There was a time when you could tell that it was nearly Christmas when trees and decorations popped up in supermarkets. But since these now seem to appear as early as June, it's not that effective anymore.

A closer barometer to the festive season these days are comedy DVDs. Apparently the only time that the British public like to enjoy a chuckle in the privacy of their own homes is over the Christmas period, as it is the only time of the year that comedians release their tour DVDs.

Someone who's now a bit of a pro at releasing the annual tour DVD is Jimmy Carr. His latest – Laughing and Joking – is his eighth, filmed at London's Hammersmith Apollo, and proves that the 8 out of 10 Cats presenter is still on good form.

If it's this big, it's bound to hurt one way or another.

Carr, like most comedians, has a certain style when it comes to delivery of his own brand of shtick. His involves a high volume of short, sharp one-liners that he spits out with a fair amount of energy. As extra padding, he slows the pace down, more often than not with requests from his ever game audience. It's a tried and tested routine, but it gets results. In fact the only real difference in this DVD, apart from the new material, is Carr's full beam, whiter than white, smile. Put him and Joey Essex in the same room together and you could probably read a book quite comfortably from the combined brightness.

If you're easily offended, then be prepared to be offended – a lot. Carr doesn't so much as push the boundaries, as make a cannon-sized hole straight through the middle of them. If he gets a whiff of a raw nerve in the house, he merrily sticks a finger in it and prods it around even more. Not out of malice you understand, just for the sheer fun of it.

It's a slick routine and, much like his pearly whites, overly polished, but there's no denying that you're bound to find a fair few of his gags laugh out loud funny, purely from the sheer number of them.

He may not necessarily be the PM's favourite comedian, but Carr still has what it takes to keep an audience on his side.