Clarkson

Given everything else Jeremy Clarkson has done, his three series stint as a chat show host is oddly forgotten. Which is a shame because it - and he - was brilliantly entertaining.

Essentially he reused what he had learnt here in with his "star in a reasonably priced car" interviews on Top Gear. The only difference was that in this show he had more time and greater freedom to venture into non-car things.

It was needless to say a bit controversial - I seem to recall that him microwaving Wales in one segment resulted in some fuss - but this is Clarkson, so what do you expect.

It did show what a talented - and perhaps rather wasted - TV talent Clarkson was, and is. Which may be an odd thing to say for someone who was on TV so much, but he is clearly a very clever guy who knows exactly what works and could do a variety of styles of TV ... but tended to go for the easy laugh perhaps too easily.

Which he often did here.

Nonetheless brilliantly entertaining if anyone ever has a chance to see it again.

I don't suppose anybody in the States has heard of Mr Clarkson. Well, in short, you could describe him as somebody who is hated by virtually everyone over here, and yet enigmatically, he is rarely out of work. He sets out to be controversial, outspoken and often downright rude. This show, broadcast on minority channel BBC2, masqueraded as a celebrity chat show but was actually a vehicle for the right wing bloke with the perm who appeared on it every week. Although I don't agree with him on a lot of issues, he is quite funny (and Top Gear is much poorer without his unique style). Some memorable moments from this short-lived show included his interview with film director and like-minded soul Michael Winner and his attacks on Mel Gibson and caravanners.

Some parts of this show were brilliant, if a little right wing. Leaving the eponimous presenter to rant on can have a variety of hillarious results and some of his antics (potato cannon, producing toxic fumes from a microwave and throwing the USA from the map in the studio) were hilarious. However you always felt that bringing in the 'celebrity' always cramped his style and so the second segment of the show always feels like a let down after the first. But a vintage slice of his own style of madness none the less.