It could easily have been a fluke. That such a simple, even lame-sounding format was responsible for three hours of the most transcendentally funny television of 2025 might well have been down to an alchemical accident. Spoiler: it wasn’t. Series two of the UK version of this Japanese reality-gameshow is very nearly as sidesplitting as the first.
The format is identical: 10 successful comedians spend six hours in a huge room trying not to laugh or smile. One lapse gets you a yellow card; another gets you ejected. Now you must commentate on the action in separate viewing quarters with the host, Jimmy Carr, and his sidekick Roisin Conaty (who somehow manages to make her ill-defined companion role not feel painfully awkward). Mostly, the comics just chat crap to each other in the hope of making somebody laugh, but there is also a steady stream of interventions. The majority will be called up at some stage to play their “joker”, a specially devised comedy set piece performed – largely – to silence. This tends to be an impressive showcase of their talent and completely excruciating to watch. Every now and then, Carr emerges to dish out conversational prompts and orchestrate head-to-head challenges. There are also a scattering of appearances from special guests, engineered – obviously – to turn those frowns upside down.
