One to watch: The Last Leg - Channel 4, 10pm

There are few things that will raise our spirits (a get-out-of-the-gym-free card, a lottery win), so we’ll accept any attempt at adding a touch of the light-hearted to these dark and gloomy evenings.

It is with open arms then that we welcome back this ‘alternative’ review of the week’s events courtesy of comic Adam Hills in the award-winning gang show. If you’ve not managed to catch this hilarious offering before, the series kicks of with Adam joined as always by his eagle-eyed sidekicks Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker, as well as a whole host of sporting and celebrity guests to delve through the talking points of the week, and even tackle some of the awkward subjects many people are too afraid to ask.

Now in its third series, The Last Leg was originally aired to run alongside the 2012 Paralympics every night following the main coverage on Channel 4. It provided a unique and refreshing look at disabilities, a topic which, even now, people shy away from discussing. However, Adam, Josh and Alex clearly did something right, as the programme was brought back for an end-of-year special, and then another full series.

While Adam has been applauded for his comedy since arriving in Britain after leaving his native Australia, for Alex, The Last Leg has marked a bit of a life change, as he wasn’t supposed to be a permanent fixture.

Alex says of the Paralympics: “I was a journalist, so originally I was meant to be a trackside reporter, and I went into the Paralympics as that. The very first interviews I did were the VIP ones at the opening ceremony - David Cameron and Boris Johnson. I always knew I was going to be on the first bit of The Last Leg, because I’d filmed a pilot with Adam.

“So I only thought I’d ever be on the sofa for the first ten minutes of the first show. And the next day, I went to Arsenal to interview a load of their players about sitting volleyball, and I came back into the office and they just went “We’re going to keep you on the sofa now, so you can’t be out and about. You’re going to be on the sofa every day.”

And it didn’t come as a shock to him that The Last Leg has become so well-loved.

“I wasn’t surprised, because we knew that it was really good,” Alex explains.

“Me, Josh and Adam did a sketch for Stand Up to Cancer, and we were doing stuff that wasn’t to do with the Paralympics, and we just clicked. It was instant. And I think we just realised that we could carry the same sort of humour to any subject.”

This time around, amongst other things, the trio will be chatting about the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, encouraging the audience and viewers at home to ask questions about anything from the week without fear of judgement, and answering those difficult and delicate questions with their own unique hindsight.

It’s going to be very interesting indeed...