Jo Brand

There are some real loud laughs to be had from Getting On, but they aren't comfortable, as this is a black, black comedy set in one of the more decrepit outposts of the NHS. Co-writers and stars Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine are the hopelessly incompetent staff of a pitiful geriatric ward. Brand and Scanlan are nurses rendered almost immobile by their own indolence and stupidity, while Pepperdine is a doctor who can't see her way past politically correct, coy euphemisms, as in "the deceased party" for "dead woman".

Getting On bears the fingerprints of The Thick of It, and not just because Peter Capaldi directs. It has the same ruthlessly naturalistic, documentary feel as its mighty predecessor and leaves the same lingering feeling that beneath the humour there's something very serious going on.

Jo Brand takes on the NHS in comedy Getting On

The former psychiatric nurse and comedian draws on her experiences working in mental health for TV series, Getting On.

Women - beware panel shows!

Jo Brand: I used to find They Think It's All Over quite stressful and often locked horns with Rory McGrath over his "all sportswomen have moustaches and are dykes" lines.

Jo Brand - I won't do Mock The Week again

"I don't do Mock The Week any more and neither do some male standups I know who have tried it once. We just didn't like the prospect of having to bite someone's foot off before they let us say something."

BBC faces fresh criticism over offensive remarks about Baroness Thatcher

The BBC is facing fresh criticism after two comedians made offensive remarks about Baroness Thatcher on a prime time quiz show.

In Friday night's episode of QI, Jo Brand, who was caught up in the Carol Thatcher "golliwog" controversy, and Phill Jupitus both made comments which have led to complaints being lodged and further anger from viewers.

BNP can't take a joke: Far-right party complain about Jo Brand

Members of the far-right BNP have complained to police about a joke Jo Brand cracked on Live At The Apollo. The comic was questioned by officers after the group's deputy leader, Simon Darby, claimed that the gag amounted to incitement to cause racial harassment. Bizarrely, he claimed: "The BNP is technically an ethnic group."

It's a sad day for stand-up comedy fans. Now that Jonathan Ross has almost served his sentence, this will be the last outing for Live At The Apollo. And there's no word yet on if or when the series will return.

First up tonight is Russell Howard, who toddles on stage looking like a lost schoolboy but within seconds turns into a kid pumped up on too much Sunny Delight. With the customary energy we know from Mock The Week, he bounces from one subject to the next, starting with bizarre heckles then evil sandwiches and bus stops with hats to scary 13-yearolds and why you should never underestimate little old ladies.

He also has a genius way of livening up a trip to Ikea - if you've had a few drinks and live near a branch that's open until midnight, you might want to head off straight away (but only if it's walking distance or you know a sober driver, OK?).

The second act is Jo Brand, who tackles topics including Russian brides, the dangers of going to the pub, Barbie dolls and why Bruce Forsyth should wear baggy trousers that show off his bum crack.

I know, it's not an image I want to think about for too long either..

In the final helping of this superb stand-up show, Jo Brand and Russell Howard make us laugh. Well, this has been a tip-top way to end the week, hasn't it? We can't quite remember what it replaced in the schedules, but we're pretty sure it can't have been as consistently funny as this. To round off this run of comics, who've sometimes told some very naughty stories, is the First Lady of Stand-up, Jo Brand. Also joining her on the bill is fresh-faced Russell Howard, also known as the blond one on Mock The Week.

Miranda Hart is shaping up as the Big Lady of the future. If Dawn French built a career out of being hefty without mentioning it, and Jo Brand did it by mentioning it incessantly, Hart's new sitcom (so much a trailer for a TV version that they are already filming the TV version) trades on her not only being big, but very tall and extremely posh. And frequently taken for a man. She has never had sex (a consignment of chocolate penises comes into the shop. They're very lifelike, she says. No they're not, says her waspish co-owner). She has terrible chat-up lines: I weighed my breasts. They cost £1.48 to post, and you'd have to use Parcel Force. She's terrific. Wasted on TV.

If you have never caught a Commercial Breakdown (previous recipients of its unique career-damaging magic are Jasper Carrott and Jo Brand) then you're very lucky. It claims to be an unmissable collection of the world's funniest, wildest and weirdest television adverts, each one a mini-masterpiece in its own right.

Historically, however, it has always been a bit of a lame duck, with enhanced laughter tracks and bad scripts for the comic linker - in this case Carr.

Of course, this new incarnation might see the concept raise its game, with Carr a renowned perfectionist.