Graham Kibble-White gets the lowdown from TV's most suave joker...

Jimmy Carr is clearly delighted by the roster of talent joining him on The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year.

"It's a pretty all-star line-up actually," says the 33-year-old comic with a huge grin.

"Gordon Ramsay's coming along, and I'm a massive fan of his - he's a man's man. We've got Sharon Osbourne, who's just wonderful and on the best pantomime of the year, The X Factor. So that's a treat.

"Obviously, we've also got Jonathan Ross. What would an end of the year round-up show be without him? There's also the beautiful Denise Van Outen and the not-so-beautiful Rob Brydon. And we've got David Mitchell, from Peep Show. He's a star. It's a fantastic line-up."

This is the second Big Fat Quiz Jimmy's hosted, following the show's debut last Christmas.

"It's a pain in the backside to put together," he admits, "but it's still a fun thing to do. It's borne out of our shared love of pub quizzes, or those end of year things you get in the paper.

"We haven't tinkered with the format much, although there will be slightly fewer questions with a bit more messing about. But not too much, because we're taking it very seriously. Hopefully people at home can take on whoever's watching with them.

"I think it's probably got the makings of a Christmas tradition. It's like playing a game of Trivial Pursuit with the family, except it happens to be on the telly and there are a few jokes as well. Perfect."

Asked what subjects they'll be covering on the show, he replies: "I think we would be remiss if we didn't mention Michael Jackson.

"There's also been probably the most forgettable election in modern times this year, so we have to cover that. We also got more continental, didn't we, with 24-hour drinking, and then the next story was Paris on fire, so that was good. It's all there."

Jimmy's been pretty much a constant presence on our screens in 2005, hosting various top 100 programme and comedy shows. Over-exposure patently isn't something he worries about.

"People are very savvy," he says. "My ubiquity may be something the media comment on, but I think if the average man on the street feels he's seen too much of you, he'll just watch something else. The public are pretty smart."

In this spirit, we can expect to see more of his panel game show 8 Out Of 10 Cats in 2006, although he won't be returning to The Friday Night Project.

"They've got some new people presenting it this time around and they're really funny," he says magnanimously. He also reveals there are plans afoot for a big entertainment show.

"We've got something in the works but it's 12 months away so it's probably a bit too early to start talking about it."

There is, however, one programme he definitely won't be working on.

"That's rubbish, obviously," he says, when asked to comment on rumours he's going to hosting a revival of Jim'll Fix It.

"It was just a funny tabloid story. I was chatting to someone at the BBC and they were talking about bringing the show back, but not with me, I just happen to share the name. Anyway, I work exclusively for Channel 4.

"It's a very fondly remembered programme, granted, but scouts eating their dinner upside down on a roller coaster is kind of dull nowadays."

As for Christmas, he says: "It's a lovely time of year. I'll be celebrating it by eating too much food and playing board games. And there'll possibly a couple of arguments. What could be more traditional than that?"

The big question, however, is will they all be settling down to The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year on Boxing Day in Chez Carr?

"I probably won't insist on it," he says with a smirk, "but I'll politely suggest it."

* Jimmy Carr hosts The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year on Channel 4 on Boxing Day ..SUPL: