Julia Raeside

Sharon Horgan co-writes (with Holly Walsh) and stars in a new comedy about a woman wrongly imprisoned for her boss's murder. It also stars Jennifer Saunders as the prison governor and Geoff McGivern as her shady solicitor. The first of two episodes tonight sees Helen (Horgan) sent down for 12 years after the boss of the tile warehouse she works at is found dead. In the second, she enters the prison quiz, in an attempt to shave five years off her sentence.

Another small masterpiece from this inventive strand. Emma Thompson is HM The Queen and Eddie Marsan plays the man who broke into her private apartments in 1986. The two have an uneasy stand-off which gives way to philosophical debate and heartfelt counsel. Marsan and Thompson give a masterclass in restraint and expressive silences, while Russell Tovey is the titular dog-walker, a footman charged with exercising the royal corgies. Small, perfectly formed drama with a great cast.

The impressions show with Morgana Robinson and Terry Mynott continues. The mimicry is good, especially Mynott's, but what they've found to say about their targets is disappointingly bland. Russell Brand talks like this. Natalie Cassidy's a bit dumpy. It's not enough. And there's got to be a less clunky way of introducing impressions than: "I'm Gordon Ramsay." We know. And if we can't tell, don't do the impression. Like so much that has gone before, VIP falls into the "sometimes clever but not that funny" category.

Ricky Gervais writes and stars in this brave one-off about a man with learning difficulties working in an old people's home. It's another mock doc with lots of sad piano and pathos by the skip-load. The comedy is nonexistent. Derek sits on a pudding. Derek falls in the pond. "I'm not clever or good-looking, but I'm kind," he says, following this episode's emotionally pornographic denouement. Tonally, it's a three-legged puppy wearing both "Love me" and "Kick me" signs. Confusing.

The hugely enjoyable comedy chronology returns for a new series. There's nothing else on TV like it, with its spot-on mix of education and bodily functions. In this episode you'll learn about the surprising properties of women's tinkle, where the phrase "warts and all" came from, and how German second world war pilots chose their targets from a tourists' guide to historic landmarks. All this plus the return of Stupid Deaths and an incredible running gag on the Spanish Armada with Ben Willbond dressed as Sir Francis Drake. One for the mums. Actual television perfection.

The dry-as-toast mock-doc about the London Olympic planning committee returns. Ian (Hugh Bonneville) faces an escalating crisis when one national team insists that the multifaith worship centre in the Olympic village faces Mecca. The way Siobhan (Jessica Hynes) says "Muslim" is perfect in its ignorance: "Muss-lum" she repeats, over and over. That and her insistence that Muslim and Islam are two different religions. Another perfectly judged script with superb performances, most notably Olivia Colman's PA. Solid gold stuff.

Amnesty brings its comedy fundraiser to the US for the first time to celebrate the organisation's 50th birthday. The line-up is an Atlantic-straddling bobby dazzler at New York's Radio City Music Hall: the US contingent includes Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman and Kristen Wiig, and the UK sends Peter Serafinowicz, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand. Music comes from Coldplay and Mumford & Sons. The ball always comes off best when it's a combination of standup and sketch comedy, so fingers crossed for some surprise team-ups.

The exemplary standup gets her own show. It's part monologue, part chat about things she likes watching on TV, with the relevant bods joining her for, as Partridge put it, sofa-based chat. Tonight's focus is on wildlife and dating shows, and her guests are Chris Packham and "sexpert" Tracey Cox. With her warmth, citrus tongue and some seriously filthy mime skills, this is going to be fun.

Robert Webb and Katherine Parkinson return for three new episodes of the rip-snorting historical romp that puts a banger up Dickens. Now over his festive difficulties at debtors' prison, Jedrington Secret-Past (Webb) begins a joint business venture with the innocuously named Harmswell Grimstone (Tim McInnerny) and Jedrington's wife Conceptiva (Parkinson) receives a distressing letter which threatens to send her even barmier than that treacle addiction. It's demented, gag-jammed fun. Above all, this shop sells that most old-fashioned of commodities - proper jokes.

It's Luke's birthday and Stella pulls out all the stops to make it a day to remember, but little does she know his real dad, Rob, is in town to join the party. "I'm your dad, Luke," says prodigal dad to disbelieving offspring in a nice nod to Star Wars. Meanwhile, Big Alan is getting a taste of his own medicine thanks to the relentless attentions of Nancy the amorous Brummie, and Stella takes up boxing, thus enabling her interaction with tonight's celeb cameo, Joe Calzaghe. Knockout.