Lily Allen

Self-described camp Gok Wan lookalike Michael McIntyre heads off stage and onto a comfy-looking sofa as he becomes the latest celebrity to take a shot at fronting a chatshow. These things are completely awful when they don't work - the Beeb is probably still baring scars from Davina - and Michael isn't exactly being eased in gently, with mouthy pot stirrer Lily Allen and grumpy old man Lord Sugar among his first guests.

Still, Michael has been able to elicit chuckles from both comedy sophisticates and families just looking for something on TV to pass the time, so we're optimistic about this being watchable. Plus, he's got Sir Terry Wogan on as his third guest to help calm things down to a Radio 2 level of chill if need be. It's worth tuning in to for the sake of curiosity alone.

His name is Cooper, Dominic Cooper... currently stirring things up on Sky Atlantic as Ian Fleming, the chap who gave birth to 007. The History Boys actor settles himself down in Norton's studio for a chat alongside the charmingly bonkers Miriam Margolyes, who's heading to Australia later this year with her one-woman show, I'll Eat You Last. And Lily Allen, still flying high from her Christmas success with Somewhere Only We Know, gives us a taste of her perky new song Air Balloon.

Radio Times review

The incomparable Miriam Margolyes has become a semi-regular on Graham's couch in recent years. It's easy to see why: charmingly eccentric and outrageous (the last time she was on she told a show-stealing story about "assisting" a sex-starved soldier up a tree in Edinburgh), she's one of those daffy English wits we thought we just didn't make any more.

Remember when the likes of Peter Ustinov and Kenneth Williams would frequently turn up on Parkinson and Wogan, not to plug anything in particular but just because they were always good value? Margolyes is one of the few remaining figures we have in that vein.

So, should fellow guests Lily Allen and Dominic Cooper fail to cut the mustard, Graham can always rely on his real star turn to pick up the slack.

Just as the weather turns rotten, here's The Wrong Mans, a bit of fun with a smart enough script and some actual jokes. It's about two hapless chaps who get completely out of their depth in a Hitchcockian adventure with kidnappers, spies and gangsters. Nervous council employee Phil (played endearingly by Mathew Baynton of Horrible Histories) witnesses a car crash, picks up the victim's phone and gets mistaken for someone else by bad guys. His brash colleague Sam insists they "roll deep" and play things out.

It co-stars and is co-written by James Corden... wait, did I lose you there? I know: Corden is a divisive figure, who became so ubiquitous a few years ago that the very sight of his grinning face - shouting about his celebrity pals, flirting with Lily Allen, singing the England football team song, showing off at award ceremonies, etc - could induce sheer rage in otherwise reasonable people. While he always had his fans, there were as many who saw him as a representation of everything grim about modern celebrity culture. But, after an apologetic autobiography, an award-winning theatre run and the forthcoming biopic about Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts, Corden seems to be clawing his way out of the backlash. And the sheer energy of this new six-part series indicates that he's gone back to his strengths, co-writing himself a supporting part in an audience-pleasing entertainment, just as he did with Gavin & Stacey.

He is still, essentially, playing that Corden character that became so annoying, but the effect is lessened thanks to a strong plot, script and cast - full of familiar faces in cameo roles, presumably his celebrity pals.

Portrait of the artist: Russell Howard

Is there anything about your career you regret? Doing backstage presenting at The Brits in 2008. I didn't really want to be there: I just don't care what people like Lily Allen think about stuff. But I know that some people do care, so I couldn't just slouch through it.

This Radio 2 pilot also has a live studio audience, but unlike the one watching Dave Against the Machine, this one appeared to be enjoying the show.

This "Comedy Showcase" pilot is an impressionist show covering the behind-the-scenes goings on at Radio 2. It would be lazy and predictable to describe the show as a Radio 2 version of Dead Ringers, but unfortunately that's just what I've done.

It was an entertaining listen, with the first sketch, featuring an incredibly banal and annoying Lily Allen singing to herself about stealing teabags and going to the lavatory, being a great opener. There was also the news being read out by Cheryl Cole; Alan Dedicoat acting as the voice of the Radio 2 lifts; and Shakin' Stevens and Bonnie Tyler's diabolical plan to re-launch their careers.

Admittedly some of the impressions were a bit off, such as the ghost of Winston Churchill appearing on Jeremy Vine's show, but it was still a good sketch with Churchill deciding to launch a pop career. There was also a sketch featuring Louis Spence, which given the fact that he is a dancer might work better on TV.

Personally, my favourite featured an egotistical Sting taking part in Ken Bruce's "Pop Master". Not only did the impression sound right, but it was funny. Mind you, it was always going to find it funny as I don't like Sting. That's what you get when your parents are the biggest Police fans in Teesside.

Usually "Comedy Showcase" pilots do not get full series. In fact, none of them have - which is a shame because I think that Reception could work as a full series - but I for one hope it does.

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Dom Joly has done some crazy things in his time, like eating from Gillian McKeith's pants, being punched by Lily Allen and getting arrested in Switzerland while dressed as a Yeti. Now he's going to look for Nessie...

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We are used to seeing him on TV with pal Alan Carr but here he goes solo. Chat shows are hard to get right - see Davina McCall and Lily Allen - but JLC has the enthusiasm of an excitable puppy and who can resist that? His show promises to be a mix of chat and music - and by music I mean he will sing.