Michael McIntyre

Review: The Michael Mcintyre Chat Show, BBC One

In some ways this may be the simplest review I've ever written. If you like Michael McIntyre you'll like TMMCS. If you don't you won't.

The Michael McIntyre Chat Show review

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that The Michael McIntyre Chat Show needs some work. It appears at the minute that the host is stuck between two worlds: Chat and Observation.

Radio Times review

The path from comedy to chat show is a well-trodden but perilous one. Alan Carr and Graham Norton have both skipped down that route with ease but now Michael McIntyre finds out whether his bouncy style of humour will work in the static format of a chat show.

Stand-up comedians don't always find it easy to allow someone else into the spotlight so he'll need to rein in his boisterousness a bit. If he wants pointers, two of his guests have been in the hot seat themselves before: Terry Wogan and Lily Allen (although the latter was widely panned for her efforts). It'll be interesting to see how Michael copes with his other guest, too - Lord Sugar doesn't suffer fools gladly, so he's not always the easiest interviewee.

Does the world really need another chat show? Decide for yourself as irrepressibly perky comedian Michael McIntyre tries to remind himself to shut up long enough to let his guests get a word in edgeways. Graham Norton, Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross will scarcely be quaking in their boots at McIntyre's opening guest list: Lily Allen, Lord Alan Sugar and Sir Terry Wogan can all be relied on for a jolly anecdote but it's a pretty safe choice for an opening gambit. McIntyre will need something a little edgier if he's going to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

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The Michael McIntyre Chat Show review

With its Ronseal title, the format of The Michael McIntyre Chat Show doesn't need much explaining. It might, however, need some tweaking because this debut edition didn't quite get the balance right.

Michael McIntyre and his 'lookalikes'

Michael McIntyre reckons he passes for Bond star Pierce Brosnan "with a mouth full of sweets" - but Pierce isn't his only famous lookalike... apparently.

Miranda Hart review

Her strength is primarily her inelegant physicality - she skips, lollops and childishly gallops across the stage more, even, than Michael McIntyre, with whom she shares a fair few delivery traits.

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.