The week's best comedy on TV and radio

Here's our pick of the week's best comedy programmes on TV, radio and on-demand:

Monday September 6

JUST A MINUTE: Following her trial week in the last series, Sue Perkins takes over as permanent chairperson of Radio 4's long-running panel show. Tonight she challenges guests Paul Merton, Gyles Brandreth, Josie Lawrence and Shaparak Khorsandi to talk for 60 seconds without hesitation, deviation, or repetition. Radio 4, 6.30pm

READY TO MINGLE: Katherine Ryan hosts a new dating game show in which 12 guys try to impress one single girl. The twist is that only half the boys are single, the rest are taken and just pretending to be single to win the cash prize. ITV2, 9pm, and stripped at the same time across the week.

MAKEAWAY TAKEAWAY: Comedian Bec Hill presents this new comedy arts and crafts show for kids. CITV, 5.30pmand stripped at the same time across the week.

RICHARD OSMAN'S HOUSE OF GAMES: Comedian Kemah Bob joins sports presenter JJ Chalmers, Strictly's Kevin Clifton and broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire in the fun this week. BBC Two, 6pm

MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE The troupe's 1983 sketch movie lands on Amazon Prime. It's patchy but features highlights such as Every Sperm Is Sacred and Mr Creosote.

Tuesday September 7

ALAN DAVIES AS YET UNTITLED:Joel Dommett, Rosie Jones, Sophie Duker and John Kearns are tonight's guests, swapping stories about pulling, proposals and being unapologetic, plus insider secrets about the Houses of Parliament. Dave, 10pm

Thursday September 9

THE SCOTTS: This new mockumentary-style family sitcom from Burnistoun creators Robert Florence and Iain Connell gets a full series after a pilot early last year. The duo play two brothers who have a love-hate relationship, with Scot Squad's Louise McCarthy as their estranged sister and Shauna Macdonald and Sharon Young as their wives. The BBC says the show captures 'the petty squabbles, hidden secrets, mini-disasters and total triumphs of this everyday Scottish family'.BBC Scotland, 10pm.

THE Russell Howard HOUR: The fifth series of the stand-up's topical comedy show. Sky Max, 10pm

THE NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS: Hosted by Joel Dommett. Up for best comedy are After Life, Friday Night Dinner, Sex Education and The Vicar Of Dibley. ITV 7.30pm

Friday September 10

THE CLEANER: Greg Davies's long-awaited comedy about a crime scene cleaner and the odd people he meets in his gruesome job starts tonight. He talks about the show here, while the opening episode features Helena Bonham Carter as a 'mysterious, heavily armed woman'. BBC One, 9.30pm.

THE BIG BREAKFAST: Channel 4's well-meaning Black To Front day, putting black talent in the spotlight, has been criticised for being tokenistic. Still it means a one-off return of the seminal breakfast entertainment show, this time fronted by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. Channel 4, 8am

BIG AGE: As part of the same initiative Channel 4 are piloting this comedy by acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola, following a group of four young Black-British friends who are in the 'big age' of their lives, taking on adult responsibilities. Babalola talks about the show here. Channel 4, 11.05pm

Saturday September 11

SPITTING IMAGE: Spitting Image returns to streaming service Britbox, with no shortage of government incompetence to get its latex teeth into. New puppets include Olivia Colman, Sajid Javid, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Tom Cruise, Tom Daley, Jess Phillips, Ariana Grande, Gary Lineker, Bill Gates, Ellen DeGeneres, and Raheem Sterling.

Published: 5 Sep 2021