10 O'Clock Live

Channel 4 must have faith in 10 O'Clock Live, considering that it got quite a bashing during the first series.

It suffered from many problems; chief amongst them was the hype surrounding the first series with people comparing it to The Daily Show, which was suicidal given how hugely successful and respected The Daily Show is.

However, the second series has come around with almost no fan fair at all. The regulars are still the same. Jimmy Carr's still filling the role of gag-man newsreader; Charlie Brooker's still filling the role of grumpy man who looks at the TV; David Mitchell's still filling the role of grumpy man who interviews people; and Lauren Laverne's still filling the role of the sensible token northern woman that leaves people asking, "Couldn't they find a female comedian instead?"

While there were some laughs, much of the show was still below par. One routine, which featured Jimmy Carr as Vladimir Putin wearing a fake padded muscle suit and wrestling a man in a bear costume, just didn't grab me at all.

It's nice to see that the channel still has some faith in the programme, but I just don't think it is going to work.

10 O'Clock Live - A bit of a dud

It might be more fun if they did a little more digging and stopped making nob-gags based on what they caught on the BBC News channel that morning. And they should also promise that they'll never book Alistair Campbell as a celebrity guest, ever again.

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The nervy satire show that looked set for a quiet demise after ratings halved in the course of the first series is back.

Despite the odd misfire, the show often sparked into something a bit special. David Mitchell proved a sharp interviewer; Jimmy Carr's news monologues were genuinely funny; and if you enjoy Charlie Brooker in rant mode, this was the place for you.

For the second series, we're promised a tweak to the format and a shorter running time.

A second series for the live comedy and current affairs show hosted by David Mitchell, Charlie Brooker, Lauren Laverne and Jimmy Carr. The recommission must have been touch and go, but the strand just about warrants persevering with. The first run was inevitably patchy and Laverne seemed underemployed in comparison to her male counterparts. But it got enough right in a lively enough style to merit another go. Weirdly, it managed a few scoops too; 10 O'Clock Live was the first show to announce both Alan Johnson's resignation and the UN's commitment to a No Fly Zone in Libya. By its very nature, live satire is probably doomed to miss as many targets as it hits. But, given the current volatility of world events, this might be a show in the right place at the right time.

The jury's out on whether this news satire effort will take off but, despite dodgy ratings, it's bagged a second series - and David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker are always good for a well-aimed barb.

This patchily brilliant news satire show returns for its second series, still live and still at 10 o'clock - even though these are two factors that might have contributed to the disappointing ratings for series one.

Surely, there's a fair chance that anyone who's genuinely interested in current affairs might be watching the real news over on ITV or the BBC in the same time slot?

Other than a slightly pruned running time and a move to Wednesdays, it'll be interesting to see what other tweaks have been made. A much clearer role for Lauren Laverne would be nice, for instance. But we look forward to seeing who out of funnymen Charlie Brooker and David Mitchell will win the battle of the erudite, ­eye-bulging rant, plus Jimmy Carr sails ever closer to the wind during another of his ­fancy dress news monologues. "Too late. It's live, what can you do?" he shrugged innocently after one gasp-inducing joke about Saudi Arabia.

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Channel 4's comedy current affairs show returns tonight - but can it make more of an impact this time? Perhaps, if it follows these simple steps...

Despite ratings plummeting during the first series, this satirical show has been given a second go. It's a talented team - including Jimmy Carr riffing on news, Charlie Brooker ranting on hypocrisy and David Mitchell ruminating on the personalities within. Lessons have evidently been learnt from the less than overwhelming feedback from series one - hopefully the shorter running time will create a snappier format - but it could be some time yet before this hits the US heights of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

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A look at Channel 4 satirical show 10 O'Clock Live.