Comedy

E4 has manufactured a big to-do around this new series, but hardly needed to given that its host’s profile could scarcely be higher. His reputation as a formidable live stand-up has yet to translate successfully to other media, however: his forays in print have been exercises in florid tedium, while his TV persona borders on creepy. And no, ‘irony’ isn’t an excuse. Still, this format may bring out the best in him, plonking the foppish one in front of a live studio audience and letting him loose on various topical hot potatoes along with sidekick comic Trevor Lock. Spontaneous repartee and outrageous chat are his stocks in trade, but then so are end-of-the-pier innuendo and titanic self-obsession, so it could go either way. And his next stop could be Hollywood, apparently.

Russell Brand's Got Issues, Tues Sept12, 10.30-11pm, E4
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