John Humphrys

Freedom of laughter: are there limits to comedy?

It was a recent episode of The News Quiz which set me thinking about the limits of comedy - or, I'd be more honest to say, so incensed me that I started to think about it once I'd calmed down. First, though, let me step back and consider comedy more generally.

Dame Edna joins John Humphrys' final Today programme

John Humphrys was joined by ex-prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair - and Dame Edna Everage - for his last day on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

My experience of doing Bleak Expectations on Mastermind

One aspect I am particularly fond of is that what with Bleak Expectations being a rather surreal comedy, about 19th century industrialist Sir Philip Bin, the inventor of the bin, foiling the schemes of his ironically named twice undead evil ex-guardian Mr. Gently Benevolent, there was that pleasing satisfaction of hearing host John Humphrys reading out some strange questions. It is safe to say that no-one else will be tackling questions on dogs called Countdown that can only understand anagrams, or civil wars in Russia about the spelling of the word Tsar/Czar.

The makers of Twenty Twelve were lauded for their Olympics satire, but no one was likely to mistake it for a factual programme. The same can't be said for sure about their latest venture, W1A, which pokes fun at the BBC. The Sun reports that Sarah Parish, who plays an inept head of output at the Beeb, reckons the spoof drama may be so realistic viewers won't know that the whole thing is meant to be a joke. The series also features Hugh Bonneville, who will again play Ian Fletcher, with the character moving from the Olympic Legacy project to the BBC to help it deal with "recent findings". All sounds a bit familiar. Parish said: "I did think people might watch and, for 10 minutes, think it's a documentary." Fingers crossed for a cameo from John Humphrys.

Audio: Dame Edna interview

Dame Edna Everage, who first appeared on the London stage half a century ago, has embarked on her farewell tour. The character, created by Barry Humphries, told the Today programme's John Humphrys: "I'm not touring anymore, I'm never doing it again - well, not for a year or two."

Audio: Should Jimmy Carr joke about his taxes?

Comedian Jimmy Carr says he has made a "terrible error of judgement" over using a tax avoidance scheme and has pulled out of it.

Author and PR agent Mark Borkowski believes apologising was the "only thing he could do" and it was a "belated PR scramble".

In tough times, people "will put a microscope" on public figures, he told The Today Programme.

Bruce Dessau of the Evening Standard said it was interesting that Jimmy Carr "listened to the power of social media".

He doesn't think it will ruin his career but it "might hang around a bit".

"If your a satirist you've got to watch your step," he told John Humphrys, and you need to be "whiter than white" about your own tax arrangements.

Alice Arnold and Jon Holmes bring the glorious fantasy radio show where amazing things happen, like all The Today Programme presenters talking together and the hunt for Melvyn Bragg, who's gone missing, lost in an In Our Time machine he's built with tips gleaned on his many adventures in knowledge. Don't listen to this sitting on a rickety chair. It may collapse under the impact of your laughter. The "interview" between John Humphrys and PM Cameron on the state of their relationship and a discussion of Rastamouse in a new role are both sublime.

Very funny (and rather rude) pretend radio show, real extracts from actual broadcasts mashed up into fantasy fictional contexts (Jeremy Paxman running amok and being chased by the police, for example). Jenni Murray, Richard Bacon and John Humphrys appear as themselves but others (David Mitchell, Evan Davies, Steve Wright) are edited into parodies of themselves. Excellent cast, tight production, sharp scripts and a glorious capacity to make telling fun of radio's daily excesses. The Robert Peston competition is a wow. Alice Arnold presents, perfectly.

I've never really seen the point in Ricky Gervais's podcasts: him and his mates Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington rambling on about nothing in particular. Well, mainly Pilkington, who just gets hold of an idea and runs off with it, like a naughty puppy.

But I get this even less: it's just the same podcasts, animated. So you've got Ricky, Stephen and Karl, turned into what look like characters from the Flintstones, rambling on about nothing in particular. Occasionally one of Pilkington's wayward thoughts - babies being born to dying 78-year-old women, for example - is animated, too. That's very lazy TV, isn't it? Radio with pictures. Maybe they should animate The Today Programme. I'd like to see John Humphrys turned into a Flintstone.

I guess it only works if you're amused by Karl's idiotic thought-streams. Ricky and Stephen clearly are: they spend most of it giggling hysterics. It leaves me cold.

For those who prefer the gag-o-meter turned up to 11 on their election coverage, there's The Vote Now Show. Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the rest of the hardworking Now Show team are offering comedic biteback three nights a week for election season, with programmes being recorded just four hours before transmission to make sure they're bang up to date on the day's events.

On Monday, Andy Zaltzman subjected himself to a John Humphrys interview (Humphrys is delightfully game), while Jon Holmes' consideration of stirring theme tunes for party leaders provides the belly-laugh we all sorely need. Tuesday's instalment included John Finnemore's hilarious dos and dont's for campaign leaflets - horse illustrations are key, apparently.