Mark Lawson

TV matters: Only Fools and Horses

Viewers will laugh again when the much-loved chandelier scene is repeated - but what does that tell us about comedy?

Audio: James Corden takes on his critics

James Corden has admitted that some of the work he produced after the success of Gavin and Stacey "wasn't good enough".

Speaking to Mark Lawson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row programme, he admitted that some of the criticism he received over hosting the Brit Awards, the film Lesbian Vampire Killers and his sketch show Horne & Corden, was justified.

Listen to the full interview on tonight's Front Rowp..

Jonathan Ross sticks to familiar formula for new show

Apart from the commercial breaks, there was not much difference between the new Jonathan Ross show and the old.

TV matters: Yes, Minister

Anyone writing comedy about politics would do well to study a new book by one of the writers of the classic Whitehall satire.

TV matters: the comedians' gagging order

Heard about the comedy TV host who was banned from telling jokes? It'll have you rolling in the aisles.

Channel 4's 10 O'Clock Live does show some signs of structural adjustment, which, coincidentally or not, address objections made by reviewers of January's opening programme.

Critics complained, for example, that the content was relentlessly verbal - with Jimmy Carr, Charlie Brooker and David Mitchell delivering exaggerated rants in rotation - and, in the progress to last Thursday's 12th edition (of a scheduled first series of 15), the visual material has progressively increased. Carr's opening monologue is now illustrated with punningly captioned pictures, and the comedian also performs more and more dressing-up sketches.

Two flaws, though, are stubbornly consistent. Lauren Laverne, whose original duties amounted to little more than introducing the boys, has not been permitted much evolution, and the first show's unrelieved liberal agenda continues: the four main performers, the majority of the guests and most of the audience seem to be on the same side over most of the issues.

Even so, I think this show can justifiably claim to have suffered at the beginning from the seeming eagerness of some journalists, bloggers and tweeters to see Carr, Mitchell and Brooker flop: late-night satire shows have generally launched newcomers, and there was a slightly smug sense of a celebrity benefit concert about this one. But, three months on, 10 O'Clock Live maintains a high gag rate and, last week, a terrific bust-up over phone-hacking between John Prescott and a News of the World journalist.

TV matters: Ricky Gervais & other awards ceremony hosts

The problem is not so much the host as the sad and disappointed audience.

TV matters: Graham Norton

The Graham Norton Show is pioneering a fresh new format - with surprising results.

TV matters: That Sunday Night Show

The ratings are decent, but is Adrian Chiles's new show about the chat or the gags?

10 O'Clock Live - review

Ten O'Clock Live isn't yet The Daily Show, but this was a highly promising, confident debut.