Julia Davis

Tonight, David Baddiel's swotty teenage self locks horns with Guinness Book of Records editor Norris McWhirter (an uncannily authentic Alistair McGowan). Next, we meet an equally uncool 14-year-old Julia Davis. Fortified with Dutch courage filched from her parents' house, young Julia isn't going to let flat chest, braces and frizzy perm get in the way of her first kiss. Or is she?

Only something special could nudge Victoria Wood out of stand-up exile, and this gig in aid of the British Heart Foundation is certainly a very good reason indeed. It may be a decade since she's performed as a stand-up, but you'd never guess, and she's as sharp as ever. For the other ladies on the bill, who include Jo Brand, Julia Davis, Katy Brand,
Isy Suttie, and Roisin Conaty, she's still quite an inspiration.

It's a girls' night out at London's Theatre Royal as Victoria Wood is joined on stage by some very funny ladies in aid of The British Heart Foundation.

While raising awareness about heart disease in women (see, the show's title makes sense now), the Queen of Comedy and her cohorts will tickle our funny bones with stand-up, sketches and music.

The line-up includes Nighty Night's Julia Davis; Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine from BBC Four's Getting On; Jessica Hynes of Spaced fame; rising star Andi Oshi; and the two Brands, Jo and Katy. Not Russell Brand's new pop star wife - the other one. The one with the Big Ass.

The cream of the British comedy crop come together for this series of brand new comedy shorts for Sky1 HD. Following a season of dramatic 10 Minute Tales last Christmas, this December it's Comedy's turn to shine in an anthology of short films, written by and featuring 12 of the nation's biggest and most loved comic stars. With the likes of Stephen Fry, Catherine Tate, Julia Davis and Bill Bailey flexing their creative muscles they're the perfect bite-sized morsel of entertainment for you and your family this Christmas. Tonight it's the turn of Victoria Wood and Chris O'Dowd who get the season underway.

Video: Julia Davis sketch

Julia Davis is one of the famous faces appearing in Sky1's Little Crackers, a series of autobiographical shorts that portray embarrassing incidents from the past.

Produced by Baby Cow and featuring the likes of Steve Coogan and Julia Davis in future episodes, these delicious sub-half-hour productions recall a lost age of relatively low-budget TV treatment of the classics. In the opener, Johnny Vegas is perfectly cast as the put-upon Tolkachov, who visits his friend Murashkin (Mackenzie Crook) to deliver a spittle-flecked monologue full of pathos and purgatory about his put-upon working and domestic life, only to get more, or rather less, than he bargained for, in the apparently sympathetic Crook's eventual response.

Julia Davis bemoans dumbing down of TV comedy

Nighty Night creator and performer Julia Davis has complained about the lack of variety in British comedy programming on television, accusing commissioners of "trying to sanitise everything".

Julia Davis and Jessica Hynes Interview

The stars of Nighty Night and Spaced on how they turn 'nonsense' into comic gold.

A long overdue solo vehicle for the likeable Rob Brydon - one of our finest comedy actors (see his scene-stealing turns in Gavin & Stacey and supporting roles for the likes of Steve Coogan and Julia Davis), and also a gifted stand-up and impressionist (the latter of which he demonstrated hilariously in the 2005 film A Cock and Bull Story). The format is knowingly cheesy, with Brydon chatting in matey style to his main guest, before breaking off for a short set by a comedian and interlude from a musician - with whom the host is invariably tempted to join in.

Chat shows stand or fall by the quality of their guests and tonight's are top-drawer. Main conversationalist is "Dame" David Walliams, who discusses his marriage to model Lara Stone and obsession with James Bond, then reads from his recent children's book. Walliams also answer questions from Twitter users (token nod to being modern, there) and the studio audience - which sweetly includes his mother. The musical guest is Sir Tom Jones, who performs a song from his acclaimed gospel album Praise & Blame. The only weak link is the set by young stand-up Tom Deacon, but it would be churlish to complain about Brydon championing a rising comedian each week. At times this opening show has the slight awkwardness of a first date, but all in all, it's a comfortingly cosy and entertaining half-hour.

Dark Star: Julia Davis

Brutality, murder, sexual deviance and illness don't sound like the most promising subjects for comedy. But then Julia Davis is no ordinary comedian. In a rare interview, she talks about movies, motherhood and where the "dark" stuff comes form.