Josh Widdicombe

C4 strikes gold by seeing Paralympics funny side

Disability is treated as delicately off-limits by mainstream TV, but The Last Leg: Live from Rio has gone where others fear to tread.

On the penultimate day of this year's Paralympic Games, Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker bring their japes to an end with an unofficial closing ceremony. So far it's been a warm and inclusive accompaniment to the competition, with the #isitok hashtag leading to some taboo-busting conversation. Tonight they're joined by athletes including swimmer-turned-cyclist Sarah Storey and discus pro Dan Greaves.

TV preview: Josh, BBC Three, iPlayer

In the first episode there were hints of everything from Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? and Men Behaving Badly to Seinfeld.

Josh Widdicombe interview

From Woody Allen's books to 90s fashion, the standup and Last Leg co-host reveals what makes him laugh the most.

Deaf actor to sign ad break on Channel 4's The Last Leg

The seven adverts will be signed by David Ellington, a deaf actor and artist.

Before the Paralympic opening ceremony - oddly uncaptivating Brazilian music and dance, saved by the disabled pianist João Carlos Martins and (again) the stadium's digital floor - there was much delight to be had in The Last Leg: Live from Rio, in which Channel 4 trumped in two hours the BBC's recent 17 or whatever weeks of coverage by being in possession of 1) a tiny budget; 2) a refreshing lack of deference; and 3) a grown-up sense of humour.

Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdecombe had great gags, winning gags, about disability and even about the flight over to Rio: ribald laughter about leg-room, and hand-space in the overhead lockers, and the fact that it was the safest plane that had ever flown - "we had all the shooters". Clare Balding, who has had a deserved couple of weeks back in Britain to check her bank account - don't get me wrong, she's lovely and deserves every tin groat - looked, on The Last Leg sofa, both shocked and delighted. Almost as if she might be allowed, in the next 10 days, to talk not about heroes or legends, but just about humans.

Further Paralympics roundup fun from Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe. Day three sees wheelchair sprinter "Hurricane" Hannah Cockcroft start the defence of her two 2012 gold medals by competing in the T34 100m, as well as medal hopes in swimming, shooting and judo. Commenting on all that and other news from the Games are powerlifter Ali Jawad, sprinter Jonnie Peacock and comic actor Stephen Mangan.

Returning to its raison d'etre - the comedy chatshow was introduced for the Paralympics in 2012 - Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker assemble for the 2016 games ahead of the opening ceremony at the Maracanã stadium. As well as looking ahead to this year's event, they'll look back at some of the 2012 highlights with Clare Balding, Sophie Morgan and Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte.

Comedians' shows pulled over unpaid bills

Josh Widdicombe, Jeremy Hardy, Seann Walsh, Shappi Khorsandi and Marcus Brigstocke have all had gigs dropped from the forthcoming programme of Secombe Theatre in Sutton because of the dispute with very little notice. Widdicombe was due to play there only next week. Their agency, Off The Kerb, axed the shows in a row over £3,432 of box office money they say they are owed for another of their clients, Mark Steel, three months ago.