Jimmy Carr

Why can't the BBC do good comedy anymore? Recently we've had truly awful things such as Citizen Khan, Mrs Brown's Boys and, currently showing, the embarrassing Mountain Goats. The last time the BBC managed to provoke a laugh from me was with Murder In Successville on BBC3, a channel soon to be shoved online only.

And there were laughs in the one-off special of Burnistoun, but this was shown in Scotland only. When it comes to the BBC's mainstream, UK-wide comedy, where oh where is the good stuff?

Maybe they feel this terrible dearth of excellent comedy, as they're giving us a reunion show with Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse looking back - yes, looking back - to the good old days.

The programme puts Enfield and Whitehouse on stage together in front of an admiring crowd and parodies the An Audience With... shows, but the nice twist is that when we flash to shots of the audience we see Enfield and Whitehouse in the crowd, dressed up as various famous people, and asking cheeky questions. Jimmy Carr, Harry Hill, Ricky Gervais and Prince Charles are all gloriously ridiculed and in between we have great clips of the comedy pair's old shows.

Jimmy Carr review

You've got to admire the master of the pithy putdown, someone who can take complete control of an audience of 500 plus without a crack in his persona.

Adrienne Truscott: nudity, 5-star reviews & Jimmy Carr (Link expired)

Whether she decides to go commando or not, Adrienne Truscott is bound to get our knickers in a twist again, writes Kate Copstick.

Derby Arena venue is no laughing matter

"Terrible" acoustics and a "massive" queue for one bar has been the verdict for Derby Arena's first major entertainment performance. And the headline act of the comedy festival, comedian Jimmy Carr, even took a side swipe at the choice of venue during his performance there on Friday night. The TV funnyman joked to the audience: "Whose idea was it to hold this gig here?"

Princess Beatrice dines with Jimmy Carr

Princess Beatrice went out for dinner with Jimmy Carr and his partner Karoline Copping on Monday night.

Jimmy Carr interview

It is one of Jimmy Carr's favourite sounds. It is not applause, or waves of laughter. Instead, it is the moment that laughter curdles into shock.

Murder in Successville is ridiculous. Each week it takes a real-life celebrity, and places them in the middle of a fictional murder mystery, which they must help to solve. Successville, where these crimes take place, is populated by celebrities doing ordinary jobs, only these "celebrities" are impressionists doing their versions of those celebrities doing ordinary jobs. It's part sketch show, part structured reality show and part quiz show. Its jokes are largely crude and scatological. Everyone is on the verge of laughter throughout.

In the opening episode, the celebrity stooge is Jamie Laing from Made in Chelsea. I've never seen Made in Chelsea, so he well could have been the impressionist's version of Jamie Laing, though a passing colleague saw him on my screen, confirmed it was the real Jamie Laing and declared him to be "the worst". Laing plays a rookie cop tasked with cracking the murder of Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli, who, in Successville, is a chef married to chief suspect Darcy Bussell. Neither are played by themselves. Local gangsters Alan Carr and Harry Styles are not themselves, either. Nor, disappointingly, is ballistics expert Taylor Swift actually played by Taylor Swift.

This is a very, very silly show. For the first half I was torn between feeling extremely pleased something so anarchic and daft had been commissioned by the BBC in the first place, and willing it to be just that little bit funnier, and less reliant on jokes about bumming. But eventually, it got me. Laing gamely plays along as he is directed towards increasingly absurd situations, such as interrogating Alan Carr's underworld "sister" Jimmy Carr, who communicates only in that seal-bark laugh.

If Laing really is a villain in Made in Chelsea, then Murder in Successville is a remarkable act of rehabilitation for him. He just can't stop giggling, and it's helplessly contagious. This is the same silly joy that comes from sitcom blooper reels, or performers corpsing during live comedy, or trying not to laugh when you're getting told off. It's not particularly sophisticated, but it is surprisingly charming, and perhaps some of those remaining BBC Three-on-TV viewers might have stumbled across it and been charmed by it, too.

Review: Acid-tongued Jimmy Carr 'scandalises' audience

Forbidden chuckles echoed around the theatre as a scintillating Jimmy Carr scandalised his audience in Bournemouth last night.

With 12 series already under its belt, you most likely know the drill when it comes to Keith Lemon's puerile panel show, packed with racy games and jibes at everyone from Katie Hopkins to Kim Kardashian. This new run sees Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby return as team captains, alongside guests including Jimmy Carr and former fill-in captain Gino D'Acampo. Here's hoping that the phonic charades of "Don't Show Keith Your Teeth" and toilet-based Chinese whispers "Shouting One Out" are slated for a reappearance.

Jimmy Carr slammed for 'ageist' Madonna HRT joke

Jimmy Carr sparked outrage among viewers during last night's Brit Awards ceremony when he made a joke about Madonna's age on stage.