Rory Bremner

With Rory Bremner no longer a regular presence on our screens, and the likes of Jon Culshaw, Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona failing to deliver much bite, there was a definite gap in the market for a risk-taking, quick-witted impressions show - until about three weeks ago, when this excellent series abruptly filled it. It showcases a handful of enjoyably sharp sketches lampooning the likes of Bear Grylls, Simon Cowell, the Gallagher brothers, Fearne Cotton and Amy Childs. Particular highlights are Brian Cox admitting that he buys his vintage leather jackets from Urban Outfitters, and Adele singing her drinks order to a barman in a pub.

Challenging Radio 4's satirical stalwarts The Now Show and The News Quiz must be an intimidating prospect. However, impressionist Rory Bremner has been given the chance to go toe-to-toe with Toksvig and Co with the return of his late-night topical satire series.

The programme includes Bremner quizzing a number of "informed guest commentators", offering the incisive satirist the chance to prove he is so much more than a one-line impressions jukebox.

Hosted by Clive Anderson, The Guessing Game is a brand new panel game on BBC Radio Scotland. Among those featured alongside Anderson were the show's (annoying) house band Gus and Fin plus One, and this week's contestants: Rory Bremner, Tom Allen and Alex Horne.

As the title implies, the object of the game is to guess the answers to difficult questions. The usual scoring system is two points if you get the answer right and one point for an amusing or good guess. Questions included: "What is the difference between Justin Bieber and banana?" and "Who gave away their music rights from beyond the grave?"

There were some amusing asides from one or two of the panellists, mainly Horne, but other than that there wasn't much going for it. The problem for me is that this format has been done before, and much better, by shows that are already on. QI on TV and The Unbelievable Truth on radio handle the subjects of trivia and unusual information in a much funnier manner.

Perhaps the issue's the scoring system. With QI and The Unbelievable Truth, you often end up with negative scores. In The Guessing Game this doesn't happen. Let's hope that the show will improve as the series goes along...

The Guessing Game with Clive Anderson

Wednesday at 14:05 sees the start of a brand new six-part comedy panel show called The Guessing Game. Clive Anderson presents the programme and he's joined with some great guests like Rory Bremner, Phill Jupitus and Zoe Lyons.

Big name line-up for Glasgow Comedy Festival

Dara O'Briain, Rory Bremner and Jenny Eclair will perform at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.

Rory Bremner: 'I've always been a bit of a dilettante'

After Strictly, Rory Bremner has put his own spin on Orpheus in the Underworld.

You'd imagine that Rory Bremner, fresh from his defeat on Strictly, would be able to show the young pups how it's done. His satirical news show Tonight is stand-up of sorts, in that it's performed in front of a live audience, and Bremner, who has been doing radio comedy since time began, could surely do this kind of thing in his sleep. In the event, it's possible that he was asleep. I never tire of his supplicating Tony Blair or his irascible Prince Philip, but then we had to endure lame 'Allo 'Allo!-style skits about sexual shenanigans between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. Tellingly, the biggest giggle came via his interviewee Michael Williams, the former UN special co-ordinator to the Middle East, who absently remarked: "I've seen more people asleep in the UN Security Council than in the House of Lords library."

I love Rory Bremner. There are sterling comedy writers on his team here. Yet almost every joke ends in a dismally predictable pay-off. As satire on events political and financial it's too angry to hits its marks, as caricature of people in the public eye it is so obviously moulded to fit Bremner's repertoire that Gordon Brown turns up more regularly here than he has in real life for a whole year. I try to imagine Radio 4 Controller Gwyneth Williams sitting by her radio and laughing her socks off, this comedy slot having been her idea. That picture won't come. Alas.

Rory Bremner: "I felt we had more to give on Strictly"

The impressionist bids farewell to the competition in his final blog - and looks to the future.

Audio: Rory Bremner talks Strictly & the Tory rebellion

Rory Bremner became the third celebrity to leave Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday night after his Cha Cha failed to impress the judges.

He told Radio 5 live Breakfast about the experience and even did a convincing John Major impression.