TV review: Rik Mayall - Lord of Misrule, BBC2

2014 has not been a good year for comedy departures. Robin Williams and Joan Rivers left us, but it was Rik Mayall's sudden death on June 9 that struck the most resonant chord with me. Without getting all UKIP about it, Mayall was a Great British Comic and the BBC tribute Lord of Misrule was a fitting send-off.

Terry Jones interview

Terry Jones on four decades of Monty Python and Robin Williams' final film.

Robin Williams appreciation

Monty Python's Terry Jones tells how the comedy perfectionist Robin Williams finally nailed the part of a talking dog in Jones's new film.

Simon Pegg hopes Robin Williams completed voiceover

Simon Pegg is concerned Robin Williams may not have completed work on their film Absolutely Anything before he died. He said "I think it would be a shame not to have him in the film.".

This series has been described as "like parachute jumping where you can't remember if you're wearing a parachute", with comedians asked to improvise a routine based on a subjects presented on a screen, which they're seeing for the first time while onstage. Tonight, taking up the challenge are British stand-up Matt Kirshen, American comedian Eddie Pepitone and Robin Williams, doing continued penance for Patch Adams and a host of similarly excruciating films. This format transports him back to his roots.

He's best known these days as an Oscar-winning Hollywood film star but throughout his career Robin Williams (below) has been renowned for his stand-up comedy too. So he should be well equipped to survive the challenge of thinking up a new routine on the spot, with just a word or phrase to set him off on a stream of scatty humour. It's an interesting idea for a comedy show, with a laugh - or a cringe - around every corner.

'Asking a comedian to improvise an entire stand-up set is like asking a magician to do actual magic.' So say the creators of this fully improvised stand-up show of which this, the second episode, doesn't disappoint.

Comedy purists will love the pared-back nature of it - watching comedians in a dingy club, their fear palpable, sweating as they think on their feet. You'll gain a new admiration for comics too, as it exposes the finely-honed craft of a performer's routine. As Rufus Hound sagely comments: 'As long as you're hilarious, nothing can go wrong.' No pressure, then.

This week, American comedian Eddie Pepitone goes first, creating skits by responding to subject matter posted on a screen behind him. He doesn't fare too badly, though quick-witted Matt Kirshen, who follows him, nails it. Luckily, he's on before Robin Williams, who's such a presence and a pro that he'd captivate an audience of wild baboons. Expect to see the likes of Drew Carey and Ross Noble in upcoming shows.

If the thought of doing stand-up leaves you with clammy hands, then the premise for Set List will give you night terrors. Three stand-up comedians, in this case TJ Miller, Richard Herring and Frank Skinner, undertake the daunting task of doing an ad-libbed set based on topics which appear on a screen behind them. With no preparation and no trusted material to fall back on, what results is a nerve-wracking, frequently funny but ultimately inconsistent half-hour of comedy.

Much inevitably depends on the quality of the material they're given and some comedians are more at ease with the format than others (one imagines the likes of Robin Williams, Ross Noble and Greg Proops will flourish), but each of the comedians on display here manages to shine at times, most notably Miller. Watching seasoned comedy performers squirm under the stage lights as they rack their brains for funny ideas is strangely satisfying, though.

Set List: an interview with Paul Provenza

Robin Williams has said it's the most terrifying, and awesome gig he's ever done. Richard Herring has described it as "cruel and wonderful genius", while Rich Hall has compared it to jumping out of a plane and hoping your parachute works.

Video: Billy Connolly voted most influential UK comic

Billy Connolly has been voted the most influential British comedian of all time.

The Big Yin beat the likes of Morecambe and Wise, Les Dawson and Victoria Wood to top the poll.

It was voted for by the public and comedians.

It puts Billy Connolly on a par with his friend Robin Williams, who was named most internationally influential comedian.