Russell Howard

With the departure of the notorious and sometimes offensive Frankie Boyle just a distant memory, the satirical panel show - a sort of fusion of Have I Got News for You and Whose Line Is It Anyway? - returns for its ninth series. With much of the show based on the week's news, there's no way of knowing what topics the panellists will be poking fun at, but Dara O Briain is back in the host's chair, presiding over Hugh Dennis, Russell Howard, Andy Parsons et al like a twinkly-eyed, indulgent uncle, while the irrelevant scoring system and weird mix of sit-down/stand-up rounds is intact. The show is undoubtedly a bit softer without Boyle but, along with BBC2's QI, it always manages to deliver intelligent comedy.

A good choice for those who like their news to come with a sense of humour. Russell Howard is always warmly entertaining. He continues his musings here, riffing off stories big and small in front of a live audience.

Russell Howard has got his Good News over on BBC3; now it's the turn of craggy-faced legend Frank Skinner to riff off the week's headlines. To shake up the theme, each show is filmed in a different part of the country, with two different comedians in tow. For tonight's promising series opener, Skinner is in London with Al Murray and Miranda Hart.

This update of Channel 4's 2007 poll of the 100 greatest stand-ups should include some of the new comedy stars who have risen to fame since. It's unlikely that Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard or Michael McIntyre will have shot straight in at No1, but four hours of watching skits from some of the nation's funniest people remains an undiluted pleasure.

This update of Channel 4's 2007 poll of the 100 greatest stand-ups should include some of the new comedy stars who have risen to fame since. It's unlikely that Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard or Michael McIntyre will have shot straight in at No1, but four hours of watching skits from some of the nation's funniest people remains an undiluted pleasure.

Review of Series 2 of Russell Howard's Good News

Russell Howard continues where he left off last series with his not-so-bad new run of news based comedy and stand-up.

Puppyish Russell Howard brings out the worst in many people. But, as we've said many times before, he's a good stand-up, so there are hits among the misses on this show. And the fact that the last series grew to be BBC3's highest rating entertainment programme ever hints he improved into the run - and it will be interesting to see how he handles the election. The Mystery Guest bit is rubbish though.

Good news for Russell Howard: he's already had a third series of this filmed-in-front-of-a-live-audience show commissioned, and we're only just starting the second one. Not that this excellent comedian needs much reassurance to buoy up his always vibrant stand-up. Expect more riffing on the week's news, then - and if you're the sort of bright young thing who must get involved, submit your own news stories via the web or through Twitter.

Russell Howard, the young blonde T-shirt-wearing one from Mock The Week, is back for a second series of his Good News show, BBC 3's best-performing entertainment show to date.

Once again filmed in front of a live studio audience, Russell takes a look at the major news stories of the week and casts, as they say, his "own unique perspective" on them. If you know that his website comes with the warning "Contains Adult Humour", you'll get the drift...

His legions of fans get the chance via Twitter or the website to contribute their own topical suggestions for the wacky, the weird or the plain-old-fashioned funny items which have also made it into the news.

Suggestions so far include the man who's made cheese out of his wife's breast milk, a surfing alpaca and residents in Wakefield successfully protesting to stop the local council changing the name of their local landmark, Tickle Cock Bridge.

Such is the show's popularity a third series has already been commissioned and will be aired later in the year. Russell's probably stocking up on T-shirts as we speak.

Russell Howard's Good News: Weak Mocking

Whether or not you'll like Russell Howard's Good News depends solely on whether or not you like Russell Howard.