Marcus Brigstocke

Strictly Come Dancing just won't be the same without him. But as Dave's first, fitfully funny, homegrown panel game continues, Argumental finds John Sergeant back in his comfort zone with his two left feet tucked comfortably under a desk where they belong.

He twinkles genially while two teams, captained by Marcus Brigstocke and Rufus Hound, debate the hot potatoes of the day - sometimes changing sides mid-sentence.

A couple of topics that aren't on the agenda tonight, but they might like to keep up their sleeves for series two include: Is it OK for the most popular contestant on a reality ballroom series to quit just because he's rubbish?

And: Should a panel show featuring four comedians coming up with 'off-the-cuff' arguments, really have the need to credit seven gag writers?

Frankie Boyle can add the people of Norwich to the increasingly lengthy list of those whom he has offended during his guest slot on the debating panel show this week. Phill Jupitus also appears, spending most of the time in hysterics when Marcus Brigstocke invents a new word. Still very funny.

From the moment host John Sergeant heehaws, you know this new panel show featuring regulars Marcus Brigstocke and Rufus Hound is a winner. The aim is to argue wittily and outrageously, as demonstrated by Dara O'Briain, who manages to compare Brigstocke to Mao Tse-tung.

Panel shows may be two-a-penny, but this witty celebration of the art of argument definitely has something. Comedians Rufus Hound and Marcus Brigstocke and their teams defend or denounce a given statement - the funnier and more outrageous their case the better. It's presented by John Sergeant (whose laugh alone makes it worth watching).

Weaver's Week

Marcus Brigstocke is our host, which is always A Very Good Thing. He's funny, warm, prone to go off on the most wonderfully entertaining rants, human, and never loses sight of ways to make the world a slightly better place. We like him a lot. Brigstocke knows a lot about making the mundane entertaining. He also knows a lot about science, nature, technology, human achievement, and snowboarding. Almost all of these skills are used on this quiz.

According to the continuity announcer, I've Never Seen Star Wars is a journey outside the comfort zone. Every week, a guest will be invited to try a series of things he or she has never done before, and then engage in witty banter with Marcus Brigstocke: this week, for example, Phill Jupitus tried foie gras, pigs' trotters, Findus Crispy Pancakes, and - understandably, after that lot - colonic irrigation. Brigstocke sat in on this one with him, and their reminiscences about the process were jarringly candid.

That episode aside, it all felt oddly well-worn: celebrity guests are by definition familiar; Brigstocke is now established as the Mark Lawson of comedy - reliable but perhaps a tad overexposed - and his gags here were based largely on confirming prejudices: when Jupitus admitted he'd never read Dan Brown, Brigstocke chimed in for an easy laugh with Course not. What's the point? Ho-hum: BBC light entertainment business as usual.

I've Never Seen Star Wars is a great idea: getting people to try out new things on air. As presenter Marcus Brigstocke explained, this might be because you haven't wanted to do something before (get a tattoo, eat in a Harvester restaurant) or have been too scared (to go through US customs and immigration with a beard).

It is very funny indeed. Last night, Phill Jupitus tried a Findus Crispy Pancake (one of the words isn't true, he quipped), foie gras, and pigs' trotters. The latter wasn't much of a revelation (as you might expect, Marcus, they taste of pork), but an impromptu combination of pancake and foie gras proved more exciting. It's like class war in my mouth, he said.

He also tried colonic irrigation, and the recording of that was one of the funniest bits of radio this year. The therapist explained the process in a deadpan manner that was quite majestic, especially when she let her 'tubing clamps' make their worrying sound effect. Jupitus fretted that she'd find some hidden G-spot of delight and that he'd become sexually addicted to having my arse pumped out. Rather worryingly, then, he has already booked his next appointment.

Pick of the day: I have never been to a football match or read a Jeffrey Archer novel. My daughter hasn't been clubbing or eaten a steak and kidney pie. If only we were famous - then we could make a few quid appearing on Marcus Brigstocke's new series, in which celebrities try 'quite ordinary things' for the very first time. In the meantime you'll have to make do with Phill Jupitus encountering his first Findus Crispy Pancake and delivering the less than ringing endorsement: Red Leicester? My fat arse! You can also find out what he makes of colonic irrigation in I've Never Seen Star Wars.

The advent of 24-hour drinking may have largely deprived this sort of comedy of its natural constituency - the punter who consumes his bodyweight in Last Orders beer and then staggers off in search of radio-based hilarity - but that doesn't stop the Beeb from commissioning it.

Frankly, if you're sober none of it makes much sense, but it appears that the Scrooby of the title (played by the writer of the series, Andy Parsons) has gone missing but has left a series of recordings on his MP3 player, each describing his experience of various lifestyles, some of them alternative and some not.

The impressive list of guest stars includes Dara O'Briain, Frankie Boyle, Marcus Brigstocke and Lucy Porter, proof - if nothing else - that Parsons has some good friends on the stand-up circuit. There's also an interactive element that involves contacting a website and suggesting other enterprises for him to 'investigate'.

The 5-Minute Interview: Marcus Brigstocke, Comedian

Marcus Brigstocke, 34, appears on Radio 4's evening comedy slot and hosts 'The Late Edition' on BBC4. His latest venture, a satirical comedy series, 'News Knight', presented alongside Sir Trevor McDonald, is aired from tomorrow on ITV1.