With round one coming from Liverpool, it was only fitting that the empty chair be filled by Scouse royalty Jimmy Tarbuck.

Death by silence is a fate every stand-up must endure alone. And yet, paradoxically, the discomfort is shared by the audience, creating mutual embarrassment on a vast scale that makes for both an appalling spectacle and great TV.

Which leaves Show Me The Funny having its comedy cake and eating it. If a turn is funny - all well and good. If not - even better. My main complaint with the format is that they don't show us the funny soon enough.

It was a good 20 minutes before any of the comics took to the stage, having previously been sent onto the streets of Liverpool to meet the locals, collect material and perform designated pointless tasks. All of which was pure, unadulterated padding.

Come showtime, however, and the programme found its cold, clammy, nerve-wracked feet. The audience comprised 300 women who, we were led to believe, were capable of unspoken atrocities if offended. In truth, they emanated pure goodwill, which the first two acts did everything in their power to test attempting cod scouse accents.

However, third on the bill, Ellie Taylor, established an immediate rapport with her sisters out front and worked the room with a confidence that belied her novice status. Stuart Goldsmith's professionalism also set him apart and earned the praise of Tarby, no less. The rest were hard to judge, with most of their routines ending up on the cutting room floor. All except poor Ignacio Lopez, hung out to dry as an example of how not to do it.

Ignacio promised character comedy, but inexplicably dropped the character two sentences into his set without putting anything in its place. He was ignominiously booted out despite delivering by far the best opening line of the night: "Hello, I am Ignacio. Some of you may remember me as the barman you slept with in Magaluf two years ago".

Show Me The Funny review

Another reality competition, but guest judges Alan Davies and Jimmy Tarbuck lulled me into a false sense of security by assuring me they'd never lend their names to something tawdry and half arsed. I'm not a fan of the term half arsed but it does work in certain circumstances and Show Me The Funny is the perfect one of these.

Show Me The Funny review: stand-up chronic

Alan Davies and Jimmy Tarbuck realised they were in the presence of a no-hoper but went easy on the poor bloke. However the show's answer to Simon Cowell - comedy critic Kate Copstick lays into the pair like someone trying to make a name for herself. Will this be a hit? Probably...

Here's a show to cheer up anyone feeling bereft after waving farewell to Lord Sugar and his swaggering apprentices. For this series promises to be every bit as amusing and nail-bitingly compulsive, with the added bonus of a few decent jokes. Most of those are courtesy of host Jason Manford, who puts ten fledgeling stand-ups through their paces in an attempt to find the next Michael McIntyre. Each week the hopefuls will perform new material for a tricky audience, including hospital patients, secondary school pupils, tipsy Welsh rugby players and a squadron of Scots Guards. Tonight they face a roomful of Liverpudlian ladies. Cue lamentable gags about scousers and even dodgier impersonations that soon have judges Alan Davies and crimson-lipped critic Kate Copstick - who clearly intends to be the Cowell of comedy - wincing. Even tonight's guest judge, jolly Jimmy Tarbuck, can't crack a smile. Fortunately, if there's one thing more entertaining than first-rate stand-up, it's watching wannabes bomb. There's no need for Michael McIntyre to watch his back just yet.

Pretty soon, it seems, the only primetime programmes on ITV1 will be talent shows, celebrity challenges and soaps, with occasional dramas and news bulletins grudgingly thrown in to keep the regulators happy. This latest X Factor wannabe focuses on comedy, with host Jason Manford - no mean comedian himself - going out on the road with a gaggle (or should that be a giggle?) of ambitious stand-ups who feel certain they could be the next big thing in British comedy. From fresh-faced newbies to never-quite-made-it pros, the top 10 contestants have their ability to get audiences rolling in the aisles put to the test over six weeks, in which they tour the country to perform for a variety of tough crowds (hospital patients, squaddies, secondary school pupils and rugby players, among others). They'll also take on a range of other mirth-inducing challenges, each episode culminating with the judges - regulars Alan Davies and comedy critic Kate Copstick, plus guests including such well-known comics as Jo Brand, Johnny Vegas and Ross Noble - deciding who's made the cut. The final is a live show at the Hammersmith Apollo for a prize that's certainly not to be laughed at: £100,000 cash, a nationwide tour and a DVD.

Tonight, the contestants are in Liverpool, where they'll perform a gig in front of an all-female audience; the guest judge is Liverpudlian Jimmy Tarbuck.

The Spotlight on ... Ray Green

He overcame a falling out with the mighty Jimmy Tarbuck to have a 'glittering' career as a TV presenter, and his move into stand-up comedy has begun strongly with one of the most entertaining debut shows at last year's Edinburgh - it's Ray Green, aka stand-up/character comic Dave Gibson.