Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 27th June 2022 |
Latest comedy news
Environmental comedy Carbon Lifeforms coming to Radio 4
Radio 4 is to pilot Carbon Lifeforms, a comedy format focused on climate change hosted by comedian Jon Long and scientist Tara Shine.
David Jason to publish Christmas-themed memoir
David Jason is to publish a fourth volume of memoirs in October, focusing on Christmas and exploring the Only Fools And Horses festive specials.
Mel Giedroyc to host The Really Really Rude Puppet Show
Channel 4 has commissioned a new comedy entertainment series hosted by Mel Giedroyc in which celebrities read steamy fan fiction, acted out by a cast of lookalike puppets.
Taskmaster Series 14 line-up revealed
Dara O Briain, Fern Brady, John Kearns, Munya Chawawa and Sarah Millican will take part in Series 14 of Taskmaster.
Alison Steadman & Nigel Planer star in Radio 4 sex and farming sitcom
Radio 4 has ordered Mucking In, the latest sitcom from Sue Limb, starring Alison Steadman, Nigel Planer and Morwenna Banks. The station has also ordered further series of Miles Jupp's Party's Over and Angus Deayton's Alone.
Alan Partridge Live is coming to Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime Video will stream Alan Partridge Live: Stratagem this winter.
Jeremy Dyson writes VR comedy-horror game The Burning Room
Jeremy Dyson has written virtual reality comedy-horror computer game The Burning Room. A taster for the project features Jack Carroll voicing the game's protagonist Jesse.
BBC Scotland orders more The Farm and three more comedies
The BBC has ordered another 30 minute episode of The Farm for BBC One Scotland, plus another instalment of sketch show Stevens & McCarthy, and two new sitcoms, Islelanders and Stunners, for iPlayer.
Holly Burn and David Mills pilot "big, bold, brash" sitcom Those Two
Holly Burn and David Mills have written and star in "big, bold, brash" sitcom pilot Those Two, co-starring Luke McQueen and Linda Marlowe.
Best Comedy Podcast nominees revealed
The nominees for Best Comedy Podcast in the British Podcast Awards 2022 have been revealed.
Features
The Bleak Expectations of Mark Evans
Hit Radio 4 comedy Bleak Expectations is back - but now on stage. We chat to writer Mark Evans about adapting his beloved Dickensian spoof for a live theatrical experience.
Comedy Chronicles: The ITV Job: The day when the BBC almost lost British comedy
Graham McCann's column charts a fascinating 'what if' moment in British television comedy history: a fork in the road that had consequences of epic proportions in either direction.
British Comedy Quiz #208
We wrote this quiz on a hot day, so you might spot a couple of questions inspired by that sunshine.
Random 8: David Cumming from Operation Mincemeat
With Operation Mincemeat wowing crowds and critics, co-creator David Cumming talks gramophone envy, Gatiss adjacence and a soggy Tamagotchi.
TV listings
TV Flashback
Kiri Pritchard-McLean looks for more amusing clips in the BBC Wales TV archive to discover how hobbies, pastimes and all of the ways the Welsh have fun have been documented.
Ellie & Natasia
Two more episodes of the warmly received new sketch show. The Greek-Cypriot entrepreneurs make their own James Bond movie in the second.
Everything I Know About Love
Episode 4. Maggie decides to 'grow-up' by focusing on work. Driving everyone mad with her new 'grown-up' behaviour, events come to a head at the Heirs & Graces.
Hypothetical
This week's guests are Ross Noble, Angela Barnes, Sunil Patel and Lou Sanders.
CelebAbility
Iain Stirling is joined by Scarlett Moffatt as she leads a group of three friends against Amy Childs, Maisie Adam, Arielle Free and Luke Kempner.
Avoidance
When Claire invites a mysterious work colleague into her home, Jonathan worries that Spencer will end up with a new Dad. Meanwhile Dan and Courtney try to have a romantic night in.
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan
Joe Lycett, entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett and singer Tom Grennan are amongst the line-up announced so far for this Friday's show.
Ministry Of Offence
Episode 12 of the panel show in which team captains Leo Kearse and Diane Spencer take a look at the world, with comedian guests from each end of the political spectrum.
Morecambe And Wise: 30 Greatest Moments
A new countdown of the comedy duo's most memorable sketches, along with recollections and comments from Eric and Ernie's friends, co-stars and celebrity fans.
The Outlaws
Against the backdrop of a family reunion and a slap-up meal, the outlaws begin to believe their ordeal might be at an end. But can their tormentor be so easily satisfied? Given this is Episode 5 of 6, probably not.
Joe Lycett's Big Pride Party
Joe Lycett will be live in Birmingham on Sunday to celebrate 50 years of Pride with a party full of mayhem, mischief and naughty stunts. Guests are set to include Rosie Jones and Mawaan Rizwan.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
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The Delightful Sausage - Live At Chapeltown Picture HouseWatch award-winning double act The Delightful Sausage in their critically acclaimed show, Ginster's Paradise. Nominated for Best Show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2019, this recording was captured in front of a sold-out crowd at iconic Manchester comedy venue Chapeltown Picture House in October 2021. This raucous show was written, directed and performed by comedy's arch platonic power couple Amy Gledhill and Chris Cantrill. The stellar cast includes Paul Dunphy, Nicola Redman and some plucky young upstart called Johnny Vegas. |
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Rosie Jones - The Amazing Edie Eckhart: The Big TripThe second children's novel from comic Rosie Jones, with a disabled protagonist. Edie Eckhart is getting used to life at secondary school. It's going well so far - she's found a brand new friendship group and has the best form tutor EVER. But then the school organises a camping trip... complete with muddy walks and team games. It is a DISASTER. The only fun bit is sitting by the fire and telling stories. On top of that Edie is trying to figure out where she fits in: do you have to define all friendships? And can you be a writer AND a performer, or do you have to choose between the two? Luckily Edie decides to take back control of the school trip... and in so doing, she discovers that you never have to define yourself. You are AMAZING just the way you are! |
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Come Play With MeBritain's iconic 70s sex symbol, Mary Millington, makes you an offer you can't refuse as she and a gaggle of other beautiful girls set up a health farm. What she has in mind can't be good for you - but at least you'll die smiling! A true erotic and comedy classic, Come Play With Me has gone down in legend as Britain's longest-running cinematic release, having played at one London cinema non-stop for more than 200 weeks. The comedy is silly and saucy, and nudity frivolous. Featuring comedy stars Irene Handl, Alfie Bass, Queenie Watts and Henry McGee amongst others, it's a feature that has to be seen, and this Blu-ray restoration - available previously only in a larger box set - is a gorgeous way to do it, featuring a range of fascinating extras. |
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Kevin Bridges - The Black DogA new novel from Scottish stand-up sensation Kevin Bridges. Declan dreams of becoming a writer. It's a dream that helps him escape the realities of his life - going through the motions at college and stacking supermarket shelves part-time, whilst fighting a battle with the ever-darkening thoughts in his head. He has his pet Labrador for companionship and his best friend-turned-mentor, a pseudo-intellectual who works as a greenskeeper at the local municipal golf course, both of which help keep the worst of his anxieties at bay. But following a drunken row with local gangsters, Declan's worries threaten to spiral out of control. |
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Clayton Grange - Series 1 & 2Anthony Head stars in the BBC radio sitcom about a team of brilliantly stupid scientists who are as bad at life as they are at science. Hidden in the midst of a remote Surrey village is top-secret scientific research institute Clayton Grange. There, a team of bumbling boffins, led by the keen but hopeless Professor Linden Saunders, try to fulfil their government brief to solve the global fuel crisis, cheer people up and make war just a bit more gentle. Sadly, they're as rubbish at science as they are at life - but they're not going to let mere incompetence stop them from pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. In these two series, they try to make the nation happier (with the help of a relentlessly cheerful robot named Bunty), endeavour to bring a man back from the dead, launch their revolutionary spray-on clothes and take advantage of 'bring your child to work day' to do some controversial genetic manipulation. Scripted by Neil Warhurst with additional material by Paul Barnhill, this sparkling comedy stars Anthony Head as Saunders, with a full cast including Neil Warhurst, Paul Barnhill, Stephanie Racine, Don Gilet and Miriam Margolyes. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Waspella - BCG Pro Video Contest winner
If a wasp enters your home, it does officially own it. Take a glimpse inside the mind of an angry trapped wasp in Lynsey McQuaid's winning short sketch...
Tom Allen - Proud All Over
In this Channel 4 video, Tom Allen is encouraging everyone to celebrate Pride nationwide.
The Return of Rowan Atkinson: Behind the scenes on Man Vs Bee
Rowan Atkinson is back in Man Vs Bee, with a whole new character in Trevor. In this behind-the-scenes video he introduces the premise of the Netflix series, and we get to witness him acting alongside an invisible bee and a puppet dog.
Sexist Prat
We are all feminists these days, right? Not so. Lurking under the surface in many a person you will find all sorts of prejudices and sexist attitudes. Do you believe misogyny and sexism are something from the past? Think again!
Sneakerhead - Trailer
The trailer for this forthcoming Dave sitcom. Russell is the conflict-averse, newly appointed manager of discount sportswear store, Sports Depot (Peterborough Branch)...
Fisherman's Friends: One And All - Trailer
You loved Fisherman's Friends in 2019, and now they're back. Fisherman's Friends 2: One And All will be in cinemas from 19th August. Follow the true story of the band's next real-life adventure, performing at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival alongside the likes of Beyonce.
Comedy Central Live - Tom Lucy
Tom Lucy on 'coming in' to his parents, Spotify playlists, and a weird weekend away with his mum.
Spotlight
Sorry, I've Got No Head
Horrible Histories may have gone down as 'the' brilliant modern kids' sketch show, but - debuting around the same time, 14 years ago today - this series (which clocked up 39 hit episodes) was equally accomplished. Written by and starring a host of top comedy talent (including Javone Prince, Marek Larwood, Mel Giedroyc, Nick Mohammed, Justin Edwards, Kevin Eldon, Tony Way, Fergus Craig and many others), it was a wonderfully inventive, original, funny series that is deserving of wider recognition and celebration today. We have an interview on the website in which many of those involved reflect back on the programme.
Thanks for reading
Alex Prescot won last week's BCG Pro gag-writing competition on the topic of "swimming":
I've invented a brand new swimming style. It's a stroke of genius.
Fancy your chances? As we approach the summer holidays, this week we're looking for submissions to do with children. Good luck!
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
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