Shooting Stars

Ultimate Shooting Stars quiz

When it comes to answering Shooting Stars questions will you be all suave like Jarvis Cocker or as befuddled as poor old Larry Hagman? Come and have a go, but please - no 50s throwbacks, OK?

Last night's TV: Shooting Stars/BBC2

These days, Vic and Bob are part of the establishment. As Shooting Stars returns for its eighth series - there have been breaks of varying lengths along the way - you could be forgiven for assuming the format would be a little tired, the surrealist approach a little dated, Ulrika Jonsson's ditz act a little hackneyed. In fact, though, while the show lacks the edge that it had in its glory years, and even though I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to be watching it for the first time, it remains one of the funniest things on TV.

Shooting Stars, BBC Two

"Oh my Gaaaad, you guys are crazy! That's terrible. How could you say that?" exclaimed Shooting Stars contestant Brigitte Nielsen, unfortunately reinforcing our preconception that Americans just don't get us Brits and our irony.

Shooting Stars: 10 best moments

As Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's panel show returns for an eight series we look at our favourite bits. Have we missed any?

Reeves and Mortimer's comedy has not dimmed with age and time - if anything, it has got more knobs and bells on than ever before, as this latest series of the surefire Shooting Stars attests. They have got the bonus of ironic-ish dancing girls this time round, as well as the familiar presences of Ulrika-ka-ka, Jack Dee and Angelos. Guests looking on in mute helplessness at the comedic fare include James "The Yorkshire Pudding" Martin and "Dennis - sorry, Brigitte" Nielsen, who, it is fair to guess, had probably not seen Shooting Stars before her participation in it.

The anarchic panel show returns for an eighth series, and it's still good for a giggle, even if you know basically what you're getting by now: Vic and Bob in tights, Angelos breakdancing, the ritual humiliation of Saturday Kitchen's James Martin. The constant shrieking of attention-hog Brigitte Nielsen does rather suck the fun out of the room, however.

If Graeme Hawley proves to be anywhere near as deranged as his Corrie alter ego John Stape, we could be in for a sparky launch of this new series of Vic 'n' Bob's frenetic panel show. Chef James Martin, actress Brigitte Nielsen and comedian Ross Noble join Graeme in the guest hot spots, fielding the fallout alongside team captains Jack Dee and Ulrika-ka-ka.

Vic Reeves, hideously clad in what can only be described as a Max Wall-does-Teddy boy outfit, returns with Bob Mortimer for their super-annuated nonsense game show. Brigitte Nielsen proves game once she gets the measure of the proceedings, while chef James Martin looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Given how genuinely strange watching Shooting Stars can be, we can only imagine what it's like to be a guest on the show itself. For this first of a new run, chef James Martin is fool enough to put himself within firing range of Vic and Bob and spends the show looking as though he's having second thoughts. But too late: the first question to him is about how hairy part of him is, and it goes downhill from there, all the way to a scatological final challenge where a trouserless Martin looks as if he wants the studio floor to open up and swallow him. Which is about the only visual gag Vic and Bob haven't tried. Everything else is thrown into the mixer: Gandalf playing the trombone, Bob drilling a hole in the back of Vic's head, a glass of milkshake poured over a stuffed owl, some creepy puppets and a comedy harassment of Brigitte Nielsen.

Shooting Stars: Grace Dent's TV OD

Twenty years of wearing small hats and drilling each other's heads have not dulled Reeves and Mortimer any. So welcome back Shooting Stars.