Charlie Brooker

Much as we dislike the cult of Brooker (not everything he says deserves to be parroted, you middle-class gits), his onanistic obsession and the use of his name in the titles of his shows, this is probably going to be the best show of the evening.

At least, unlike his Screenwipe 'isn't Wipeout stupid?' with Charlie Brooker, Newswipe with Charlie Brooker seems to have a purpose that's slightly above pointing, laughing and making a joke about self-love or monkeys flinging excrement. It mainly seems to be 'all a bit scary', but there's always a good film from Adam Curtis, Ben Goldacre or - in this series - anything-goes Yank stand-up Doug Stanhope to help matters along. And as we hypocritically say, there's a lot of annoying rubbish on tonight.

Lock up your granddaughters: Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross are reunited for the first time since Sachsgate as one of the teams on this annual topical ding-dong. Expect edgy banter from the controversial pair, alongside fellow panellists David Mitchell, Claudia Winkleman, Rob Brydon and Newswipe's Charlie Brooker. Jimmy Carr keeps score.

Andrew Sachs probably won't be tuning in for this one. Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are reunited on television for the first time since Sachsgate. However, this being Channel 4, don't expect a grovelling apology at the beginning but plenty of jokes about telephone calls, Spanish waiters and Satanic Sluts. Jimmy Carr is in the chair for what has become an annual festive highlight, poking fun at the biggest stories of the year. Ross and Brand have been cheekily paired together and up against them will be Claudia Winkleman and Rob Brydon and David Mitchell and the TV critic Charlie Brooker, making his first appearance. Peter Andre is among the celebrity questioners, but rumours that Tiger Woods will be appearing are wide of the mark.

Tonight's TV: Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe Review of 2009

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.

So Wrong It's Right - Recording Report (Link expired)

Tonight I went to the recording of a new Radio 4 panel game hosted by Charlie Brooker. Titled So Wrong It's Right, it's a celebration of Britain's favourite subject - failure.

Newcomers such as Mock the Week can snap at its heels, but Have I Got News for You continues to operate at the same reliably high comic level that it has done for years. Much in the same way, you could say, as tonight's host. He's had his ups and downs, but Martin Clunes remains a British comic institution - he's currently in Doc Martin on ITV1 - and seems certain to prosper as the latest beneficiary of the show's Sugababes-style hot-desking policy. Also worthy of note this week is guest panellist, the Guardian's Charlie Brooker.

The long-running and consistently funny news panel show returns for its 38th run. Martin Clunes takes the presenter's chair as the series's first guest host. Joining him is Arlene Phillips, whose sacking from Strictly Come Dancing caused a storm of controversy, plus writer and broadcaster Charlie Brooker.

Mock The Week does a sterling job at, er, mocking the week but we still have a special place in our hearts for its televisual older brother, which returns tonight for an astonishing 38th series. Helping Ian Hislop and Paul Merton with the mirth will be satire's latest poster boy Charlie Brooker and axed Strictly judge Arlene Phillips, and Martin Clunes is back as guest host, a role he's made a good fist of before... though it beats me why they can't get someone permanent in the main chair.

I like Charlie Brooker, I like Dara O'Briain and I like Graham Linehan. If those three can't persuade me to take an interest in computer games, nobody can. All three contributed to Gameswipe, a helpful guide to the computer game, with Brooker as host.

Brooker was his usual grumpy, caustic, brilliant self, but the subject matter just left me cold. The show helpfully introduced the uninitiated to the various categories of game available - platform, shoot 'em up, role play, combat - and provided a brief history of each. By far the best bits featured archive clips of anxious teachers, concerned parents and fretful community leaders getting all hot under the collar at the latest screen outrage, of which there have been many over the years.

But even with sumptuously realised and immaculately detailed graphics, the games under review appeared infantile and repetitive. Especially the modern shoot 'em ups, which have somehow contrived to make the act of mass murder appear very dull indeed.

TV Review: Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe

Aside from the serious(ish) stuff, it was great just to see Brooker talking about games that have been forgotten and for a gaming geek like me, it was wonderful to see the segment from the Consolvania crew talking about the wild array of utterly mental games you could get on the ZX Spectrum.