This show might represent a bowdlerised Boyle. But even at his mildest, he is a gnarlier proposition than any other comedian who finds his way on to the Beeb these days. Expect his review of the year to be unstinting in its scorn for everything from the British elite to the US president.

Frankie Boyle's review of 2018

'Let's forget Brexit and enjoy our last Christmas with running water'

Review: Frankie Boyle's New World Order

For an entertainment show Frankie Boyle's New World Order certainly takes things pretty seriously and a lot is crammed into thirty minutes. It's a shame it is Boyle on his best behaviour, but I'd rather have Boyle on his best behaviour than no Boyle at all.

With Theresa May still clinging rigidly to the frozen cliff face, as imagined in the best monologue from last year's episodes, Frankie Boyle returns with more standup, discussion and audience interaction. Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan and Mona Chalabi compete with the host's verbal grenades.

The first run of Boyle's studio-bound current affairs vehicle coincided with the shock of the general election and the horror of Grenfell Tower and saw the abrasive Glaswegian catching the zeitgeist to impressive effect. He'll have plenty to chew on in this end-of-year roundup; given the absence of Charlie Brooker from this year's Christmas schedules, this is your best bet for a sceptical, scabrous take on another troubling political year.

Confrontational comic Frankie will be joined by regulars Katherine Ryan and Sara Pascoe plus a couple of as-yet-unnamed guests as he continues to explore, in his customarily barbed style, the bewildering election aftermath. Conversation and poetic monologues (witness Boyle's takedown of May the other week) will revolve round the continuing nightmare that is Brexit, and whatever other horrific flashpoints spring up in between.