Phill Jupitus

BBC faces fresh criticism over offensive remarks about Baroness Thatcher

The BBC is facing fresh criticism after two comedians made offensive remarks about Baroness Thatcher on a prime time quiz show.

In Friday night's episode of QI, Jo Brand, who was caught up in the Carol Thatcher "golliwog" controversy, and Phill Jupitus both made comments which have led to complaints being lodged and further anger from viewers.

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.

Fry's quirky delight

The show was a belter. The audience screeched with joy on discovering Stephen was to be this week's guest captain. We recorded for two and a half hours and the mood stayed buoyant and convivial throughout. Simon had some very nice "fake brainy banter" material which Stephen played along with.

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.

Why I Hate...Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Never Mind the Buzzcocks has been masquerading as comedy for more than ten years, and a brow-furrowing 21 series. They'd be better off sticking Phill Jupitus and Bill Bailey on a sofa with a couple of pints and letting them discuss 30 minutes of archive pop videos. That's where the value of the show is. Everything else is fulfilling some desperate criteria to appeal to the 15-25 demographic, while forgetting about what actually makes good telly.