Steve Punt

Last in this series. Thank goodness. Next week Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis return with The Now Show, which may have its off moments but still hits more marks than it misses and, to me, seems to leave its older stablemate sounding tired and desperate. Marks of this are the ever deepening shades of blue written into chairman Sandy Toksvig's script, which induces the other comedians on the show to venture ever further into crudeness. It's not that I'm shocked. It's just that it's all so predictable. Maybe it's time to give it a rest. Or bring in a new writer.

Is comedy getting too cruel?

Was Ricky Gervais's Golden Globes turn funny, or just mean? Is comedy getting too cruel? Comedians Steve Punt and Shappi Khorsandi debate what is a joke too far.

My media: Steve Punt

The comedian and star of Radio 4's The Now Show says he will read almost anything - but not the same paper every day.

Now Show Preview - Jeremy Hunt and the Cult of Hunting

On tonight's Now Show, Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis take a topical trip around tuition fees and Today tongue-twisters. Musical Mitch Benn sees the world through Lennon's eyes; German stand-up Henning Wehn probes our World Cup hypocrisy; John Finnemore wonders at the sexual magnetism of a certain Lib Dem MP and Laura Shavin reveals what every woman wants for Christmas.

Video: Why Footlights is a double act breeding ground

Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis explain to BBC Breakfast why The Cambridge Footlights have produced so many successful double acts over the years, including Mitchell and Webb, Armstrong and Miller, and Fry and Laurie.

Hurray! I've really gone off The News Quiz (too blue for me and too self-satisfied for its own good) so welcome back Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, Mitch Benn, Jon Holmes and Laura Shavin with their much wittier reflection of the week. There have been Friday nights in past series where I could have hugged them for being so astute and so funny about government goings on. Even with Cameron and Clegg and their coalition comrades being much harder to mimic than Brown and Blair, Darling, Prescott et al, I'm still confident my thoughts will be echoed in the team's jokes.

This Week on The Now Show: The Now Show turns 32

The Now Show is back back back! After Sandi and her News Quiz team go and lie down in a darkened room until they are next required. We're on to series 32 of The Now Show, amazingly, and Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis still look as fresh and gamine as years at the comedy coal face will allow.

On Wednesday's The Vote Now Show I was expecting Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis to take aim at the barrel and start blasting. But all we got was a couple of spoof mic gaffes, such as Churchill doing his "fight them on the beaches" speech then saying, "it's bollocks, but they love it". The rest felt stale only hours after the Mic Moment.

Best value was Kate Adie on past elections, when slightly embarrassing events were hardly reported. She recalled going around with Keith Joseph, from whom people visibly flinched. He was shunted into a branch of Woolworth's, scattering scared shoppers, and left by himself at the tills. "What've you got?" the check-out girl asked, waiting for him to pay. "We have tremendous plans for education," he informed her.

His Conservative descendants have plans for the BBC. It's their fish in a barrel. So if I might reiterate my recent plea: if you value the Beeb, don't vote Tory. Shoot them in the foot instead.

Video: a pest on The Vote Now Show

As listeners will have heard on Wednesday night, BBC Business Editor Robert Peston made a guest appearance on The Vote Now Show, where he was interviewed by Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis.

For those who prefer the gag-o-meter turned up to 11 on their election coverage, there's The Vote Now Show. Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and the rest of the hardworking Now Show team are offering comedic biteback three nights a week for election season, with programmes being recorded just four hours before transmission to make sure they're bang up to date on the day's events.

On Monday, Andy Zaltzman subjected himself to a John Humphrys interview (Humphrys is delightfully game), while Jon Holmes' consideration of stirring theme tunes for party leaders provides the belly-laugh we all sorely need. Tuesday's instalment included John Finnemore's hilarious dos and dont's for campaign leaflets - horse illustrations are key, apparently.