Mike Wozniak: Take the Hit @ The Lowry, Salford, 19 Jan

A great performer with an interesting style, he is trapped between abandoning the basis of the show and simply getting on with his act.

Another debut sitcom that was awarded a Christmas Special is Channel 4's Man Down. Having not been a fan of the series I approached Man Down with trepidation and mainly watched it as I couldn't find the remote control after Alan Carr had finished.

Man Down can best be described as a surreal sitcom which gets laughs from the absurd situations its characters find themselves in. Greg Davies is perfectly cast as the hapless hero while Rik Mayall provides incredibly absurd support as he revels in dressing up in a number of costumes to surprise his son. Best of all though is Mike Wozniak as Dan's only sensible friend Brian and gets to deliver a brilliant speech about this year's must-have toys for kids.

I have to say Man Down was the biggest surprise of the Christmas season as I was expecting not to laugh at all while watching. It may well have been I'd had too much to eat and drink at this point, but I still found Man Down to be a comically surreal slice of festive fun.

It says a lot about this series that one of its characters is an uptight financial adviser, and he's an entirely likeable figure. Brian - as underplayed by Mike Wozniak - has been one of the joys of Man Down, as strait-laced and competent as our hero Dan is disaster-prone. His furious lecture to Dan about car insurance ("You set up a direct debit and you monitor it!") was a particular gem.

Tonight, Brian is off to the West Regional Small Business Awards and Dan is keen to tag along. For the first half of the episode we're drumming our fingers slightly as the ground is laid for what we know will be a royal humiliation of some kind. But the climax pulls off the trick of being utterly stupid and in some odd way almost moving.

Is Man Down's Brian the coolest character on TV?

The latest episode of Greg Davies's Channel 4 comedy featured an impassioned speech that puts actor Mike Wozniak up there with the likes of Jack Nicholson.

Strictly fans will find an extra treat tonight as Dan and his friend Jo perform a salsa to entertain some hospital patients.

It's all part of Dan's desperate scheme to try and convince his former girlfriend Naomi that he's a fun person with a fully rounded social life. Not much chance of that, as tonight he is also relying on the seductive power of mince to win her round. And what woman can resist mince?

Thanks to Greg Davies' towering energetic idiocy, Man Down offers reliable silliness - and it's the ideal vehicle for Davies to exploit his background in both teaching and stand-up. But he doesn't save all the best gags for himself and the support from Roisin Conaty and Mike Wozniak as his best mates Jo and Brian are outstanding.

The casting of Rik Mayall as Dan's father is inspired, and the kids who have the misfortune to be Dan's drama students are game, recognising he is a bigger kid than any of them.

This week's best Edinburgh comedy

Reviews of Rich Hall, Bobby Mair and Mike Wozniak.

Amnesty Secret Comedy Podcast episode 9

Host Alan Davies chats to Tim Vine about being middle children and Keith Farnan talks about the death penalty. Plus Chris Martin plays jokes on animals, Jess Fostekew on the nation's finest B&Bs and Mike Wozniak talks science-based cat facts.

The Foster's Comedy Award shortlist: From O2 to Fringe?

Interesting Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards shortlist just announced. Bridget Christie, Carl Donnelly, James Acaster, Max & Ivan, Mike Wozniak, Nick Helm and Seann Walsh are all in the running for the £10,000 prize to be handed out by Steve Coogan on Saturday. I love the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards and this year's panel decision looks like being an intriguing one.