granddaughters: Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross are reunited for the first time since Sachsgate as one of the teams on this annual topical ding-dong. Expect edgy banter from the controversial pair, alongside fellow panellists David Mitchell, Claudia Winkleman, Rob Brydon and Newswipe's Charlie Brooker. Jimmy Carr keeps score.

Andrew Sachs probably won't be tuning in for this one. Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are reunited on television for the first time since Sachsgate. However, this being Channel 4, don't expect a grovelling apology at the beginning but plenty of jokes about telephone calls, Spanish waiters and Satanic Sluts. Jimmy Carr is in the chair for what has become an annual festive highlight, poking fun at the biggest stories of the year. Ross and Brand have been cheekily paired together and up against them will be Claudia Winkleman and Rob Brydon and David Mitchell and the TV critic Charlie Brooker, making his first appearance. Peter Andre is among the celebrity questioners, but rumours that Tiger Woods will be appearing are wide of the mark.

Twitcher Phil Mill (Star Stories' Steve Edge) was birdwatching near the Afghan border when he was detained by US marines, branded an al-Qaeda terrorist and dumped in the land of orange jumpsuits.

Six years on he's released with all charges dropped. But he's not bitter. "We all make mistakes," he shrugs, admitting that while water boarding wasn't pleasant, it was better "than the one where they spanked your knackers with a flip-flop".

Now back in the arms of girlfriend Carly, he's eager to return to his old life, his old flat and his old job.

Sadly, his flat is a pile of rubble and his job... Well, he worked at Woolworths. He has the kind of misfortune plaguing Ben Miller's character in The Worst Week Of My Life - no surprise as both shows are created by the same people.

So imagine the BBC series with a little Jimmy Carr-style insensitivity. You'll feel guilty laughing. But you will laugh.

Interview: Jimmy Carr

With his latest DVD now on sale, and as he continues to tour the country, Jimmy Carr spares some time for Den Of Geek...

Recently my son came up to my office with a laptop to show me a clip from what he described as "the world's funniest show". He was referring to Would I Lie to You?. This may or may not surprise you, depending on your understanding of what the average 11-year-old boy finds funny.

Having watched last night's instalment, my own professional opinion (I was recently criticised for having no TV-reviewing qualifications, but I have since started a night course) is that Would I Lie to You? is some way off being the world's funniest show, but is still pretty funny. How the game works is not important. It's been a long time since the rules of any panel show mattered, because there isn't anything at stake - not even pride. This one is basically just an opportunity for comedians to insult each other.

And that's a pretty reliable formula, because even if you don't like a particular comedian (lots of people don't like Jimmy Carr, for example), you'll enjoy the bits where everyone takes the piss out of him. Last night's panel consisted of four funny guys and Terry Christian. And Jamelia, who also isn't funny, except in the sense that she's funnier than Terry Christian. But we can all put that on our CVs.

The highlight for me was the deeply improbable claim that Marcus Brigstocke was once a podium dancer at the Ministry of Sound, during weeks off from his other job working on an oil rig. This turns out to be completely true. "So Flashdance is actually based on your life," said Jimmy Carr. I think that's funny. Sue me.