Does stand-up comedy work on TV? It's a question regularly asked by TV people and we are about to find out again. The stand-up showcase Live At The Apollo is due to fill the Jonathan Ross-shaped hole on BBC1 from Friday 28 November.

Acts booked include Frankie Boyle, Sean Lock, Russell Howard, Michael McIntyre, Lenny Henry, Dara O'Briain and Al Murray. Though unlike previous series it sounds, judging by the large line-up, as if the show will contain extended clips of some acts rather than 45-minute gigs.

If this is the case it could be a mistake. Numerous previous TV shows have opted for this format, and apart from Saturday Live, which spawned Harry Enfield's Loadsamoney and Stavros, few have had an impact. Many just end up as late-night filler, plugging a gap in the schedules. In fact the current proliferation of panel shows developed as a way of getting comics onto the box away from the mic stand and in a format that worked.

With the best comedians you don't just want their tightest ten minutes, you want the whole thing. In the vernacular of reality TV, you want to be taken on a journey. Not dumped two stops after you got on. The likes of Dara O'Briain and Al Murray build a show over an hour, bantering with the audience and making the whole greater than the bits. it will be interesting to see if and how they get cut down.

The mega-success of comedy DVDs – Frankie Boyle's new one has sold 15,000 on the day of release alone and Michael McIntyre's DVD is rumoured to have done better – confirms that when a fan likes an act they want to see lots of it. Ironically the success of Boyle and McIntyre's DVDs may be because viewers have seen their bite-sized appearances on shows such as Mock The Week and have liked what they've seen and wanted more.

Maybe Live At The Apollo will be a success – if not in terms of ratings, in terms of plugging DVDs. which must be quite nice for Addison Cresswell. You might have heard his name recently because he manages Jonathan Ross. But he is also part of the production company that makes Live At The Apollo. His agency, Off The Kerb, also handles Michael McIntyre (and Dara O'Briain and Sean Lock). So any McIntyre, O'Briain, Lock DVD sales generated by this telly series should also be good for his bank balance. So to answer my initial question. Stand-up comedy certainly works on TV. For Addison Cresswell.