Comics mustn't be silenced to avoid hurting feelings

Mocking public figures is essential in a democracy - and people like Nicky Campbell have to accept that, who complained of depression after being mocked by Charlie Brooker.

Nicky Campbell: Brooker comments made me depressed

TV presenter Nicky Campbell said he spent two days in bed with depression following "really vicious" comments from satirist and Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker, which Brooker wrote in his newspaper columns and for Screenwipe.

10 satire shows we need back on our TV screens

It's fair to say that we don't have much satire on TV at the moment. So, are we really beyond satire now? Have things become too surreal? Well, I'm not so sure. In no particular order, here are ten shows that I think need a revival in these turbulent times.

25 of Charlie Brooker's most cutting jokes and insults

To make up for the absence of Brooker's 2017 wipe, we've collected some of the comic writer's most cutting and witty jokes.

Charlie Brooker confirms more 'Wipe' TV shows

Comic writer and agent provocateur Charlie Brooker has confirmed that he will return with a new strand of his 'Wipe' TV series.

Charlie Brooker: A guide to the buzzwords of 2011

Been duped by a 'sock puppet'? Had a go at 'planking'? Living in a 'structured reality'? 2011 threw up some new words and concepts - and here they are explained.

Charlie Brooker: 10 of the best Screen Burn columns

Here are some of his most memorable TV columns from the past decade. Which are your favourites?

Charlie Brooker: Why I'm calling time on Screen Burn

TV stars can breathe a little easier: our uniquely grumpy critic has decided to call it quits.

In a cry for help about the show's lack of resources, the last episode is a clippy summary of this series and the previous. It's always a frustrating watch. Bloated, tawdry TV news urgently needs criticising, nobody else is doing it, and if Brooker's dismantling of reporting cliches can attract a million YouTube hits (see it at bit.ly/cr8dCm), he must be striking a chord. But he too often does that by stating the obvious, shying away from anything too politically challenging and rehashing observations The Day Today made 16 years ago. It's cathartic but, in the end, conservative.

We'd love this show even if it didn't star the Guide's moonlighting TV critic. This year, Charlie has mainly been watching Nick Griffin on Question Time, the rise of Jedward on X Factor and Five's "news offering", Live at Studio Five.