Russell Brand's Ponderland

It's amazing how quickly an incident get blown out of proportion. It's a shame then that this means many people are missing out on a fine programme due to ignorance and prejudice.

While Russell Brand is often portrayed as a sex maniac, this often contrasts with intellectual musings and razor sharp comic timing. If you haven't read My Booky Wook, you won't be aware of the struggle he has got to this point.

Then again (as witnessed here) he's not afraid to poke fun at himself. Reading from a school report about his "unusual haircut" and "showing off" he retorts "That's my career!"

As for the show itself, it sounds quite generic- host makes quips about old TV clips. Clive James, James Carr, Jo Brand and endless others have made this a genre, before Harry Hill effectively put his stamp on it.

Russell Brand effectively interweaves the clips within a routine on numerous subjects eg family or pets. He veers from wild energy to bemusement to outright incredulity. His power comes from his unpredictability, making each episode both baffling and hilarious.

Seriously, give Ponderland a chance and you'll see why he deserves his success.