Channel 4 and the sick show they call comedy

Comedians guzzle wine and egg each other on to trade obscene jokes about the Queen, Philip and Susan Boyle.

When Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz idea first arrived in 2004 it was a clever way to take list and nostalgia shows forward. But by the time last Sunday's Big Fat Quiz Of The 00s came around it was already falling foul of the law of diminishing returns. (Not to be confused with the law of diminishing tax returns, which is something you'd have to ask Jimmy Carr about).

It didn't help that Noel Fielding decided to reprise his trick of offering a wacky left-field answer instead of the correct one. It was quite funny when he first did it back in 2007 alongside Russell Brand, but here it was just irritating, and merely served to highlight how much Fielding has lost his way since the demise of The Mighty Boosh.

His mojo will no doubt return one day. But it's probably time to ditch the donkey-ears hat. It's not a good look. Particularly when you're behaving like an ass.

Jimmy Carr hosts the annual pub quiz-inspired trawl through the year's news, traditionally played with a mixture of ill-concealed steely ambition and devil-may-care loucheness, depending on whether Russell Brand is on one of the panels or not.

The last two years have been undoubtedly kind to family-friendly comedians like Michael McIntyre and John Bishop, whose inoffensive humour rose to prominence in the wake of the "Sachsgate" scandal. Tonight, Bishop continues to keep a firm grip on the reins with a festive special of his BBC One sketch and stand-up show, inviting a Manchester theatre audience to join him in jovial discussion of Christmas in Britain.

Remember what 50-year-old Mary Bale threw into a wheelie bin, briefly bagging her the title of most hated woman in Britain? And ten points and a moulding turkey leg to anyone who can name the lady Gordon Brown dubbed "ignorant" during his doomed election campaign? Jimmy Carr knows, but do the celebrities whose agents have signed them up to be interrogated on his daft end of year quiz? These include Jonathan Ross, Ruth Jones, Alan Carr and Michael McIntyre. But Channel 4 haven't yet let slip who the A-list question-setters are - previous guest coups included Bono, Ricky Gervais and Quentin Tarantino. Let's hope the celebs have been devouring the tabloids all year on the off chance that they're called upon to regurgitate it with an amusing trim, for a generous fee, naturally.

Lock up your granddaughters: Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross are reunited for the first time since Sachsgate as one of the teams on this annual topical ding-dong. Expect edgy banter from the controversial pair, alongside fellow panellists David Mitchell, Claudia Winkleman, Rob Brydon and Newswipe's Charlie Brooker. Jimmy Carr keeps score.

Andrew Sachs probably won't be tuning in for this one. Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand are reunited on television for the first time since Sachsgate. However, this being Channel 4, don't expect a grovelling apology at the beginning but plenty of jokes about telephone calls, Spanish waiters and Satanic Sluts. Jimmy Carr is in the chair for what has become an annual festive highlight, poking fun at the biggest stories of the year. Ross and Brand have been cheekily paired together and up against them will be Claudia Winkleman and Rob Brydon and David Mitchell and the TV critic Charlie Brooker, making his first appearance. Peter Andre is among the celebrity questioners, but rumours that Tiger Woods will be appearing are wide of the mark.

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2006 Review

Big personalities are given a really rather massive two-hour, prime-time slot to try and make people laugh - something which the contestants and host Jimmy Carr (would you believe it!) achieved with varying degrees of success.