Harry Hill's TV Burp

There's the pleasure of watching television, and then there's the enhanced pleasure of watching television through the lunatic, bespectacled eyes of Harry Hill, the doctor-turned-comedian who returns for the ninth series of his quickfire lampooning of the week's TV idiocies and inanities. With his ear-brushingly high collars, his line of pens emblazoning his breast pocket and his silly schoolboy's dribble of badges on his lapel, Hill has always looked like a ventriloquist's dummy that somebody forgot to put the wig on. You probably wouldn't want him as your GP. But as a palliative to the surreal absurdities thrown up by television each week, Hill is welcome medicine. His early potshots will almost certainly include skewering studies of the revealing minor moments in The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing that you may have missed the first time round. Who but Hill would identify, for instance, the garish range of facial expressions employed by Louis Walsh on the judging panel of The X Factor or the tongue-lolling, puppy-dog mug of contestant Eoghan Quigg begging you to vote for him? For a weekly post mortem of TV's lesser-spotted manias and neuroses, Hill may be just what the doctor ordered.

Suddenly, all is right with the world, because Harry Hill's TV Burp is back. It's ITV1's greatest comedy asset - despite Burp's truckload of awards earlier this year and its towering viewing figures, does the channel realise this, I wonder - and it's just wonderful. Witty, funny, surreal and silly, TV Burp is what Saturday nights are for. There's no way of knowing what will be in the show, as it's recorded two days before transmission, but it's a fair bet Hill will find ripe comic harvests in the many ludicrous aspects of The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, and one of his more recent favourites, the gloriously idiotic Hole in the Wall. And ITV1 is spoiling us, because Burp is preceded at 7:00pm by the first in an (occasional) new series of the Hill-narrated New You've Been Framed! It's purely and uncomplicatedly funny, thanks to Hill's delightfully subversive narration. And all that camcorder footage of people falling off bikes, of course.

Harry Hill proves strange acts can be mainstream gold

The big-collared peddler of nonsense is back as a permanent feature in the nation's living rooms.

Saints be praised, Harry's back! The best show ITV has in its arsenal returns to poke fun at this mad world we call telly, and is guaranteed to bring smiles, a giggle and belly laughs aplenty. Hill has a unique view of the world, and you never quite know where he's going to go with things. Expect a few comedy grenades lobbed in the direction of Strictly and The X Factor along the way. Harry, we've missed you!

Sky offers Harry Hill £400k a Burp

Harry Hill is poised to quit ITV after being offered a double-your-money deal by Sky.

Burp hopes to repeat UK success

Australia is making their own version of TV Burp with comic Ed Kavalee presenting.

Sky 1 bids to lure Harry Hill's TV Burp from ITV1

Sky 1 has mounted an audacious bid to swipe Harry Hill's TV Burp from ITV1 as part of a strategy to buy must-see shows established by rival broadcasters.

What's Sky One Up To?

ITV has shown great support for TV Burp over the years, sticking with the show when ratings weren't perhaps as strong as they might have been. Now it's a storming success for the channel - and unmissable TV.

Behind the scenes on TV Burp

The pace at which the show is produced is blinding, and, even on a glum Thursday evening, hilarious.

The bespectacled comic takes another sideways look at the week's TV. Backstage must resemble the mayhem of The Muppet Show, what with that pesky shark, remote-control chicken, attention-seeking door and Jezza Paxman on his barge knocking about outside Harry's dressing room. Sooner or later, they'll have a bundle in front of Harry just as he's discussing the tragic cheese/seaweed addiction on Freaky Eaters, which would undermine the seriousness of the affliction. Whatever, this is still the funniest half hour of the TV week.