Harry: 'I hide from celebs'

Harry Hill says he's terrified of meeting the celebs he mocks on his shows in person - for fear they may seek revenge.

As the cold winter nights draw in, we can all be thankful that Harry Hill is around to give us a belly laugh at his droll observations on the week in telly. Sublime.

Despite being tucked away in the schedules when it first started, audiences embraced TV Burp and have made it a rare BAFTA-winning comedy hit for ITV. Now in its eighth series, comedian Harry Hill returns to poke fun at the best and worst British TV has to offer. Typically highlighting goofs (often from soaps with fast production turnarounds), this is a brisk 30-minutes that provides plenty of footage for Harry to weave imaginative, funny narratives around. With plenty of light-hearted spoofs, ironic guests, catchphrases, silly humour and sketches - this is one belch it's not bad manners to enjoy. And one that will last a mammoth 25 weeks!

Comedian Harry Hill returns to cast a satirical eye over the past week's television in the eighth series of his Bafta award-winning clip-show. A ratings winner, with more than 7 million viewers typically tuning in for the last series, TV Burp is sticking to its successful format. So expect the soaps to bear the brunt of the lampooning, as well as surreal mock fights between two TV characters.

The wacky commentator on the quirks and idiocies of television is back for an eighth series, no less. His numerous fans will be pleased to know that the run has been extended to 25 episodes; it includes a TV Burp review of 2008 to be broadcast over Christmas, followed by four extra shows made up of highlights from all the series that will go out in the new year.

Given his workload, it is lucky that Harry Hill enjoys making these series. It's a doddle to film, he has said. I get to sit down and it's all on autocue. The only downside is that you have to watch a lot of TV, which is a form of torture.

It's great when performer and vehicle come together in a perfect match. The TV clip show is a pretty tired formula, but with Harry Hill at the healm, it becomes an inspired life-affirming force that can often be truly very funny indeed.

Saints be praised, Harry Hill is back for a mammoth run, and this swells my heart with pleasure at the belly laughs ahead. Hill has mined a rich seam of comedy to poke some gentle fun at the medium that is the preoccupation of a nation. All the usual silliness is there, and of course, Bear Grylls, will no doubt be in the firing line. Brilliant, sublime stuff!

Sketch shows often claim proudly to be 'irreverent' or 'taboo-breaking': The Kevin Bishop Show is the real thing. The easily offended had better give a wide berth to Bishop's spoof of a BBC3-style Songs of Praise and should definitely avoid the filthy take on Waking the Dead that closes tonight's show. Both are wince-makingly funny, though, and that's the thing: Bishop occasionally crosses the line into the outright tasteless, but he's funny enough and sweet-faced enough the rest of the time that we can forgive him. Among other highlights this week are a good running joke on Ross Kemp's hard-nut documentaries, a gay R&B singer and an inspired impression of Harry Hill in his early days as a doctor.

ITV to air Harry Hill soap spoof

Hill will play a pub landlord called Arthur Buttons in the new show, and has made a pilot co-starring Liza Tarbuck (as his mum), Mark Benton and Kate Robbins. It has now been commissioned for a series.

Harry Hill to pen spoof soap for ITV1

Comedian Harry Hill is to write an ITV1 pilot for a spoof soap featuring Darren Day as a love-rat landlord and Just Good Friends star Jan Francis as his mum.