TV review: Mister Winner, BBC Two

Comedy fans who have seen Jones onstage or enjoyed Clunkerdunk may be surprised by this. There is no laugh track or studio laughter giving it a slightly flat feel. But Jones is great and is always watchable, even when you can see the punchlines coming a miles off. It just seems like an odd fit for someone who is so imaginative, creative and talented.

With a title like Absolutely Fabulous, it is hard to see how Jennifer Saunders's series will acknowledge the economic downturn when its latest instalment is broadcast over Christmas.

Still, Harriet Thorpe, who appears in it, tells me: "Jennifer keeps everything current. She acknowledges the recession, but doesn't make it all about that."

Speaking at the first night of Crazy for You in the West End, Thorpe adds: "It's very clever, and, of course, incredibly funny to see how the characters cope."

Their co-star June Whitfield says, perhaps even more depressingly, that Eddy and Patsy are shown to be getting on a bit. The actress, 85, insists that this "opens up a whole new avenue of hilarity".