Jo Brand

Channel 4's annual charity event returns with a troupe of performers large enough to make the Polyphonic Spree look on in envy. As ever, it's a mix of the established and the incipient, so Jo Brand and Jonathan Ross line up alongside men of the moment Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe. Elsewhere, comedians dancing seems to be a thing just now, so Miranda Hart and Warwick Davis duly join up with Diversity to show off their moves, while Russell Brand absents himself from Hollywood to partake in some audience interaction.

Dance sensation Diversity puts a spring in the steps of Chatty Man Alan Carr, national charmer Miranda Hart and Idiot Abroad Warwick Davis, who've rashly decided to shake a leg - Ashley Banjo-style - as their contribution to this evening of fundraising action for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity for children. Other funny faces putting their happy feet forward for the cause include comedian Kevin Bridges, who takes a pop at the more furtive pursuits of his fellow Scots, and TV regulars Russell Brand, Jack Dee, Jo Brand, Rich Hall and Paddy McGuinness. Among those putting in an appearance on VT are surreal loon Noel Fielding and Jack Whitehall.

The raucous annual stand-up bonanza in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital comes once again from the O2 in London.

When the live gig was held a couple of weeks ago, one critic described it as "Live at the Apollo on steroids". In other words, expect big, booming, arena-style stand-up from an all-star roster. Jack Whitehall, Jack Dee, Jo Brand, Noel Fielding and Jason Byrne are among the long list of comics donating gags to the cause.

Diversity open the show with a dance routine into which Alan Carr, Miranda Hart and Warwick Davis insert unexpected cameos. Lee Evans airs a routine about EasyJet. Russell Brand goes walkabout among the crowd. Rich Hall jokes about child labour ("Clothes make the man but kids make the clothes").

And unsurprisingly the recurring theme is the year's revelations about Jimmy Savile and other stars - everyone has an angle on that one.

Hay Festival 2013: Jo Brand Q & A

Jo Brand enjoys a punishing read - but draws the line at Fifty Shades of Grey.

The best guests sit on Norton's sofa and tonight's line-up is all Hollywood glitter. Big, smiley Bradley Cooper is a Norton regular who's always great fun - who can forget him flirting outrageously with Jo Brand? He's with Heather Graham to promote another of his Hangover films.

Will Smith did the unimaginable and eclipsed Sir Tom Jones last time he appeared when he did the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air rap with Gary Barlow. Tonight he's with son Jaden (the pair star together in After Earth), while Michael Douglas will be talking about his latest role as Liberace.

Not a single bodily function or malfunction is ignored. The women write the show but the direction by Peter Capaldi is a fine demonstration of his gift for finding the poetic rhythm in a stream of filth.

On at exactly the same time and on the same day as Heading Out, Dave's panel show Alexander Armstrong's Big Ask returned for a second series this week.

The format's pretty much the same as before. Alexander Armstrong presents and all three of his guests, in this case Jo Brand, Stephen Mangan and Tim Vine, have to come up with the questions everyone will be asking. Amongst the questions that came up included the subject of the clurichaun (the "leprechaun's naughty cousin"), why the Aztecs were such unsuccessful warriors, and Adam's first wife...who wasn't Eve.

It's a good show, and while the fact it's on Dave means it will never get a big audience (much of it taken away thanks to Perkins's show on the other side) it still deserves a watch because it can throw up some decent moments. One example was a tangent which involved Manga talking about his upcoming role in the film version of Postman Pat - speaking parts only mind, the singing being down by Gary Barlow.

However, perhaps the best thing about this new series is that the idea of the "fact bunker" with Dave Lamb verifying the information has been got rid of. It never worked and I'm glad to see the change made. In fact, I pointed out this was the weakest moment when I reviewed the first series last year. Giz a job, Dave.

The panel show that's like a postprandial version of QI returns with Stephen Mangan, Jo Brand and Tim Vine doing the job of quiz-show researchers and coming up with the questions themselves. This time, Dave Lamb's role as fact-checker has been done away with, leaving Alexander Armstrong in sole charge. Everything else remains the same. There are laughs to be had, especially when the guests stray from the topic at hand - a discussion about Mangan's role in Postman Pat: the Movie being particularly rewarding.

It's hard to resist quoting from the press release announcing the return of this panel show, which described its host as "Pointless presenter, comedian and actor Alexander Armstrong". Unintended slurs aside, this series promises unscripted entertainment - tonight features Jo Brand, Tim Vine and Stephen Mangan.

The return of a series that was binned after one episode last month - up against Africa on Wednesday night, it died on its backside. Now, in a less high-profile slot, it continues its exploration of the commercial end of comedy by looking at how managers and agents ensure that the nation's top comics earn pop-star bucks. Rhod Gilbert and Jo Brand, whose extremely candid interviews helped to make the first episode so engrossing, are back along with Eddie Izzard and David Baddiel.