Laugh Lines: from Dad's Army to Hippies

Bruce Dessau's guide to TV comedy: Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews' underrated sitcom Hippies, starring Simon Pegg, could have been fathered by Dad's Army.

Laugh lines: How Garry Shandling inspired Miranda

One of the few recent laugh-out-loud sitcoms, Miranda showed a comedic shift away from the neo-naturalism of The Office and The Thick Of It.

Fingers on the Buzzers

We cannot get enough of this trend for witty panellists - stand-ups with a token celebrity or two, often the same small cast in different combinations.

Jason Wood - Obituary

Reality TV buffs will know Jason Wood from the first series of Strictly Come Dancing, but comedy fans will know him for his unashamedly waspish, wicked wit and his spot-on musical impressions of David Gray and Pavarotti.

Fingers on the buzzers for The Bubble

A group of comedians are locked away in a house, deprived of outside information. This is not Celebrity Big Brother but a new panel game hosted by David Mitchell.

Big Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker Interview

As the BBC sitcom reaches its 100th episode, Robert Lindsay and Zoë Wanamaker explain why playing sweet can be hard work. After various run-ins the stars became concerned about the consistency of the writing. There were even times when they refused to perform because they were so unhappy. This was not just a one-off either, Lindsay adds. "There is some real dross in there and we are aware of it," he says. "We had many fights. Out of 100 episodes maybe we've done ten that you can say are really good shows."

The return of Red Dwarf

The return of the cult TV sitcom was as much of a surprise to the cast as to the fans - but a very welcome one.

Bruce Dessau Review

At times it is so blatantly end-of-the-pier it seems like this kind of retro-humour must surely be being ironic and knowing. There is even a camp war reporter ("It's all kicking off. It's nuts") played by Mathew Horne, who, like Al Murray's current camp Nazi in his ITV1 sketch show is so over the top it is as if alternative comedy never happened.

Will Radio 4 Please Stand Up?

Did they crack it? Well, Paul Merton might not need to be afraid for his job but at least they didn't die a death. It would have been lovely to see the process on television though - they didn't sound very frightened, though maybe you could have seen the fear in their eyes if they had been onscreen.

I did, however, feel that the programme was a tiny bit disingenuous. Of course stand-up comedy is different to their day jobs, but I couldn't help sensing that they had more of a natural aptitude for it than, say, miners or chefs. Maybe a gig at the dainty Drill Hall theatre in front of a R4 partisan crowd wasn't quite the dragon's den that midnight on a raucous, lager-fuelled Saturday at the Comedy Store would have been. Why not give them a real challenge and send them there? That might have really taken this bunch of softies out of their comfort zones.

Red Dwarf - Ready For Another Blast Off?

So will it be a safe return or a crash landing? It's a long time and tastes have moved on. Red Dwarf has a large, devoted following, but this can be both a blessing and a curse.