Jon Snow

Armando Iannucci: Veep writer on No 10's pandemic behaviour

Since the pandemic cancelled most of his film and television work, Iannucci has responded with a new book - a mock-epic poem about the government's handling of the crisis and his fears about the future. We asked him how he took on writing about something as deeply tragic as the pandemic.

'Very little funny' about pandemic - Steve Royle

Today sees the return of live comedy across England, Wales and most of Scotland. But the material they have got to work with, well it's been a year to forget for many. So how do you find laughter in the misery? Comedian Steve Royle, who came third in Britain's Got Talent last year, joined us to talk about tackling comedy in the pandemic.

What was Pierce Brosnan banned from doing while he played James Bond? Which film was released in Poland as Electronic Murderer? And who is Digger the Crab? All these questions and more from the last 100,000 years of human history will be answered as unflappable question-master Jimmy Carr tests the knowledge of Sandi Toksvig, Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Big Narstie, David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. As always, he is aided and abetted by Jon Snow, Charles Dance and a phalanx of celebrity question-setters.

It would not be Christmas without Jimmy Carr's annual quiz and, given the news cycle, there is much for him to smirk at, from Danny Dyer's Brexit bashing to the royal wedding. The teams include Richard Ayoade, Noel Fielding and Claudia Winkleman, with Jon Snow and Charles Dance playing quizmasters.

The 50 best podcasts of 2018

From Julia Davis's dark comedy Dear Joan to track-by-track teardown Dissect, Marc Maron to Meat and beyond, here are this year's finest audio offerings.

With a flittering light finally in sight at the end of the slime-slathered tunnel that was 2016, Jimmy Carr returns to help roast a year that left us all feeling burned. Richard Ayoade, Rob Delaney, Mel Giedroyc, Sarah Millican, David Mitchell and Romesh Ranganathan make up this year's teams, with Jon Snow, Charles Dance and a roster of celebrity inquisitors on hand to posit questions on everything from Boaty McBoatface to Brexit.

Jon Snow was the highlight of Big Fat Quiz

Jon Snow doing Drake's Hotline Bling dance was easily the highlight of Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz Of The Year.

The same privileged old guard, the unchanging rituals, the forced smiles and occasional moments of genuine delight: yes, the enduring satirical panel show and the general election were clearly made for each other. Still, in the runup to the election, the media has been filled with political behaviour even more ludicrous than usual, all of which should be fecund ground for Paul Merton and Ian Hislop. Jo Brand hosts tonight, while comedian Romesh Ranganathan and newsreader Jon Snow help uncover the truths behind the manifesto promises.

Ever wondered why we don't have a British Daily Show? Our own Jon Stewart to take on the media and Jon Snow's ties? Well that's roughly the idea behind Charlie Brooker's new show - Newswipe. A spin-off of his Screenwipe series, it aims to provide "a fun snarky weekly digest that will help keep you and hopefully me on top of the news soap opera".

As eagle-eyed readers will have spotted, it's weekly - and therefore unlikely to reach the "alternative news" status The Daily Show holds. It also lacks the US show's fast turnaround - in the opening episode we get gags about the Fritzl case, the Pope, and the school shootings in Germany - but nothing about the coverage of Jade Goody.

It's good, funny in patches, and worth watching. Too often, perhaps, Brooker points out the obvious (guess what? The media focuses on bad news!), but it's at its best when cutting between quotes to highlight media hypocrisy (something The Daily Show is particularly expert at).

A bit more of that, and a bit less directionless Brooker bellowing, and we might have a contender.