Harry Hill's TV Burp

As the cold winter nights draw in, we can all be thankful that Harry Hill is around to give us a belly laugh at his droll observations on the week in telly. Sublime.

Despite being tucked away in the schedules when it first started, audiences embraced TV Burp and have made it a rare BAFTA-winning comedy hit for ITV. Now in its eighth series, comedian Harry Hill returns to poke fun at the best and worst British TV has to offer. Typically highlighting goofs (often from soaps with fast production turnarounds), this is a brisk 30-minutes that provides plenty of footage for Harry to weave imaginative, funny narratives around. With plenty of light-hearted spoofs, ironic guests, catchphrases, silly humour and sketches - this is one belch it's not bad manners to enjoy. And one that will last a mammoth 25 weeks!

Comedian Harry Hill returns to cast a satirical eye over the past week's television in the eighth series of his Bafta award-winning clip-show. A ratings winner, with more than 7 million viewers typically tuning in for the last series, TV Burp is sticking to its successful format. So expect the soaps to bear the brunt of the lampooning, as well as surreal mock fights between two TV characters.

The wacky commentator on the quirks and idiocies of television is back for an eighth series, no less. His numerous fans will be pleased to know that the run has been extended to 25 episodes; it includes a TV Burp review of 2008 to be broadcast over Christmas, followed by four extra shows made up of highlights from all the series that will go out in the new year.

Given his workload, it is lucky that Harry Hill enjoys making these series. It's a doddle to film, he has said. I get to sit down and it's all on autocue. The only downside is that you have to watch a lot of TV, which is a form of torture.

It's great when performer and vehicle come together in a perfect match. The TV clip show is a pretty tired formula, but with Harry Hill at the healm, it becomes an inspired life-affirming force that can often be truly very funny indeed.

Saints be praised, Harry Hill is back for a mammoth run, and this swells my heart with pleasure at the belly laughs ahead. Hill has mined a rich seam of comedy to poke some gentle fun at the medium that is the preoccupation of a nation. All the usual silliness is there, and of course, Bear Grylls, will no doubt be in the firing line. Brilliant, sublime stuff!

Hill hits new heights

Harry Hill's TV Burp hit an all-time high on Saturday, January 26, drawing 7 million viewers to ITV1.

With 32% of the audience in the half hour from 7pm, according to unofficial overnight ratings, the whimsical clips show overshadowed the tail end of BBC1's live football coverage.

This was TV Burp's highest audience to date, and up 1 million and four share points on last week, when it was shown half an hour earlier up against BBC1's talent show The One and Only.

For my money Harry Hill's TV Burp is one of the funniest things on the telly. I was never a massive fan of his - I mean, I like him, but I never went crazy about his badger-spouting schtick - but TV Burp is one of those programmes that has me laughing out aloud every time I see it.

Ofcom raps Harry Hill's TV Burp

Ofcom rapped the makers of comedy show "Harry Hill's TV Burp" on Monday for broadcasting clips of a man biting the head off a live frog and apparently roasting a turtle on a fire.