This could possibly be the most deranged variety show you'll ever see, the only place on earth where you can watch Christopher Biggins pretending to be Boris Johnson, and Jerry Hall impersonating Katie Price. If that doesn't draw you in, how about Joe Pasquale as Lady Ga-Ga? Or Ulrika Jonsson as David Beckham? No? Surely Vanessa Feltz masquerading as James May is irresistible. As is Eamonn Holmes as Elvis Presley. And David Gest as Elton John. Les Dennis as Gary Barlow... The list goes on, and just gets odder. The All Star Impressions Show could be completely awful or it could be enjoyably barmy. It certainly has a very good pedigree, being co-produced by Steve Coogan's and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's production companies. And it has a certain surreal gloss that could be quite winning. Harry Hill will make a guest appearance, though we don't know whether he will reprise the Morrissey impression that won him Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes all those years ago.

Last Thursday's edition of QI was interesting for the guest-appearance of US comedian/actor John Hodgman, a regular on The Daily Show and "PC" in the original "Mac Vs PC" commercials. Hodgman's a big fan of the show, and was recently filmed extolling the virtues of QI during a public appearance where rallied support for a campaign to get BBC America to broadcast it (article). Clearly someone at QI noticed Hodgman's support and he was here rewarded with an appearance on the gameshow itself. I'm sure he enjoyed himself, but it made for an awkward half-hour...

Put simply, Hodgman was one of QI's worst guests - although not as bad as scruffy Scotsman Phil Kaye. It didn't help that his presence (not just as a rare guest from overseas) was highlighted by the unfair decision to stick him in the middle of teammates Sandi Toksvig and Sean Lock for the show's first ever three-person team. It felt very much like Hodgman had been crowbarred into the episode, and the show thus felt unbalanced. It also brought too much attention to Hodgman, who was suddenly given a weight of expectation - after all, why else would they upset the delicate balance of QI if he wasn't going to be comedy gold?

Of larger concern was the fact that QI's brand of comedy generally relies on wit and a certain level of surrealism. Sean Lock and Bill Bailey have that corner of the market sewn up between them. Americans in general don't seem to have the madcap comedy gene in their makeup. I'm struggling to think of any US comedians who have similar acts to Monty Python, Eddie Izzard, Vic Reeves, or Harry Hill. So, Hodgman was instantly lost during most of the rounds, while everyone else swam around talking bizarre nonsense.

Maybe Hodgman would be able to find his footing if he came back for future editions, as I'm sure it was very nerve-wracking to suddenly find yourself in the show you dearly love and have publicly championed. It's also worth mentioning that the comedy panel show subgenre is practically unknown in America, so he came in a little unskilled. At times, Hodgman just settled for answering questions in a straight-forward manner (which helped him win the show), in-between forcing out a few half-hearted attempts to be offbeat and funny. Still, at least he actually DID get involved. There are far worse examples of British comedians guesting on panel shows and saying literally four sentences. Which is even worse when you stop to remember these shows can take hours to film and they edit it down to a half-hour of highlights.

Johnny Vegas 'wants Shooting Stars return'

Johnny Vegas has revealed that he is keen to reunite with Shooting Stars hosts Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer.

Hallowe'en isn't until Saturday but here's comedian Reece Shearsmith (from The League of Gentlemen) in a haunted house in Hackney, with a bunch of other entertainers as keen as he is on ghosts, apparitions and macabre manifestations, to discuss the history of horror in entertainment. This week, together with Vic Reeves, Mark Gatiss and Yvette Fielding (often found on satellite TV, being gripped by spooky emanations), they discuss classic scary shows from British radio and TV and their essential ingredients. Next week, films.

Timed well to air as Halloween approaches, The League of Gentleman actor (and Stage Podcast interviewee) Shearsmith talks to horror enthusiast (and fellow League-member) Mark Gatiss, Vic Reeves and Yvette Fielding about what makes a story scary.

Funny peculiar: The curious world of Vic Reeves

Never in the field of light entertainment has one man spawned such a collection of nonsensical catchphrases as Vic Reeves.

Shooting Stars: Lady Antics

"As most people know I'm a ladies man," says Vic Reeves, "and it's always nice to have a lady seated to my right on the night."

Vic 'n Bob get a few bob less

Comics Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer have taken a pay cut worth tens of thousands of pounds to help the BBC slash costs.

Jack Dee has got what must be the easiest gig in TV at the moment. Turn up, scowl, try not to laugh. Drinks and nibbles in the green room afterwards. Car home. Thanks very much.

Meanwhile, new panelist Angelos Epithemiou is turning out to be quite a hit with his cross-eyed squint at these celebrity shenanigans. "It's all right but it's not my sort of humour," he offers tonight. You might well agree. Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's surreal nonsense - like a hallucinogenic Morecambe and Wise - has always been an acquired taste and you either get it or you don't.

Shooting Stars is back! Show us the scores, George Dawes! Isn't that great news? I think so. As always with Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer's surreal quiz show (Tuesday, BBC Two), I found about a third of it hilarious, another third perfectly acceptable, and the final third far too weird to comprehend for even a moment. Aside from last year's Christmas Special, the show has been away since 2002. Could it really have been so long? And how would it have aged?

Um, fine. I think. Or maybe it has just aged at the same speed as I have. Vic and Bob have become less like your weirdo neighbours and more like a pair of creepy old uncles, which suits them very well. Bob suddenly seems to bear a startling resemblance to Martin Freeman, although I suppose that might also have been the case last time around, and we just wouldn't have known. Ulrikakaka is back, and Matt Lucas, incredibly, is too. Does anybody know what has happened to Mark Lamarr? Is he OK? They've given us Jack Dee instead ("a sweaty moccasin!" said Vic), which seems perfectly respectable, and also a sort of delivery-man character comic, who might be a regular feature.

In part, I suppose, Shooting Stars was such fun because it was like meeting up with some old friends and hearing them tell all the same old jokes. Will new audiences find them funny, too? Or will they just be baffled and a little scared, like Christine Bleakley was when Vic started rubbing his thighs? Not a clue. Time will tell. I'd quite like to see them hit each other with frying pans in the next episode, though. I've missed that.