Mel Brooks had his fellow guests in stitches on the One Show sofa last night as he lambasted the show’s famously-unpredictable format, and called the show ‘nuts’.

The Blazing Saddles legend seemed bewildered when hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones segued from a light-hearted chat about toilet paper to a story about Patricia, a woman trying to reunite with her long-lost father.

“What a crazy show this is!” Brooks exclaimed, to the great amusement of fellow guests Ross Noble, Lesley Joseph and Russell Crowe – as well as the studio audience.

Jones was having none of it though, asking the guests to ‘focus on Patricia now’.

Crowe explained to the 91-year-old Brooks that it was simply the natural consequence of an advertising-free BBC.

He said: “It’s like the sponsors’ break. They have to do something serious, and then they’ll be back to the frivolity of us shortly.”

“OK, but this is nuts!” agreed Brooks.

“You gotta tell me when happy and when sad,” he said.

The comedy legend appeared on the One Show to discuss the upcoming production of Young Frankenstein, a stage version of his successful film, which opens soon at the West End’s Garrick Theatre.

“We have such a talented crew on stage. I mean, I’ve been blessed,” he said.

“And not one of them is really expensive.”

The full episode of the One Show can be seen on BBC iPlayer