BCG Newsletter: Monday 10th January 2022

Weekly Newsletter

Monday 10th January 2022

It's time for to launch the annual Comedy.co.uk TV and radio awards! Click through to vote and help determine which shows make the prestigious shortlist.

Latest comedy news

Dylan Moran sitcom Stuck coming to BBC Two

Dylan Moran sitcom Stuck coming to BBC Two

Dylan Moran has written a new sitcom for BBC Two called Stuck. Morgana Robinson will co-star with the Irish stand-up in the series about a couple at a crossroads in their relationship.

Sean Lock had the best selling stand-up special of 2021

Sean Lock had the best selling stand-up special of 2021

Sean Lock's final recorded show was the best selling stand-up special in 2021.

Features

Comedy.co.uk Awards 2021

Comedy.co.uk Awards 2021

This is the 16th year of our TV and radio awards. Unlike other awards, we list every single new show that was broadcast - so all programmes have a chance of making the shortlist. Please help us make sure the right ones do, by taking a couple of minutes to vote.

How Penn & Teller helped create Magic Goes Wrong

How Penn & Teller helped create Magic Goes Wrong

As hit show Magic Goes Wrong continues in the West End, and heads around the UK on a tour too, top magicians Penn & Teller reveal how they found themselves working with the team behind The Play That Goes Wrong, and how they came to cast their spell on audiences...

Win Morecambe & Wise At Thames DVD

Win Morecambe & Wise At Thames DVD

Eric & Ernie's acclaimed BBC run was followed by 6 popular years at Thames before Morecambe's sad death, and those 34 final programmes are now available to own on DVD for the first time. We have two copies to give away.

British Comedy Quiz #184

British Comedy Quiz #184

Our first quiz of 2022. We start with a couple of questions you should get, but - as always - 10 out of 10 is very hard to obtain!

TV listings

Guessable?

Guessable?

Monday 9pm, Comedy Central

Series 3 of the parlour game show. Jason Manford, Miles Jupp, Henning Wehn and Maisie Adam face a plethora of challenges - some old and some new. There're preview clips on our website.

Toast Of Tinseltown

Toast Of Tinseltown

Tuesday 10pm, BBC Two

Episode 2 sees Toast starting his life in the LA heat, and thus the introduction of new regular characters Russ Nightlife (Fred Armisen) and Billy Tarzana (Rashida Jones).

I Literally Just Told You

I Literally Just Told You

Wednesday 10pm, Channel 4

If you saw the last episode you'd have seen Jimmy Carr paying up a lot of cash for a mistake (clip here, if you missed it); the games continue this week - he'll probably be hoping for no more slip-ups.

Mandy

Mandy

Wednesday 10pm, BBC Two

Two more episodes of the sitcom. First up: a cruise, with guest stars including Nigel Planer; then - in the second - Mandy is off to Mars.

Screw

Screw

Thursday 9pm, Channel 4

The prison-based comedy drama continues. With the help of her colleagues, new prison officer Rose starts to find her feet in this terrifying new world.

Scot Squad

Scot Squad

Thursday 10pm, BBC Scotland

A reckless driver on the wrong side of the road turns out to be a visitor from overseas who wants to experience the delights of Scottish fast food. Fortunately, that is right up traffic officer Hugh McKirdy's street.

After Life

After Life

Friday, Netflix

The third series of the comedy starring Ricky Gervais lands on Netflix on Friday. If you've not seen the trailer yet, click through to our website.

Would I Lie To You?

Would I Lie To You?

Friday 8pm, BBC One

Bob Mortimer is back on the show - everyone looks forward to these episodes! Also playing along are Angellica Bell, Suggs and Holly Willoughby.

QI

QI

Friday 9pm, BBC Two

Jimmy Carr, Jen Brister and Chris McCausland cover a general smorgasbord of facts beginning with S in this new episode.

8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown

8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Friday 9pm, Channel 4

Jack Dee and Tom Allen take on Jon Richardson and Judi Love in a new episode of the words and numbers game. John Cooper Clarke is in Dictionary Corner.

One Night In...

One Night In...

Friday 10pm, Channel 4

Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe are joined by Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont, as they spend the night in LEGOLAND.

The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show

Friday 10:35pm, BBC One

Ricky Gervais is on the show to promote After Life. Plus Cate Blanchett and a rare BBC appearance for Ant & Dec. The musical guests are Elvis Costello & The Imposters.

The John Bishop Show

The John Bishop Show

Saturday 9:30pm, ITV

Saturday's debut episode of this new entertainment show revealed the format to be a chat show with a couple of sketches and a short stand-up intro. No news yet on who this week's guests will be.

For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.

Shop

The Outlaws - Series One

The Outlaws - Series One

Out now. DVD

The brand new BBC One comedy drama series co-created by Stephen Merchant.

An unlikely group of lawbreakers are forced to work together in a community payback project. These seven strangers have nothing in common but as new friendships emerge, dark secrets are revealed. When the group are unwittingly drawn into a dangerous criminal conspiracy, they must break down the barriers between them before they can fight for what's right.

Combining crime thriller and character study with humour and heart, The Outlaws is a story about finding common ground during divided times. Starring Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Clare Perkins, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jessica Gunning, Darren Boyd and Dolly Wells.

Josh Berry - Staggering Hubris

Josh Berry - Staggering Hubris

Out now. Paperback

The memoir of Boris Johnson's most classic SPAD: The 'Rona Years, Vol. 1.

Unless you're a woman on Tinder between the ages of 19 and 30 in the Clapham area, or a high-end cocaine dealer operating in South West London, you probably won't have heard of Rafe Hubris (BA, Oxon). Despite that, he's a crucial figure in the life of our nation. As Boris Johnson's most classic special adviser (SPAD) at Number 10, he helped the UK government skilfully and efficiently control the Covid crisis, containing it for good by the end of 2020.

In the first of what will doubtless be many memoirs as Rafe travels his own inevitable journey to the premiership, this fly-on-the-wall account documents his Year of 'Rona in its entirety (and iniquity). Even non-Oxbridge readers (for whom the author has taken care to keep his language as accessible as possible) will come away from this volume struck by how lucky we are to have him. Floreat Etona!*

*Note for non-Oxbridge readers: this means 'May Eton flourish' in Latin.**

**Latin is the language of Ancient Rome and its empire.

Mark Steel - Who Do I Think I Am?

Mark Steel - Who Do I Think I Am?

Out now. Audiobook

In this audiobook exclusive, comedian Mark Steel tells the story of his own adoption, at the age of 10 days.

The Party Party

The Party Party

Out now. Audio Download

Hugh Laurie, Rory Bremner and Morwenna Banks star in this six-part comedy series that sends up both politics and traditional sitcom conventions.

1993, and the party of the loony right and centre sweeps to power, changing the face of politics forever and drastically disrupting the very normal, very predictable, very sitcom lives of the actor-residents of Microcosm. When the newly appointed prime minister, the Rt Hon Action Man, MP, moves into No. 10, his first priority is to change the curtains. But next he must appoint a cabinet - starting with the minister for honesty, Sir Lord Knight - and try to uncover the mystery behind the clandestine Department of Secrets....

Written by Moray Hunter (Spitting Image, Absolutely), and first broadcast in 1987, this "surreal, satirical, marvellously meta" comedy features Hugh Laurie, Morwenna Banks, Robin Driscoll, Robert Glenister and Clive Mantle, with guest appearances by Rory Bremner.

For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.

Comedy videos

The Treason TV Show - Best Of

The Treason TV Show - Best Of Series 4

This topical comedy show, penned by a team of up-and-coming writers with all the characters performed by the versatile Mark Brailsford, is worth supporting. Here is a compilation of the best sketches from their most recent run.

Every podcast (almost)

Every podcast (almost)

Max & Ivan spoof all the podcasts in this well observed sketch.

Pizza Quality Control

Pizza Quality Control

Unsung hero of our age: the guy that does the quality control on your pizza. This is how they do their job.

Gotcha!

Gotcha!

A drug deal goes horribly wrong as betrayals pile up. A sketch by Hoopla Impro.

30k A Week To Bore People Online

30k A Week To Bore People Online

Meet the surprising star of a new fetish craze - BoreCore - where you can make serious money from the dullness of your life. We come face to face with his fans and see why they're so attracted to boring people.

Bon Bon Walks Off Set

Bon Bon Walks Off Set

A hapless film crew makes the shooting of a music video go from bad to worse. A sketch from Book Of Jam.

Spotlight

Never Better

Never Better

Chances are you don't remember this 2008 comedy. Starring Stephen Mangan and Kate Ashfield (Shaun Of The Dead), it lasted just a single series on BBC Two. The dark sitcom's plot followed a recovering alcoholic husband-and-father's regularly foiled attempts to keep his life in order and his body sober. It premiered on this date, from writer Fintan Ryan. See what other long-forgotten titles you can find in our huge database.

Thanks for reading

The latest BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition, in which we asked for jokes about trees, was won by Ben Emmett:

Jonny Rotten has a tree in his garden to hang all of his facial restraints on. It's his punky muzzle tree.

Please do take a moment to vote in the first round of the annual Comedy.co.uk Awards and help make the best shortlist possible!

British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk

BCG on social media:
Twitter   Facebook   Instagram