Ooh, he loves the dirty stuff...

The week's comedy trivia

Will Ferrell was apparently snubbed by Ricky Gervais for a role in Extras. He said : 'I was approached to be in an episode. I said I would love to be in it, but that was the last I ever heard. Perhaps they went for Jack Black and I got bumped off! Who knows?’

This week's 'probably-not-true-but-still-quite-entertaining' Russell Brand news: The comic has admitted that he tried to have sex with a ‘Henry Hoover’ vacuum cleaner when he was 14. Brand said: ‘It was a reckless and impetuous act. The noise he made during it was terrifying and I felt terribly guilty afterwards when I looked at his little fizzog. Perhaps ultimately the manufacturers of these sexy little appliances ought be held responsible. Who in their right mind designs a machine with the capacity for suction and then puts a face on it? You might as well put eyelashes on a toaster.’

Scottish stand-up Scott Agnew admits he ‘got a shag’ after dressing in drag for an internet film. A contact on dating website Gaydar didn’t believe he was a comic – so Agnew sent the link as proof, and they hit it off. ‘He was so stunned that we met for drinks,’ he said. ‘Wandering down [Glasgow’s] Great Western Road dressed as a woman can still make you attractive. If you're ever that desperate.’ This, by the way, is the film:

Office USA star Steve Carell was left embarrassed when he did he a TV interview to plug the cartoon movie Horton Hears A Who this week. The show ran a clip of him voicing his character months ago – and he was wearing the exact-same suede jacket and jeans he wore to the TV studio. He said: ‘I need to get some new clothes. That is so embarrassing’.

Dave Spikey turned down the chance of appearing on a celebrity version of Mr and Mrs – after realising he knew very little about his wife. ‘We were asked to do the new Mr and Mrs show, and weren't that sure about it. So we headed to the pub to have a go at the sort of questions they'd be likely to ask,’ he said. ‘Within half an hour we weren't even speaking to each other. Kay was saying, “I can't believe you don't know my favourite film, we've known each other for 25 years and you think it's Gone With The Wind?” It turns out her favourite film is Rebecca.’

Comics can be known to scour their press coverage for gushing adjectives they can use in their publicity material. Well, Mark Watson has a new one he can add to his CV, after a football website billed him in an interview as ‘the recognisable comic’. Praise indeed…