The week's best comedy on TV, radio and streaming

Our pick of the comedy on TV, radio and streaming this week…:

Sunday January 14

TASKMASTER: CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS 2024: Former champs Dara O Briain, Morgana Robinson, Sarah Kendall and Sophie Duker - plus series 15 runner-up Kiell Smith-Bynoe deputising for the comic who beat him, Mae Martin - square off in the hope of taking home Greg Davies' body forged in gold. 'Much will depend on stupidity, hurling hats and clapping,' say the producers. Channel 4, 9pm

BIG BOYS: Jack Rooke's critically-acclaimed comedy centring on young gay man Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and his best mate, the laddish Danny (Jon Pointing), returns with a double bill. It's summer 2014, Jack has an eye-opening gay encounter in the toilets, Danny tries to woo Corinne (Izuka Hoyle), and cousin Shannon (Harriet Webb) gets a huge shock…. Read an interview with Rooke about the series here. Channel 4,10pm

Thursday January 18

COUNT ABDULLA:  Previously streaming on ITVX, this comedy stars Arian Nik as a mid-twenties British Muslim doctor stuck in an identity crisis, caught between his religious mother (Nina Wadia) and his secular, hedonistic friends. But when Abdulla is bitten by a vampire (Jaime Winstone) he suddenly becomes the outsider’s outsider… ITV2, 10.05pm

Friday January 19

LOL: LAST ONE LAUGHING IRELAND: Amazon's first Irish comedy commission for Prime Video is the local version of this gameshow in which comedians are locked in a house and try to make each other laugh – crack, and you're eliminated. It's hosted by Graham Norton and the line-up is Aisling Bea, Amy Huberman, Catherine Bohart, David McSavage, Deirdre O’Kane, Emma Doran, Jason Byrne, Martin Angolo, Paul Tylak and Tony Cantwell. It also features cameos from Jedward and the cast of children’s programme The Den, including alien puppets Zig and Zag.

8 OUT OF 10 CATS DOES COUNTDOWN: Joe Wilkinson and Rob Beckett take on Sarah Millican and Jamali Maddix, while Glenn Moore joins Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner in the Jimmy Carr-fronted show. Channel 4, 9pm

I LITERALLY JUST TOLD YOU WITH Jimmy Carr: And it's a double bill for Carr tonight as his other Channel 4 gameshow returns for a third series. Channel 4, 1-pm

Published: 14 Jan 2024