Friday night's alright for TV

I can just picture the meeting now.

"Right, we've got this new comedy panel show called '8 Out Of 10 Cats'."

"OK, when's it going to be screened?"

"Well, we're looking at a late evening slot on a Friday. Who on earth can we get to present it? We've been scratching our heads but just can't come up with anybody who would fit the bill."

"I've got it! Jimmy Carr!"

And so it was that Carr got the opportunity to descend further into smug unfunnyness in front of a pissed-up yoof audience of which I was one. The show's only real laughs came courtesy of Sean Lock.

On BBC1 it was the final 'Have I Got News For You', with Des Lynam hamming up to his suave libidinous image in the presenter's chair and David Mitchell of 'Peepshow' semi-fame in excellent form. No sooner was the show bundled off into the night than another topical news comedy, 'Mock The Week', appeared, hosted by Dara O'Briain and featuring Rory Bremner amongst others. The team behind the show, which airs on Sunday evenings on BBC2, worked on 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?', and it shows in the format and performance rounds. Just about enough to keep '...News''s throne warm until the next series, anyway.

'Monkey Trousers' (ITV1, 10pm), written by Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer with significant involvement from Steve Coogan, is turning out to be a real dud. This press release for the forthcoming DVD of the series begins by asking: "Ever wondered what would happen if the cream of British comedy got together to star in their own show, writing and performing their own comedy sketches alongside a pool of the best writing talent available?" Well, I had, and I'd hoped it wouldn't be this predominantly feeble dilution of talent, a collective exercise in shark-jumping.

Much better was 'Grumpy Old Men' - no idea whether it was a repeat or not, but it was worth watching for Geoffrey Palmer's drily laconic commentary alone. OK, so you have to endure Jeremy Clarkson and (worse still) Rick Wakeman, but Arthur Smith is always liable to come out with some miserable misanthropic gem. Friday's was "most children these days are illiterate morons".

Back on BBC1, Jonathan Ross had the sort of line-up that must have made the show's booking agents laugh themselves stupid: Fern Britton of 'This Morning', Jane Fonda, Coldplay ... and Vince Neil and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue (sorry, I can't be bothered to try and find the requisite umlaut on this keyboard). It made for great viewing, particularly when Ross was talking to Neil about the fact that his wedding ceremony was conducted by MC Hammer.

"So, how did you know he was the right man to marry you?"

"He's not a white man..."

Fair play to Chris Martin too for not taking himself too seriously and slipping a bit of the Crazy Frog ringtone into 'Speed Of Sound'.

And, to wrap the evening's viewing up, more music on 'Later With Jools Holland'. James Blunt only got a solitary song to impress and looked scared stiff, The Coral looked faintly bored playing a song I've come to think perhaps is faintly boring itself ('In The Morning') but came to life for 'Arabian Sand', and during his pianoside chat Rufus Wainwright completely unnecessarily confessed a long-term love of Judy Garland - I think we'd guessed that much, darling.

Much less expected were Acoustic Ladyland, a spazz-jazz outfit of the sort Mike Patton would no doubt like to be involved with. Equally pleasing was the fact that, after opening with 'Krafty' and following it up with the title track of their new LP 'Waiting For The Siren's Call', New Order avoided closing the show with that shitstorm of a single 'Jetstream', instead commemorating the 25th anniversary of Ian Curtis's death with a run-through of 'Transmission'.