Victor Lewis-Smith

Victor Lewis-Smith on The 11 O'Clock Show

Scatological and puerile it may be, but don't be deceived. It's clever and satirical too, and evinces an honesty and originality that's sadly missing from Rory Bremner's burnt-out and increasingly predictable series.

Heroes of Comedy - Thora Hird

The programme was occasionally guilty of conflating the actress and the person into one (the reason she scrubbed floors in an early British film was because she'd been cast as a charlady, not because "she is a cleanliness freak"), but this was nevertheless a coherent and enjoyable tribute to a unique talent.

By the end, I found myself in an either/or state. Allowing the writer to present the show was a bad idea, but the BBC should be applauded for sticking its neck out, and I can imagine this programme gaining a modest cult following among wood-polish-drinking undergraduates, attracted by its heady blend of obscurity, absurdity, manic energy, and filth.

I'm pretty certain that Merton heartily loathes comics of the Davidson ilk, but he generously tees up gags for all his guests and the result is a show that is (at last) fresh and funny.

I cannot say, but Mr Deane is certainly getting money for old rope [...] because there's more humour and insight in a 30-second coffee commercial than in an entire series of this dog's dinner of a sitcom, served up by Lucky Dog Productions.

Popular music was allegedly the theme of last night's Mark Lamarr Leaving the 20th Century (BBC2), a show on which the eponymous host "gives vent to some forthright opinions on particular topics" (a claim that sounds like the runt offspring of our old friend, "takes a sideways look at..."). [...] The resulting show spent 30 minutes sneering aimlessly at the likes of Bono for pontificating on stage, but left viewers feeling that perhaps a little more pontificating during the script sessions wouldn't have gone amiss.

The magic rectangle has also housed plenty of dodos over the years, which brings me to It's Only TV... But I Like It (BBC1) [...] Unlike Telly Addicts (where the contestants are at least genuinely trying to win), this celebrity rip-off version was relying exclusively on humour for its energy; but, with Julian Clary leading the rival team, it was inevitable that a stream of third-rate innuendo would replace any attempt at originality or wit.

"The jokes are a bit laboured, but this is harmless enough fun," declared the Radio Times when this second series began, adding ominously that it "relies very heavily on the charm of the central performer". This lukewarm diagnosis was confirmed by last night's episode, a revamped Man About The House in which Douglas (Chris Langham) interacted with the scatty Kate and the dizzy blonde Mel (Amanda Holden) in an office where wilful misunderstandings were so rife that they led not to humour, but to despair.

A spoof documentary about stately homes is a potential gold mine for a keen-eyed comic. [...] yet this was unobservant, badly-scripted tosh.

Ha ha, Ern, you can see the join

Eric Morecambe was one of the comedy greats and deserved better than this ramshackle documentary which squeezed every last mawkish drop out of a decline that was sad, but by no means tragic.