The Rob Rinder Verdict

Judge Rinder has well and truly broken free from the confines of the courtroom for his topical comedy show. But he's still the country's leading legislative body when it comes to acerbic one-liners and comic common sense. As Rinder administers his own brand of justice, the laughs are likely to keep on coming.

The barrister Rob Rinder has more or less shed the gimmicky "Judge" mantle of his ITV daytime programme, and these days seems to be one of those TV performers for whom the best format is no format at all, so long as they can just be themselves as uninhibitedly as possible. Rinder's new four-part series follows a basic topical satire/interview template, using this week's news as the excuse to tell certain celebrities and politicians face to face whether or not they are doing what they should.

Best mates with Benedict Cumberbatch and a stalwart of daytime ITV, Judge Rob Rinder has a pretty varied backstory as it goes. Now he adds Charlie Brooker-lite to the CV, too, with this year-in-review show in which he mulls over the events of 2018 with Ed Balls, Clare Balding and more.