| Welcome! Another bright new week is upon us in this brief sport interlude, and the comedy schedules are filling up once more. Read on, fair reader, read on... |
| Latest Comedy News |
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| Also of interest... |
Here are some links you might be interested in...
- John Cleese has got married for a 4th time: The Daily Mail
- The Manchester Comedy Festival has been scrapped as the council have cut the funding: The Guardian
- New dad Frank Skinner says he may have more children: The Sun
- Sacha Baron Cohen is to star in new spy spoof film: The Sun
- A rare interview with Nighty Night star Julia Davis: The Guardian
- Plus interviews with Rufus Hound, Burnistoun duo, Tamsin Greig, Outnumbered's Daniel Roche, Ben Miller and Jack Whitehall
- For links to 100s more articles this week related to live comedians and shows, see our Edinburgh Fringe coverage
Like these type of links? Follow us on Twitter for more daily: @UKComedyNews |
| Features |
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Edinburgh Fringe Coverage
We're up in Edinburgh at the Fringe Festival. Here's what you can find on our website...
- Interviews, blogs and features related to the comics and shows at the festival.
- Comprehensive listings for 1,400+ shows at the festival. That's more than the official website!
- Regularly updated links to the latest reviews. There's well over 1500 to look at - find out what's hot and what's not.
- and much more. Features coming shortly include news on a 24 hour improv marathon and various interesting interviews with comedians from the new to established.
Our Fringe Coverage |
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Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast
Richard Herring is presenting a daily podcast from the Edinburgh Fringe - featuring comic chat with guests, and stand-up guest spots. Take a listen here. Listen |
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Win The Midnight Beast on DVD
We've got five DVDs of the new E4 sitcom The Midnight Beast to give away. Enter |
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Line-up for Brighton Comedy Festival 2012
The Brighton Comedy Festival is back in October 2012, with a line-up that includes Alan Carr, Jo Brand, Jack Dee, Jason Byrne, Russell Kane and Shappi Khorsandi. Read |
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Ricky Gervais in the music charts?
A Manchester band is hoping to enter the music chart with a cover of Bitter Heart, a song first released by Ricky Gervais' band in 1983. Read |
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| TV Highlights |
Here is a guide to some of the things on TV this week...
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Alan Partridge's Mid Morning Matters
Monday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm
The last in the current series (but they're making more; a story that only seems to be hitting some news outlets today, but you may have read our report way back in October). Guide |
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Adam Buxton's BUG
Monday, Sky Atlantic, 9:30pm
Adam Buxton presents more madcap music videos unearthed from the internet along with the comments they've provoked from opinionated online communities. Guide |
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Beaver Falls
Monday, E4, 10pm
The comedy drama continues. It's 'Juvie Day', the day when the over-privileged elite of Beaver Falls and the criminally challenged underclass of Yuba City Juvenile Detention Centre come together in friendship... supposedly. Guide |
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Burnistoun
Monday, BBC Two Scotland, 10pm
The hit Scottish sketch show returns for a new series (if you're south of the border use iPlayer or head for Sky channel 970). We pop into a trendy coffee shop, get sold some wooden pallets, and obtain some questionable sartorial advice. Guide |
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Gates
Tuesday, Sky Living, 8:30pm
This much-delayed Sky sitcom about parental rivalries on the school run finally arrives on TV - but now on Sky Living instead of Sky1, who commissioned it. Sue Johnston, Joanna Page and Tom Ellis star. Guide |
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Bad Education
Tuesday, BBC Three, 10pm
Jack Whitehall's new sitcom. He stars as Alfie, the worst teacher to ever (dis)grace a British education institution. See our guide for clips and more. Guide |
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The Rob Brydon Show
Tuesday, BBC Two, 10pm
New third series of the comic chat show. Rob Brydon talks to comedian Michael McIntyre about being a dad, meeting Prince Charles and going back on tour. He's also joined by Blur's Alex James and musician Amy MacDonald. Guide |
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Vexed
Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm
The failing comedy drama continues. After a temporary demotion to Missing Persons the pair are drawn into a case involving sexual indiscretions and secrets. Guide |
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Lee Kern's Celebrity Bedlam
Wednesday, E4, 10pm
In the third episode of this prank show, Kern looks at travel and adventure, posing as an anthropologist to convince celebs that a rare and exotic tribe have been evacuated from their ancestral homeland and are now living in a children's zoo in Cheshunt. Guide |
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Peter Kay Live: The Tour That Didn't Tour - Tour
Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm
The start of Channel 4's Funny Fortnight - a mix of new shows and classic repeats (see our schedule for the repeat listings). First up, a TV version of Peter Kay's record-breaking Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour live show. Guide |
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Lemon La Vida Loca
Thursday, ITV2, 10pm
Spoof docu-reality series. Keith heads down to the gym in an attempt to get in shape before jetting off to Marbella to shoot his very own calendar. Back in the UK, cracks are beginning to appear in his relationship with his long-term girlfriend, Rosie. Guide |
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Verry Terry
Thursday, Channel 4, 10:55pm
Chat show pilot hosted by Kayvan Novak in character as Terry Tibbs, his hit loud mouth character from Facejacker. He's joined by Hollywood star Mickey Rourke and 'perfect housewife' Anthea Turner. No, really! Guide |
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Alan Carr's Summertime Specstacular
Friday, Channel 4, 9pm
A special extended-length episode of the comic chat show. Alan Carr is putting on his tracksuit and his running shoes and celebrating London's Olympic Summer with a massive party sprinkled with the usual mix of lively chat, celebrity guests, sketches and music. Guide |
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In With The Flynns
Friday, BBC One, 9:30pm
The return of the BBC family sitcom. Liam and Caroline catch a burglar in their house and lock him in their kitchen. It turns out the burglar was an old school friend, who now plans to press charges for their use of undue force. Guide |
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People Just Do Nothing
Friday, BBC Three, 10pm
A TV broadcast of this sitcom pilot, which was commissioned as part of BBC Three's online Feed My Funny scheme. MC Sniper is released from a very short stretch in jail and finds that his radio station is having problems with its transmitter, threatening his comeback set. Guide |
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The Angelos Epithemiou Show
Friday, Channel 4, 11:05pm
In the final programme of the series, Angelos challenges model-turned-body-builder Jodie Marsh to an arm wrestling contest, and Scissor Sisters drop in to perform Baby Come Home. Guide |
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Micky Flanagan's Out Out Tour
Saturday, Channel 4, 9:15pm
Television edit of the hit 2011 stand-up show The Out Out Tour Live, by East End comic Micky Flanagan. Guide |
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The Jonathan Ross Show
Saturday, ITV1, 10pm
Wossy is back for a third series of his ITV show. Colin Farrell discusses his starring role in the remake of sci-fi thriller Total Recall, Kelly Brook talks about her part in Keith Lemon: The Film, and chart-topping pop star Rita Ora performs her latest single, How We Do (Party). Guide |
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Frankie Boyle: If I Could Reach Out Through Your TV And Strangle You I Would
Saturday, Channel 4, 10:15pm
Stand-up set part of Channel 4's Funny Fortnight. Controversial Glaswegian comic Frankie Boyle performs at the Hammersmith Apollo for his 2010 stand-up tour. Guide |
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Lee Evans: Roadrunner
Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm
The first TV broadcast of Lee Evans' 2011 stand-up show and DVD release, Roadrunner. Guide |
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I'm Spazticus
Sunday, Channel 4, 10:10pm
This hidden camera prank show in which disabled performers prank able-bodied members of the public was piloted way back in 2005. To link up with the Paralympics, it's now got a 4-part series and will run daily from this Sunday. Guide |
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The Function Room
Sunday, Channel 4, 10:40pm
One of the Channel 4's Funny Fortnight pilots. The Function Room is a studio sitcom set in a room above a pub which is used for a community 'Meet The Police' event where residents are invited to quiz local officers about crime in the area. Guide |
Above is just some of the new comedy that can be found on the TV this week. For a complete list of shows, plus radio comedy, see our full schedule.
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| New DVDs |
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Murder Most Horrid - Series Two
After a long wait, the second series of crime-drama-sitcom-comedy-thing Murder Most Horrid, first seen on television in March 1994, will be released on DVD in September. Starring Dawn French as a variety of characters (one per standalone episode) and with a star-packed supporting cast, this regularly bleak, predictably dark series is just what it sounds from the title. Pre-Order |
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Richard Herring - What Is Love, Anyway?
Cult comic and friend-of-the-BCG, Richard Herring, is back up in Edinburgh at the moment with another new show, but you can now grab 2011's popular What Is Love, Anyway? on DVD thanks to the dedicated people at Gofasterstripe. Rich attempts define - and destroy - love, before it destorys him. Again. There are a host of juicy extras, too: Order |
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Mount Pleasant - Series One
Mount Pleasant is back for a second series next week - although this time over on the more female-oriented Sky Living rather than family-friendly Sky1. It's not really anything that special in itself, but the storylines are pleasant and involving enough, and comedy legend Bobby Ball is a sheer delight alongside screen wife Pauline Collins. Catch up with the first series early next month: Pre-Order |
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The Larkins - The Complete Sixth Series
... Not a million miles away from Mount Pleasant with its (now) gentle humour, pleasant cast and family/relationship basis, this early ATV sitcom finds the Larkins - hen-pecked but crafty Alf and his formidable wife Ada - now busy running a cafe and B&B in their own inimitable fashion. Originally broadcast in 1964, this is a real treat from the archives. Pre-Order |
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Twenty Twelve - Series 1 & 2
Ah, it's all over (well, sort of, there's still the Paralympics to go). Anyway, catch up with the comedic exploits of the fictional Deliverance team in John Morton's hit mockumentary-sitcom, narrated by David Tennant and starring Hugh Bonneville, Olivia Colman, and a winning turn from Jessica Hynes as dodgy PR operative Siobhan Sharpe. Order |
For more, see our full list of new releases and DVDs coming soon. |
| Comedy Videos |
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| Message Board Posts... |
Here are some quotes from our message board...
"Not sure what to expect of Series 2. Series 1 was average. I will be tuning in to see if it's changed, and has come back better!" 3socksmorgan on In With The Flynns
"I just loved Red Dwarf but when the collaboration between Rob Grant and Doug Naylor ended, the well-developed characters ended." Samantha Feinglass on Red Dwarf X
"Loved the first series but found the second one to be too self-conciously over the top/gross/shocking and not very funny." happychef on Nighty Night
"Couldn't stop laughing when he kept asking the MP whether the local council had put up bus fares." Joey Moose on Alan Partridge |
| Guide Spotlight |
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Lovett Goes To Town
We bet you've never heard of this one. Tucked away on the long-forgotten British Satellite Broadcasting channel Galaxy, and broadcast as part of alternative comedy strand The Last Laugh way back in 1990, Lovett Goes To Town saw comic Norman Lovett - best known as Red Dwarf's Holly - guiding camera through a distinctly average day in his life. Filmed in Edinburgh, the one-off saw Norman becoming one with the trees, attempting to buy lightbulbs, and, erm, showing a little too much fondness for a park bench. Guide |
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| Thanks for Reading |
Thanks for making it down to the end. We hope you have a great week. Best wishes,
The British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk |
