Thank the Lord that’s over. The anxious run-up, the awful feeling that this was it, do or die - and that was just the nominees. Imagine how Alan Cumming felt making his debut as the host of the Bafta TV awards?

Like the reviews, Cumming’s performance was mixed. He had trouble finding the right tone. David Tennant had already done his cheeky/slightly scary Scottish chappie act at the film awards, leading the starry audience through The Proclaimers’ 500 miles.

That left Cumming reliant on his suits and a light smattering of smut for laughs, and it did not go well. Jilly Cooper, legendarily nice to everyone, looked like she wanted to throttle him. Ditto David Mitchell. But why? His teasing, such as it was, had been of the mildest kind, more George from Rainbow than Gervais at the Golden Globes.

As Cumming confirmed on Sunday, comedy is a serious business. Get it right and you will be adored, put a foot wrong and it’s curtains, or cancelled.

Makes you wonder why they do it. There’s the money of course, but they can’t all earn Peter Kay-level wages. The biggest mystery is political comedy. Who in their right mind would try to get a laugh out of the state we’re in today?

Step forward Rory Bremner, who is just about to start his Making an Impression tour. His show at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on June 1 is already sold out, but there’s a waiting list if you fancy your chances.

Sold out? Waiting list? Rory Bremner? The bloke who does Gordon Brown impressions and other cutting-edge material? The very one, though his list of subjects now extends to more contemporary figures, including Trump, Starmer, and Farage. The older faces and voices may yet be wheeled out; it depends on audience reaction. As he made........

© Herald Scotland