It was, as far as I can recall, Room 101, In which Cook complained about the poor quality of cable TV porn.

Oh! I thought he meant a *proper* interview...

It was broadcast on 25 July 1994, I think, the fourth one of the first (and best) TV series. According to Thompson's Cook biog, Cook's mother had just died, so he wasn't a happy (or well) individual. But he was fantastic, not least when he selected food packaging to go in. They brought on a basket of items, and he found that he could open every single item with his bare hands (pretty much). Led to the off-cuff remark that causes laughter in me even seven years on:

"It's going to get very difficult if every time I want to eat, I have to go on television."

Class episode. Paul Merton and the current production team, pay attention.

I thought all of the Merton hosted shows have been terrible, Nick Hancock was much better. Maybe it was just the cosier set and Nick Hancock was a bit warmer, Merton just sits on this big industrial expanse in his chair giving his cynical and refrained persona. I never heard the radio series, I gather that was better still, I remember the TV episode with Frank Skinner was quite good, Merton just ruins the show, and the boring guests worsen it still. Mainly just picking stuff solely for the fact that they have some back catalogue standup material about it to spool off as ad-libs to make life easy for themselves.

Have you noticed how Merton is letting all the guest's choices go into Room 101 in this series? At least I think he has. Part of the joy of previous series was the way in which the host would highlight the way in which the guest was being slightly irrational about some of their choices. It was kind of like televised therapy.

I took huge umbrage at the Paul Merton version of R101. Because he was just being a stupid yes-man to whatever celebrity deigned to be present. ick.