Comedy Sketchbook Taping, ITV Granada Studios

Last night we walked into town to Granada studios, the hallowed grounds of Coronation street, to watch the taping of Comedy Sketchbook, a show made up of 'hilarious' clips from some of Britain's finest comedy moments, hosted by Angus Deayton (left). Shuffling to the gates we notice the audience is a much more mature one - perhaps semi-fans of the host himself. Entering the grounds we're directed through security and then towards a conservatory like building which is actually attached to the Rovers Return fronted building, where audience members can purchase a drink and snacks. This of course is not the Rovers Return interior that is used in Corrie (as it is affectionately known), but the outside is frequently used for shots.

Filing into the studio and this is the first actual television studio I have been in, I'm amazed to see it is in effect a section of high ceiling warehouse with hundreds of lights of all descriptions positioned above our heads. The garish set looks larger than life, but on the monitor appears more normal. Several headset wearing people buzz around talking quietly into walkie-talkies and we take our seats in the second row. A warm-up guy tells a few jokes so that our laughter is recorded, though he wasn't that good so some of the laughs were pretty forced (except for the audience snorter - there's always one!). Soon, and without too much formality, Angus Deayton enters the studio to much applause and he's a true professional, at least for the first show where his scripts were read without fault. It looked like we'd be heading home earlier than expected if he followed suit in the second taping - sadly he was obviously getting weary because he fluffed his lines repeatedly. The show was shot pretty much how you will see it going to air, we listened to Angus, then watched some clips, back to Angus and so on until the end of the show. All of the clips were British and some of them I didn't really get the joke as they were small sketches of characters that most people grew up with and understood the larger context, still it was a good night out and interesting to watch.

The verdict? Unlikely to be a major comeback for Angus who is sadly relegated to one-off late night shows, but he shows he's still got comic timing and an audience appeal.