Michael Hogan

Peep Show: Super Hans's maddest moments

From crack addiction to endorphin overload, we pick the funniest scenes from Peep Show's cult hero.

The last-but-one slice of cult student comedy. Kingsley (Joe Thomas) is forced to fulfil his idle daydreams about being a musician when his girlfriend signs him up for an open mic gig at the student union. Josie (Kimberley Nixon) tries to keep her gambling addiction a secret and Vod (the superb Zawe Ashto) joins a famous poet for an all-night bender - with unexpectedly tragic results.

There hasn't been a good series about "second time around lovers" since Nineties sitcom As Time Goes By. This charming comedy-drama ends that drought in style. Celia Dawson (Anne Reid) and Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi) are both widowed and haven't seen each other for 60 years. When the old flames are reunited via Facebook, their feelings are reignited - and they discover that it was a twist of fate that separated them in the first place.

This is superior fare, based on writer Sally Wainwright's (Scott & Bailey) own mother's internet romance. It's also directed by Doctor Who alumnus Euros Lyn and made by estimable production company Red. However, it's the performances that truly elevate it - not just from classy leads Reid and Jacobi who are amusingly irascible and sweetly bumbling, respectively, but a strong supporting cast which includes Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, Tony Gardner and Ronni Ancona. All come into their own over the six episodes, as the lovers' families are thrown together amid sub-plots involving bisexuality, alchoholism and a murder mystery. Watch out for a neat surprise in the final scene of this opener.

It's the Easter holidays (just on screen, you haven't missed a few months) and posh buffoon JP (the hilarious Jack Whitehall) invites his housemates to his rural retreat. Naturally, it's not as idyllic as it seems and scenes reminiscent of Withnail & I ensue. Josie (Kimberley Nixon) marks ex-fiancé Dave's wedding day in her own unique way, while socially inept Howard (Greg McHugh) and Dutch mature student Sabine (Jelka Van Houten) find themselves home alone together. There's soon a surprise proposition.

This latest attempt by BBC One at a mainstream sitcom is a ditzy domestic affair about single mother Gemma Jones (Sarah Alexander), who spends her life dealing with her twin girls, her midlife-crisis-suffering ex (Neil Morrissey) and his stereotypical Swedish girlfriend. So when a handsome father (Nathaniel Parker) asks Gemma out on a date while she's on the school run, it's a welcome offer. That is, until her student son returns from a backpacking trip with his flirtatious friend Billy (Robert Sheehan) and Mrs Jones unexpectedly finds she's got more than one love interest. Solidly played by a strong cast, this comedy is gently amusing rather than laugh-out-loud funny.

Top period dramas TV spoofs

From The House of Idiot to Uptown Downstairs Abbey to Hunderby there are a host of pitch-perfect pastiches. But what makes a good spoof? And is it just period dramas that are ripe for imitation?

Red Dwarf X, Dave, review

Michael Hogan reviews Red Dwarf X, the first episode of the first new series of the sci-fi sitcom in 13 years, starring the original cast.

There's a strong pop flavour to bespectacled comedian Alan Carr's green room tonight. The cheekily probing host's guests are pop singer and The Voice coach Jessie J, discussing her autobiography Nice to Meet You, tousle-haired, America-conquering boy band One Direction - so brace yourself for hormonal screams from the studio audience - and US soul diva Alicia Keys, who will also be performing. The line-up is completed by Kevin McCloud, whose new series of Grand Designs is currently being shown on Channel 4.

Andy Samberg: a comedy guide

Well-known as an endearingly daft comic in the US and about to debut on British TV, here are five highlights of Andy Samberg's career.

The topical comedy panel quiz returns after its summer break. Joining host Dara O Briain and regulars Hugh Dennis, Andy Parsons and Chris Addison are guests Greg Davies, Andi Osho and Stewart Francis - the laconic Canadian one-liner specialist who won the award for best joke at this year'' Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his gag about Posh and Becks giving children a bad name.