Channel 4: The Priory

The Priory is the name of a rehab clinic in Wimbledon, but also the name of a TV programme on Tuesday afternoons at 6pm. The latter is what I am here to tell you about.

Named after the clinic, the programme lasts for an hour and is hosted live by Jamie Theakston and Zoë Ball. Now regardless of what you might think of the presenters (I do think Jamie is a bit of an annoying twerp) it does take a lot of talent to host a comedy show live, as shown by the failing Big Breakfast.

The show is a mix between a chat show and an entertainment show. Celebrity guests are on every week, sometimes they get better guests than others, for example last week they had Johnny Depp, Ant and Dec and Mel B, whereas the week before they could only manage some B list Eastenders characters and society girl Lady Victoria Hervey.

There are some regular slots such as the game Tele-bungy, where a member of the audience has to choose between five T.V's that are hanging on Bungy ropes outside the studio. One has a short rope and the other four have long ropes which means they will smash on the ground. If the person chooses the short rope and the telly remains undamaged when it is released then they win a state of the art digital TV.

Another regular slot is 'Jamie will make the necessary arrangements' a long winded title for what is basically a take on Jim'll Fix it. Audience members write in with their requests and Jamie Theakston attempts to make it happen. Sometimes these arrangements are fulfilled and sometimes not (in the case of the guy who wanted a dinner date with Anna Friel and sat outside the theatre that she was playing at with his candle lit dinner table all set up and she never appeared) but it is all in the name of fun really.

A good thing about this programme is that at the end of the show they have a band playing them out. This serves as a showcase mostly for unheard of or struggling bands that have not yet made it to make themselves heard.

This is the show that is not afraid to go places that others haven't. The Priory was the first show to be presented live with one of the presenters under hypnosis for the entire show (Jamie Theakston was hypnotised when Paul Mckenna appeared on the show a few weeks back). Although originally I thought this was just a stunt (being the cynic that I am) it really did happen.

What makes the show so funny is that the presenters are not afraid to laugh at themselves and don't take their celebrity too seriously, even when Jamie was in the papers when an ex girlfriend commented on the small size of his manhood!

I like watching Zoë Ball because she is very funny and she comes across as the kind of girl you could be friends with. She seems very down to Earth and is in my opinion one of the best presenters on TV at the moment.

If you love celebrity gossip and a good laugh then you will love this programme. If you love the glossy magazines then the Priory is the T.V equivalent of a really good magazine.

This is great TV - ideal for relaxing after work and forgetting about your in - tray, turn the answerphone on, tune in and enjoy!