Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 12th September 2022 |
Last week's sad news of the death of The Queen hasn't halted comedy broadcasts to the extent some had reported in the past, but it does mean TV and radio schedules are liable to change. This week's HIGNFY and Mock The Week are definitely cancelled, for example, and we've updated everything else (below) to the best of our knowledge - check out our website daily for the latest changes as we get them. Similarly, there are no news stories to share today, but we do have some great features for you to look at.
Features
Best-reviewed Edinburgh Fringe shows 2022
Dave Johns, Jordan Gray, Paul Sinha, Colin Hoult and Olga Koch were amongst the comedians to have the best reviewed comedy shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival.
Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli interview
Am I Being Unreasonable? is a new comedy thriller about obsessive friendship, maternal paranoia - and a dead cat, written by and starring real-life best friends Selin Hizli and Daisy May Cooper. The duo explain more about the show in this interview. It's scheduled to start on Friday evening.
Circuit Training interview: Simon Day's Big Nights Out
He followed Squeeze out of Blackheath, fell in with Vic & Bob and helped The Fast Show become huge. But why has Simon Day culled some classic characters from his new tour?
Robert Wringham: 'The highest form of activity is the shenanigan'
Gabriel Featherstone talks to humourist Robert Wringham about his latest book, Stern Plastic Owl.
Katie Price: From Woody Allen to Illana Glazer - The rise of The Jewess
Comedian Katie Price was told she was 'too Jewish' for a club gig. It forced her to consider what Jewish comedy is. In this article she celebrates the rise of The Jewess.
British Comedy Quiz #219
This time, questions on: An impressionist, Fantasy Football, the business in As Time Goes By, and more.
Random 8: Glenn Moore
Marilyn Manson, Master Bakers and an in-the-dark Gaby Roslin - Glenn Moore takes the eight-question challenge.
Advert
A massive night of non-stop laughs in South West London. Join the best in comedy from household names, international stars and the most exciting newcomers on the circuit at Live At The Clapham Grand!
September's stellar line-up includes Jamali Maddix (C4's Adventures in Futureland), Leo Reich (2022 Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer Nominee), Tessa Coates (Mae Martin's Feel Good), Laura Lexx (Live At The Apollo) and Celya AB (Chortle Best Newcomer 2022)! This show is not to be missed! Info & Tickets
TV listings
Guessable?
Sara Pascoe invites Taskmaster's Alex Horne, comic Lou Sanders, presenter Roman Kemp and Loose Women's Janet Street-Porter into the Comedy Central loft. Fans of the show will be pleased to hear it's returning for Series 4.
Britain's Greatest Obsessions: Harry On Humour
Sky History's new Britain's Greatest Obsessions series opens with this episode, in which Harry Hill focuses on why the British think they have a better sense of humour than anyone else in the world.
Question Team
Making up Richard Ayoade's self-quizzing collective as Series 2 of the show starts are Jo Brand, Thanyia Moore, Josh Pugh and special guest Bill Bailey. Each has arrived with their own round but who will leave victorious?
Ladhood
Having secured a promotion, Liam finds himself morally compromised when asked to work on an ad campaign for a betting service. He thinks back to the first bet he ever placed.
Trip Hazard
Rosie Jones takes rapper Lady Leshurr to Northamptonshire, where she's arranged to abseil down the largest permanent abseil tower in the world.
Doc Martin
The surgery is chaotic, with both Martin and Louisa now practising from it. Bert's new business venture with Al doesn't get off to a good start, and Penhale suspects noise complaints are due to paranormal activity.
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
A new series of the music-based panel show. Daisy May Cooper is joined by Nile Rodgers and Russell Howard, whilst Noel Fielding and Jamali Maddix welcome singer-songwriter Mae Muller.
Brassic
Chinese Dan agrees to give Cardi his retired racing greyhound, but later discovers a human foot in the woods.
A League Of Their Own
Joining the ALOTO boys this week as guest captain of the Blue team is Man City and England defender Kyle Walker alongside comedians Russell Howard, Maisie Adam and David Walliams.
Bloods
Wendy's attempts to repair her friendship with Maleek fall on deaf ears. He has demanded to be partnered with Lawrence, while she is left with Jo as the rest of the team believe her to be untrustworthy. Wendy sets out to prove them wrong.
Late Night Mash
This is one of the only topical comedy shows broadcasting on TV this week. Rachel Parris and the team will have the tricky task of making light of the week.
Shopping With Keith Lemon
Keith Lemon shops for a new toilet in Windsor with Sharon Osbourne and spends the day in Southend-on-Sea with rapper Aitch.
Bad Sisters
The tension continues to rise in Apple's deeply dark comedy drama starring Sharon Horgan.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Bob and Paul travel to the Crogen Estate in north Wales to fish the River Dee for grayling, a fish that has so far eluded Paul on their extensive travels. They fish hard on a secluded private estate.
Am I Being Unreasonable?
A new comedy thriller. Nic is grieving a loss that she can't share with anyone whilst stuck in a depressing marriage. Only her son, Ollie who she adores, keeps her going. But when Jen arrives in town her life is lit up with laughter and through this kindred soul her dark secret starts to bubble up.
The Last Leg
David Harewood and Judi Love are set to join the show this week which, at the time of writing, is still appearing in the schedule.
Stewart Lee: Tornado
Delayed from Sunday, it's a broadcast of Stewart Lee's stand-up performance filmed at York Theatre Royal, in which he tells a tangled shaggy dog story about backstage hospitality and flying sharks.
The Amazing Hattie Jacques: Larger Than Life
A documentary about Hattie Jacques, one of Britain's best loved comic actors, probably best known as the Queen of the Carry Ons.
Blankety Blank
In this first edition of a new series, Bradley Walsh is joined by Denise Van Outen, Ellie Simmonds, Chris Eubank, Frank Skinner, Vick Hope and Joey Essex.
Down The Clubhouse
The amazing achievements of athletes young and old are celebrated by Mike Bubbins, Steff Garrero and Elis James.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
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Hancock - The Complete ATV SeriesFollowing the conclusion of Hancock's Half Hour on BBC radio and television, Tony Hancock began a new series in 1963 with ITV broadcaster ATV. Airing for just one series of 13 episodes, the series - simply titled Hancock - saw the star in a new series of sitcom mishaps. Now, complete and uncut, it is available on DVD for the very first time. An absolute must-own for any Tony Hancock or classic comedy fan, a number of the episodes are pure gold, easily standing up against the comedian's best-known and celebrated BBC work, whilst the fantastic array of extras (including full audio and all surviving video footage for all six episodes of nightclub-set 1967 successor Hancock's) and a comprehensive accompanying booklet make this a wonderful triple-disc DVD release. |
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Count Binface - What On Earth?: An Alien's Guide To Fixing BritainThe much-needed manifesto by the Sanest Politician in the Entire Cosmos, from capping the price of croissants at £1 to taking over Downing Street. "Greetings, life-form! My name is Count Binface. I am an intergalactic space warrior, leader of the Recyclons and three-time British election veteran. I'm 5695 Sigmoid years old, which is a good age for a Recyclon because we age like a fine wine, not like an Apple product. My hobbies include invading planets, dominating inferior species and an insatiable desire to binge-watch the Lovejoy box set. And as part of my overarching mission to control the entire omniverse, I have come to conquer Britain. "It's not that I want to do this - you need me to, if your future is to be saved. Because the one thing everyone can agree on right now, is that Earth is in an absolute state. And of all its messed-up nations, the British are particularly deranged. Fortunately, they let absolutely anyone stand for election. This has opened the door for someone fresh to waltz through and seize control, brandishing the most powerful weapons in the cosmos. That someone is me. And those weapons are democracy, lasers and Ceefax, and the greatest manifesto ever devised. "In this book, I share my story for the first time, my political beliefs and even the occasional recipe, in return for a reasonable - nay, bargain - amount of Earth currency. I also provide an alien's-visor-view of your past, so that you can learn from past mistakes. So settle down, grab a beverage, and let's make your planet Count." |
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Please Sir!John Alderton stars as a progressive teacher in charge of a classful of unruly pupils in the feature film version of one of television's all-time-great sitcoms. Created by comedy giants John Esmonde and Bob Larbey - and co-starring the complete line-up of classic characters from the TV series - Please Sir! is featured here as a brand new high definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Bernard Hedges manages to convince the other staff at Fenn Street Secondary Modern that it's a good idea to take rowdy class 5C on a two-night stay at a country summer camp. It doesn't take long, however, before 5C start wreaking havoc - with both the camp and the snobbish pupils of an upper-class boys' school who are also staying there! |
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Gyles Brandreth - A History Of Britain In Just A MinuteThe story of us - without hesitation, repetition or deviation. Join national treasure and Just A Minute regular Gyles Brandreth on a hilariously addictive romp through British history. This isn't just another history book - there's a catch! From Stonehenge and Boudicca to Megxit and Brexit, each topic is written in 60-second installments, without hesitation, repetition, or deviation. A History Of Britain In Just A Minute celebrates key moments, people and places from our past: kings and queens, heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters, inventions and events, battles and bonnets, art, science, literature, entertainment, sport, gossip, and more. Some entries are uninterrupted minutes, while others feature challenges for repetition and even, er... hesitation. You'll even find other Just A Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history. You've never heard the history of Britain told quite like this. |
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Ed Reardon's Week - Series 5-8Series 5-8 of the curmudgeonly comedy starring Christopher Douglas. Freeloading freelancer Ed Reardon is back, and still trying to survive in a world where the media seems to be run by idiots and lying charlatans. Success continues to eludes him, but at least he can eke out a living teaching creative writing, condensing modern classics and doing a spot of celebrity ghost-writing. These four series find him shouldering his share of grandfatherly responsibilities; taking up residence in Berkhamsted's premier accommodation for the financially distressed; rekindling a romance with an old flame; and curating a moving tribute for Jaz Milvane's 'surprise' 60th birthday bash. Meanwhile, Ed's cat, Elgar, finds fame with an internet blog. Could he become a more successful writer than Ed? (Quite probably...) |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
When You're Not Dressed For Heaven - BCG Pro Video Contest winner
Richard Franks submitted this video to our BCG Pro competition. Summary: When you go out it's a good idea to always look your best!
MAMA
A sitcom pilot is set in a fictional drama school. Filmed in a mockumentary format, it depicts a 'typical' day at a conservatoire and introduces us to key members of staff and new principal, Olive Bady.
Late Night Mash - Great Britain: Wide Open and Ready
The second episode of the Late Night Mash spin-off starring The Delightful Sausage. Discover London today, from the traditional pub experience to a lively bit of urban camping! Remember, eye contact is illegal and money-laundering is optional.
What's Love Got To Do With It? - Trailer
The trailer for the new film coming in early 2023, focusing on the topic of 'how do you find lasting love in today's world?'. Lily James, Shazad Latif and Emma Thompson star.
Comedy Central Live - Rajiv Karia
Emerging stand-up star Rajiv Karia on gentrification, living amongst hipsters and his love of a good conspiracy theory.
Spotlight
Now Look Here...
Starring Ronnie Corbett as a young man quickly approaching middle age but struggling to escape his mother's apron strings, Now Look Here... ran for two series on BBC1 from 1971, predating the more famous and identically premised Sorry! by a decade. It was, itself, a prequel to LWT's No - That's Me Over Here! (1967 - 1970), and was in turn succeeded by 1974's The Prince Of Denmark. An episode was screened over the weekend at a charity event just outside Birmingham and had the audience roaring with laughter; hopefully the planned-but-shelved 2015 DVD release of all 14 episodes may yet come to fruition. To find out more about this series and its related programmes, click through and browse our comprehensive guides.
Thanks for reading
The joke-generator Sean Fee has won the BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition again. This one was on the topic of "Stationery":
I'm in an arranged marriage with a pencil, I still haven't met the bride 2B.
With the new Bank Holiday for Her Majesty's funeral, we'll next be back in your inbox on Tuesday 20th.
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