Johnny Vegas

Has Johnny Vegas played his final gig?

"It was really hard regaining control of myself from Johnny. In the end he was quite manipulative. I am reluctant to let Johnny back out the box again," says Michael Pennington, the man behind the persona.

Johnny Vegas: 'I had no fear of death'

Channelling an 18-stone drunken loudmouth made him a national icon - but endangered his health, his reputation and his family. Michael Pennington tells Emine Saner how he escaped Johnny Vegas.

In the spirit of full disclosure: I actively dislike Celebrity Juice. I'm not even sure why I'm reviewing it; watching Celebrity Juice makes me feel dirty in all the wrong ways. It is like comedic torture.

For those blissfully unaware of Celebrity Juice, it is a 'celebrity entertainment' panel show. Keith Lemon (Leigh Francis) is your host: a tanned, bleached, ginger-moustached Yorkshireman. His team captains are attractive, large breasted blonde Holly Willoughby and attractive, large-breasted brunette Kelly Brook. Guests this week include Connor Maynard (yeah, I'd never heard of him either), Richard Madley, Johnny Vegas and Dermot O'Leary. The show is made up of a series of challenges and games, and the winning team of each game wins some points.

I can't say much positive about it, other than Johnny Vegas was pretty good. But it's not hard for someone genuinely funny to stand out in this sort of setup. I would imagine the show's main target demographic is the sort of person who thinks that changing someone's Facebook status to "I'm gay" is the height of comedy (Ha ha ha - isn't human sexuality hilarious...). How it has quite so many fans just completely baffles me. Maybe the average person relates to jokes about boobies, muffs and wank jokes. Is this what it has come to?

Johnny Vegas praises the idea of art schools

Johnny Vegas leads calls to break down the barriers that are restricting art education to an elite.

Like very many sketch shows, It's Kevin has been patchy. Like very few, it's been admirably reluctant to recycle material or characters, displayed an impressive breadth of reference (tonight, from the relaxing properties of dubstep to Picasso's early years via Carry On films and Dr Seuss) and boasted a few skits destined to go down as classics.

Nestling alongside the Amish Sex Pistols in the hall of fame tonight is Classic Threats magazine, 'about things that don't seem quite so scary any more'. You know, like the Millennium Bug or homosexuals. The self-referential links haven't always worked in spite of a parade of guest stars - Johnny Vegas chips in tonight as a close-up magician - but such a steady stream of invention and readiness to toy with format should surely be rewarded with a second series. If only to find out whether Kevin resolves his crush on the lovely Wendy Wilson...

Comedian Johnny Vegas co-writes and stars with Tony Pitts in the curious tale of Rupert, the highlight of tonight's Sky Atlantic comedy short double bill. Rupert is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders after inheriting Kinky Ink, a tattoo parlour with a rum bunch of regulars who really give him the needle.

Two more shorts for what is effectively a showcase for comic talent old and new, playing interconnected characters all living in Clapham. Johnny Vegas co-writes and stars in the first as Rupert, bereaved proprietor of the Kinky Ink tattoo parlour, whose dad has left him in hock to effete local villain Paul Kaye. It doesn't rise above the sadness of its predicament, however. More successful is Fergus & Crispin, played by Toms Sourton and Palmer, a pair of plummily clueless entrepreneurs. Victorian bingo, anyone?

The hit-and-miss nature of this series of short films is epitomised by tonight's double bill. First up is Johnny Vegas and Tony Pitts's tale of the begrudging Rupert (Vegas), who takes over his late father's tattoo business. He has to contend with the feelings of his dad's girlfriend, tattooist Fiona (Josie Lawrence), and a visit from a debt-collector, the cross-dressing Spinks (Paul Kaye). It's grimly amusing. Less successful is Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton's Fergus and Crispin, which follows two hapless posh-boy entrepreneurs as they try to come up with ideas to make money.

An Ideal Night Out review

A little over 24 hours after explaining why he was no longer doing stand-up, Johnny Vegas was back in the same Leicester venue doing, what to most observers, would have looked pretty much like stand-up.

Johnny Vegas: Daniel Kitson made me quit stand-up

Johnny Vegas has revealed that Daniel Kitson is the reason he gave up stand-up. But the Ideal star says that he has unfinished business with live comedy - and could make a return to the Edinburgh Fringe.