Omid Djalili

"And that is why the West must be destroyed!" The British-Iranian comedian returns with another series mixing knockabout sketches with brilliantly barbed observations on the eternal rift in understanding between Western and Islamic cultures.

If Bill Oddie hosted a show called Telly Watch, he'd be cock-a-hoop at the rare sighting of the bellydancing British-Iranian comedian returning with a second series. A very excitable Bill would then note how Omid's padding out his nest with a skit on the London Olympics and a spoof musical called Credit Crunch: The Opera.

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A review of Davina McCall, Mark Watson, Dermot O'Leary and Omid Djalili.

Omid Djalili's No Agenda show broadcast on Friday night on Channel 4, gives an interesting demonstration in the art of standup comedy.

Djalili's material sits in the realm of ethnic-observational-social comedy - an under-subscribed niche if ever there was one. All in all it's an amusing show that, while not hilarious all the way through, certainly paints a picture of what a real Iranian and his family are like. And surprise, surprise - they're totally normal.

It all comes together nicely at the end too, as Djalili wraps it up, drawing the threads together with a suitable finale.

A mixed gag - Omid Djalili interview

Djalili sounds pretty chipper and he's got every right to be. Watched by almost four million BBC1 viewers - and that was against X Factor and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here - The Omid Djalili Show was a success.

It's the final episode of the series and I know what you're thinking - will we get to see Omid's naked body just one more time? Of course! This wouldn't be The Omid Djalili Show without a weekly dose of bouncing, giant man-boobs, hairy back and wobbly belly.

It's like reliving the naked wrestling scene from the Borat movie over and over. As well as putting people off their dinners, Omid gives his unique take on the Iraq war and the execution of Saddam Hussein.

The sketches, which have been a bit hit-and-miss, include pushy parents trying to get their children into a religious school and Steve "The Dragon" Thompson teaching middle-class fighting.

We also have Donny Chicago (the Iranian detective) going undercover at a disco dancing competition. Doing his very best John Travolta impression, Omid ends up bouncing all over the dance floor, shaking his groove thang. But he keeps his clothes on for that bit. Thank God.

I'm afraid The Omid Djalili Show was not as good as the torrent of advance publicity suggested. In the past, Djalili has proved himself a fine comedian, neatly combining his Iranian background with his current status as a middle-class Englishman to explore the two cultures - and, more importantly, to be funny. Saturday's show, by contrast, was just a great big mess.

Going for a Dave Allen mix of sketches and gags, it ended up misfiring on both counts. The sketches were generally overlong, and often uninspired to start with. The stand-up stuff had its moments - but never seemed sure whether it wanted to play with stereotypes or simply rely on them. Djalili still came across as an interesting and likeable man, and as a good actor. Nonetheless, some serious script-editing is badly needed if the series is going to do him anything like justice.

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