Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Skinner and Dee - funny men at work

Dee did his bewildered, world-weary thing perfect well, although it could have been genuine - and frankly was not unreasonable given his team mates. The combination of the comedian, pop singer Stine B and TV presenter Anna Richardson was not a comfortable one. At one point, Richardson said she felt like Dee was her dad at a wedding. Yes, I imagine he did too.

Overall, Skinner took a workmanlike approach to the show. He proved to be a decent captain and, most importantly, helped turn the show into more of an ensemble piece - something that's been lacking since Bill Bailey's departure. Let's hope whoever gets the gig has that skill in spades.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks has lost its edge

With the loss of Bill Bailey this once-reliable panel show has suffered an apparently terminal crisis of confidence.

Tidy performance from James Corden

Last night it was Gavin and Stacey star James Corden. And at the risk of sticking my neck out, the pop quiz may have found the perfect team captain.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks: What happens with Vegas

He was immediately on form - by which I mean funny, not ridiculous. And it wasn't long before he was over-sharing in his trademark, slightly uncomfortable way.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks: Bob Mortimer

Mortimer might be the first serious contender for Bill Bailey's captaincy and his sweet demeanour, mixed with occasional amazement of how ridiculous this quiz really is, could make him a hit. However, his reluctance to show off any musical prowess could turn him into Amstell's stooge, which I'd hate to see happen to such a respected entertainer.

Fry's quirky delight

The show was a belter. The audience screeched with joy on discovering Stephen was to be this week's guest captain. We recorded for two and a half hours and the mood stayed buoyant and convivial throughout. Simon had some very nice "fake brainy banter" material which Stephen played along with.

First night: Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Last night kicked off with super-producer Mark Ronson in the hot seat. He was a perfectly good guest on the last series as I recall, so my hopes were high.

He clearly took the responsibility seriously but this seemed to hamper his performance if anything. By his own admission, he was incredibly nervous and that's hardly surprising given the number of references to the absent Bailey - one of which culminated in an Amstell-Jupitus dance routine that's burned on to my retina, despite the fact I was watching through my fingers.

Bill Bailey to leave Never Mind the Buzzcocks

A news article announcing that comedian Bill Bailey was leaving the music panel show after 11 series.

Why I Hate...Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Never Mind the Buzzcocks has been masquerading as comedy for more than ten years, and a brow-furrowing 21 series. They'd be better off sticking Phill Jupitus and Bill Bailey on a sofa with a couple of pints and letting them discuss 30 minutes of archive pop videos. That's where the value of the show is. Everything else is fulfilling some desperate criteria to appeal to the 15-25 demographic, while forgetting about what actually makes good telly.

Pop Bitch

Since Simon Amstell took over, Never Mind The Buzzcocks is actually funny. Peter Robinson heads behind the scenes to find out why...