Sue Perkins

News Quiz: Why will there be no end of the peer show?

It's Friday, so here's a little treat from tonight's News Quiz, featuring Sue Perkins, Mark Steel, Jeremy Hardy and Hugo Rifkind.

My Day on a Plate: Sue Perkins

The comedian and television presenter Sue Perkins scores top marks for stamina as she reveals her highly unusual day on a plate.

News Quiz: the clink is going to shrink

Here's an advance dose of tonight's News Quiz, featuring Susan Calman, Jeremy Hardy, Henning Wehn and Sue Perkins. After Justice Secretary Ken Clarke announced the closure of three "outdated and expensive" prisons, Sandi Toksvig asks German stand-up Henning Wehn for an analysis.

Radio 3 announces Big Red Nose Show for Comic Relief

Comedians Sue Perkins, Tim Vine and Marcus Brigstocke will take part in BBC Radio 3's Red Nose Day event.

The News Quiz Benefit

This week's News Quiz lineup consists of Andy Hamilton, Miles Jupp, Sue Perkins and Jeremy Hardy. But as we had a picture of most of them last week, instead here's Sandi with one of our excellent script writers - Simon Littlefield.

Britain's Next Top News Quiz

Tonight's News Quiz on Radio 4 sees the esteemed panel of Francis Wheen and Jeremy Hardy slogging it out against Sue Perkins and Andy Hamilton to win points from Sandi Toksvig by answering questions about topical events. Who will win? We literally don't know*. (*We literally do. The show was recorded on Thursday night. We're just not telling.)

Along with Stephen Fry's quiz questions on the letter H tonight, it would be quite interesting to find out why the erudite Gyles Brandreth has taken seven years to make his second appearance on this show as a panellist. Also risking the blare of the klaxons for only the second time is comedienne Sue Perkins, who appeared earlier this year. Bill Bailey completes the trio of promising guests lined up to discuss esoterica with Fry and Alan Davies.

You never know, it might get witty this time. The venerable topical comment panel show returns for another season. Sandi Toksvig chairs, Jeremy Hardy, Sue Perkins and brilliant Andy Hamilton are among the guests. But is the nation in the mood for comedians taking pot shots? I doubt it. These are hard times and likely to get harder. That's why the gloriously spiky surrealism of Jon Holmes's Listen Against in this slot on Tuesdays is such a tonic. If News Quiz wants to be more than a habit it had better shape up. Radio 4's new Controller is listening.

Tonight one of QI's infrequent female panellists, Sue Perkins, fresh from dusting the flour off her dainty hands in The Great British Bake Off, joins the boys. She's sparky and funny and will be more than capable of holding her own with those noisy, competitive lads. They are, of course, question master Stephen Fry and genial regular Alan Davies, here with Gyles Brandreth (so garrulous he never knowingly uses two words when he can use 20) and frequent panellist Bill Bailey, who is always good value as he dallies with the esoteric, the surreal and the downright daft.

Jonathan Ross is on his way out, but all hail Graham Norton, whose chat show is breezy, silly and a perfect nightcap at the end of the first day of the working week. I particularly like the way all of his guests end up on the sofa together, rather than each scurrying off to the green room after their moments in the spotlight to giggle self-consciously while everyone else has their turn. Some of the best bits of the last series involved high jinks between the stars, like the hopelessly solipsistic Katie Price coming under the withering gaze of a mischievous Jo Brand. Or model/actress Lily Cole looking lost as she droned on about her new film, while Sue Perkins and Isabella Rossellini were there just to enjoy themselves. Tonight's guests Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant should be good value as they discuss their new film Cemetery Junction. They'll be joined by actress Christina Ricci, and there's music from Pixie Lott.