Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Alan Carr did his best, but Lindsay Lohan's a nightmare

My advice to bookers of chat shows for future reference is to avoid Lindsay Lohan, say Mark Jefferies.

What Alan Carr taught me about gay men's homophobia

Gay men have a big problem with camp, understandably. But prejudice is corrosive, wherever it comes from.

With The Graham Norton Show not due back on our screens until next month, here's a chance for Alan Carr to gain a ratings foothold in the Great Friday Night Chatshow Wars. The lineup for this returning episode of Chatty Man - Ricky Gervais and Gary Barlow - is a little underwhelming, but at least Gervais is bringing Muppets Most Wanted co-stars Kermit The Frog and his identical nemesis Constantine along for some felt fun. Barlow's contribution sounds less enticing: a performance of his new soft-rock single, Since I Saw You Last.

Nipping in a week ahead of his big Friday night rival Graham Norton, Alan Carr (left) kicks off a new series of lippy chat and louche one-liners by inviting Ricky Gervais and Jessica Hynes to lock comedy horns. Those two can give as good as they get, so it could be a riot. Calming things down will be Gary Barlow, continuing on his highly successful solo comeback with new single Since I Saw You Last.

Alan Carr Chatty Man: 11 drink-fuelled clips

Alan's globe full of booze has been the cause and the subject of many a conversation.

Alan Carr interview

Alan Carr, who lives in London with his partner Paul and their Irish setters Bev and Joyce, talks drinks, Muppets, and pulling strings to get A-list Hollywood star guests on his show...

It's the night when TV's big guns mount a barrage of merriment to blast us over the finishing line of 2013. Point your remote pretty much anywhere and a party mood is guaranteed - without the need for an actual party. On Channel 4 Alan Carr gets help from James Corden, Abbey Clancy and Tinie Tempah. There really is no excuse for letting the fizz in your glass go flat.

There's no Graham Norton to challenge the Chatty Man tonight, just the small matter of Children In Need to contend with. So there are no Hollywood stars sweeping into Carr's space, just a hat-trick of TV favourites, with Derren Brown previewing his new TV caper The Great Art Robbery, comedian Adam Hills having a giggle over his debut stand-up show, Happyism, and Russell Brand discussing his Messiah Complex, out soon on DVD. And with One Direction busy on BBC One, The Wanted seize their moment to provide the music.

Russell Brand attacks David Cameron on Chatty Man

Russell Brand has dubbed David Cameron and George Osborne 'posh w***ers' as he continued to wage his war and 'revolution' against the government.

Everyone loves sparks flying on the chatshow circus and the best chance of a meltdown tonight looks likely to come from the wayward Britney Spears as she drops by for a chinwag with Alan Carr.

Will he ask her opinion on twerking Miley Cyrus? Also making merry with Carr are Olympic hero Mo Farah and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, plus music from Jake Bugg, while Graham Norton has landed Paul McCartney, Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, James Corden and Katy Perry.