Just when Charlie Brooker seems to be on the cusp of becoming mainstream, notably in new show You Have Been Watching (Channel 4, Tuesday, 7 July, 10pm), you see him cheering “YAAAY! I.R.A!” Of course, this new programme isn’t about Brooker supporting Irish drug-dealers, but rather, his latest look at TV whilst being on the TV. This time, he’s got guests and meaningless points to hand out. While we’re used to seeing Brooker alone in his flat with no lights on, last night saw him in-front of a studio audience with clapping and a big posh set full of blinking screens… but did it work?

Related: Our Charlie Brooker Interview | Dead Set Review

In this new format, I was worried that Brooker may have got lost. I worried that he would either act like terrified labradoodle puppy with a belt cocked and ready to swipe or that The Powers That Be would have asked him to ‘tone it down’ now that he was making Proper Telly.

Mercifully, he seemed right at home and weirdly casual about the whole thing. In fact, if last night was the first time you’d seen Charlie Brooker on the telly, you could be forgiven that he’s been making shows like this for years.

That’s not to say there weren’t weird bits. The main thing for me was hearing Brooker’s rhythm broken up by studio audience laughter. Naturally, there’s nothing you can do about that and it’s great that Brooker gets some immediate feedback for once in his life, but it is something that I needed a couple of minutes to adjust to. That says more about me than the show itself I think.

The guests were in good form too and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves in a very open and easy way. The guests, should you have missed the show, were Rufus Hound, Richard Herring (ace to see him on the box again), Jamelia and her two breasts, who were the most eager to mingle with the audience.

Thankfully, this new vehicle didn’t see Brooker’s near-knuckle gags lost, with Herring and Hound joining in, all egging each other on. Without doubt though, the star of the show was a typical Charlie Brooker find. That was Deadliest Warrior, which surely doesn’t actually exist and it’s a very expensive ruse by Brooker? I bet the internet actually set on fire last night with people searching for the show to discover if it’s real or not.

So, in conclusion, this New Glittery Charlie Brooker is a success. The show was laugh-out-loud funny and filled with the right mix of bile and fun. I imagine this must have been quite annoying for those of you out there itching to start a Brooker backlash. It certainly seems that Brooker can’t make a bad television show as I’m rather excited at the prospect of watching the rest of this series!