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  It's on: TV3 show Modern Family makes Sunday night What’s hap­­­pen­­­ing with Sunday evening television? For pretty much all of last year it was a complete dirge; the very best that could be said of it was that it encouraged folk to do something else. I even found myself talking to my wife, once. »»

Religious nuts: The Simpsons is full of references to God It’s official, the Vatican doesn’t do irony. »»

Well, that was the year in television, that was. The good, the bad, the ugly; we had it all, and especially the latter two categories. Time to look back and hand out the gongs. Best Comedy A tough one, this. The Flight of the Conchords helped us laugh at ourselves, The Jaqui Brown Diaries continued to surprise, and Diplomatic Immunity was so naff it receives a mention for all the wrong reasons. Yet there can only be one winner and, when »»

The time has come to celebrate a genuine winner. No, no; nothing to do with sport this time, but rather the long-awaited unveiling of our annual TV Christmas Crackpot of the Year Award, a prestigious honour previously won by such luminaries as TV One weatherman Brendan Horan and Sensing Murder psychic Deb Webber. Yes, that’s right, it’s time to acknowledge the folk who, if nothing else, created such comedy and farce on their watch »»

Man vs Wild's Bear Grylls Let’s be honest, it’s not every day you get the opportunity to congratulate Australians for their sense of compassion and consideration, let alone their ability to see the bigger picture. »»

No regrets: TV One's Paul Henry, who co-stars with Pippa Wetzell, is in hot water after his latest comments about Susan Boyle (far right) How Television New Zealand must be laughing – Breakfast host Paul Henry’s most recent judgement hasn’t just galvanised the country’s national papers, it’s gone global. »»

Saving Sunday: Better off Ted and its stars who work at morally bankrupt research and development company Veridian Dynamics The best part of making a TV spoof about the business world? Take your pick: the sheer abundance of comic material available or the ever diminishing line between sobering reality and gallows humour. »»

Stick it: The stars of satirical Aussie laughfest The Chasers (above) used one skit to take the mickey out of High School Musical star Zac Efron. It was Eleanor Roosevelt who came out with that old line: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. »»

It's a drop: DWTS entrants Rodney Hide and Krystal Stuart A deep fug envelops your loyal correspondent – and it has nothing to do with readings from the bathroom scales or news of the imminent arrival of the mother-in-law. I know, either would normally come as a terrible blow but not this time. »»

Laughing matter: The show Father Ted had the X-factor when it came to comedy The guiding rule for lampooning minorities? If at all possible, leave it to the minorities themselves. Not only does it remove a very strong likelihood of causing offence, but the humour is also more likely to be funny for the right reasons. »»