Live At The Apollo

BNP can't take a joke: Far-right party complain about Jo Brand

Members of the far-right BNP have complained to police about a joke Jo Brand cracked on Live At The Apollo. The comic was questioned by officers after the group's deputy leader, Simon Darby, claimed that the gag amounted to incitement to cause racial harassment. Bizarrely, he claimed: "The BNP is technically an ethnic group."

It's a sad day for stand-up comedy fans. Now that Jonathan Ross has almost served his sentence, this will be the last outing for Live At The Apollo. And there's no word yet on if or when the series will return.

First up tonight is Russell Howard, who toddles on stage looking like a lost schoolboy but within seconds turns into a kid pumped up on too much Sunny Delight. With the customary energy we know from Mock The Week, he bounces from one subject to the next, starting with bizarre heckles then evil sandwiches and bus stops with hats to scary 13-yearolds and why you should never underestimate little old ladies.

He also has a genius way of livening up a trip to Ikea - if you've had a few drinks and live near a branch that's open until midnight, you might want to head off straight away (but only if it's walking distance or you know a sober driver, OK?).

The second act is Jo Brand, who tackles topics including Russian brides, the dangers of going to the pub, Barbie dolls and why Bruce Forsyth should wear baggy trousers that show off his bum crack.

I know, it's not an image I want to think about for too long either..

In the final helping of this superb stand-up show, Jo Brand and Russell Howard make us laugh. Well, this has been a tip-top way to end the week, hasn't it? We can't quite remember what it replaced in the schedules, but we're pretty sure it can't have been as consistently funny as this. To round off this run of comics, who've sometimes told some very naughty stories, is the First Lady of Stand-up, Jo Brand. Also joining her on the bill is fresh-faced Russell Howard, also known as the blond one on Mock The Week.