Robbie Williams

Gangsta Granny: When Robbie Williams met Miss Marple

A Christmas adaptation of David Walliams's Gangsta Granny has attracted an all-star cast. James Rampton joins them on set.

You may have noticed there's been lot of stuff on TV about a certain Time Lord recently (and the fuss will continue when our special Doctor Who supplement is published next week). So it's appropriate that on Norton's sofa tonight is not one but two of the actors who've played the role: David Tennant and Matt Smith. As Steven Moffat told us that the pair "got on like a couple of old women" when they filmed the anniversary special, we should be in for a real laugh. Trying to get a word in edgeways is Emma Thompson (soon to be seen in Saving Mr Banks) and Robbie Williams.

Dame Edna to host show on Radio 2 festive schedule

Dame Edna Everage and Robbie Williams are to host shows during Radio 2's festive schedule.

Friday night is chat-off night as Alan Carr giggles back into action. Slipping into a slot just 35 minutes before Graham Norton on BBC1, Carr's got the advantage for his tenth series, welcoming popster-cum-crooner Robbie Williams, together with a trio of Comic Relief fund-raisers - Jack Dee, Dara O'Briain and Mel C. And if new dad Robbie starts talking nappy changes, you can always hop channels to see if Graham Norton's craic is any better than Carr's.

Alan Carr has, almost by stealth, become part of the TV furniture. He returns for another series tonight, knowing he'll have to be at his chattiest if he's to get a word in edgeways. Robbie Williams is in town, talking about fatherhood and his forthcoming stadium shows - once he gets on a roll, he takes some stopping. Robbie's also going to be singing a new song, Be a Boy, which is a disappointing development. Elsewhere, odd trio Jack Dee, Dara O'Briain and Melanie C will be discussing their recent voyage down the Zambezi River in aid of Comic Relief. Chatty, man.

Friday night has become Chat Night on television, what with Graham Norton, Piers Morgan and his Life Stories and now a tenth series of Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Carr is an amiable presence who plays it for laughs. These should be plentiful as his first guest is Robbie Williams, a man not known for his bleak introspection. Williams will be singing his new single Be a Boy and giving us the lowdown on his life, which seems to be rather happy since he married girlfriend Ayda Field and became a dad to Theodora Rose.

Half an hour in the company of John Bishop would be reason enough to tune in, but he's plundered his address book and persuaded his celebrity pals to dust off their favourite one-liners.

Robbie Williams, John Prescott, Ricky Hatton, Freddie Flintoff and Warwick Davis all do their best to make us giggle, along with fellow stand-ups Jason Manford, Jason Byrne, Andi Osho and Mick Miller.

Members of the public are also given the chance to exercise their funny bone, including an impish schoolboy with a joke about poo (naturally) and a side-splitting laugh. As you'd expect from that line-up, it's a mixed bag but squeaky clean, so there's no need to cover young ears.

John Bishop's new vehicle is a resolutely family-friendly throwback to the days of The Comedians, when TV standup was a relentless stream of "fella-walked-into-a-bar" jokes that steadfastly avoided any reference to life as actually lived. A cast of thousands are involved, including celebrities from Ricky Hatton and Robbie Williams to ordinary folk, telling creaky jokes that at least crease them up. All this is peppered with occasional pellets of non-abrasive observational humour from smirk-merchants such as Jason Manford.

Robbie Williams is tonight's big guest, and doubtless he'll dominate the sofa with that full-beam charm and laddishness he's so famous for. Or maybe now he's a dad he'll have become all sensible and possibly even a bit tired after those broken nights. We shall see.

Sharing the limelight in the studio will be Paul O'Grady, whose recent ITV1 series about cute abandoned canines, For the Love of Dogs, was a surprise ratings hit, and new Strictly Come Dancing judge, ballerina Darcey "Yah" Bussell will bring some poised glamour.

At this point I should say that not only have I never watched this programme before, but I've never watched or listened to any of Chris Moyles' shows (for that matter I've never listened to Radio 1). As a result I was somewhat hesitant at watching Chris Moyles' Quiz Night, but as there were no other new comedy programmes on I had to make do.

For those who have also never seen the show before, each edition features Moyles taking part in a quiz against three celebrity guests. The audience beforehand vote for who they think will win and those who pick the winner win a share of £1,000 (on this week's edition the money won by everyone equalled £21 each). The player who comes last has to sing out the show.

When I spotted the panel which consisted of Jason Manford, Jeremy Clarkson and opera singer Katherine Jenkins, I thought that as a panel it was okay, although I can't help but think that it sounds like Stewart Lee's idea of hell. Anyone who saw the first episode of his Comedy Vehicle will testify.

However, the other guests who appeared during the questions, including Britney Spears, Robbie Williams and the Sugababes, took it down to the level that I expected from Moyles - cheap and rubbish. This show isn't something that I'd watch again.