Weekly Newsletter |
Tuesday 20th September 2022 |
Latest comedy news
Jonny Sweet's first movie begins filming, starring Olivia Colman
Jonny Sweet has written his first film, Wicked Little Letters, a period crime comedy starring Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley. The former Edinburgh Comedy Award best newcomer winner has also written his debut crime novel.
Reggie Perrin returning to the BBC
Radio 4 is to air a two-part adaptation of David Nobbs's 1975 novel The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, with David Haig in the title role.
Iain Stirling's sitcom Buffering returning to ITV2 for a second series
Iain Stirling's Buffering is returning to ITV2 for six more episodes in 2023.
Frankie Boyle's New World Order back but Monarchy special in doubt
Frankie Boyle's New World Order is returning for a sixth series on BBC Two, as the comic prepares to write a follow-up to his bestselling debut novel. However, the status of his Channel 4 stand-up documentary, Frankie Boyle: Monarchy, is in doubt following the Queen's death.
FYI
Also, you might be interested in: Joanne McNally lands E4 sex travelogue; Lost Voice Guy's Christmas Comedy Club returns to ITV; Taskmaster Series 14 starts 29th September; Inside No. 9 to end on Series 9?; Mark and Elliot Steel's sitcom Unite returning to Radio 4; Sara Pascoe's Guessable? returning for Series 4.
Advert
Join Jessica Fostekew this Autumn as she tours the UK with her show WENCH. A show about sexy things (awkward), private things (oh no) and a woman trying to sit on the face of time to keep it still (hot, right?). Info & tickets
Features
Ghosts Series 4 cast interviews
As Series 4 begins, the writers and cast of Ghosts discuss the hit sitcom, why it's so popular, and what fans can look forward to.
Tiernan Douieb on his top five comics doing kids cartoons
Writing on a top kids cartoon, with a Southbank Centre show upcoming, Tiernan Douieb talks pre-teen comedy fun and five contemporaries doing likewise.
Gemma Arrowsmith interview
As Gemma Arrowsmith's Sketched Out comes to Radio 4, we talk to the creator about topics including her favourite audio moments and working with guest stars like Joanna Lumley.
British Comedy Quiz #220
This time: Patricia Routledge, Blackadder, Still Game, Spike Milligan and more.
Random 8: Harriet Kemsley
Which pop star was Harriet Kemsley obsessed with? Where is Honeysuckle Island? And what happened when she suddenly vanished? All will be revealed.
TV listings
Cunk On Earth
Diane Morgan returns as Philomena Cunk and this time she is heading around the world in her search for mankind's first moments. In this opening episode she explains how the earliest societies were formed.
Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable
Series 3 of the panel show. Mel and Lou Sanders are joined by Rhod Gilbert, Susan Wokoma and Dermot O'Leary.
Trip Hazard
In the last episode in the series, Rosie Jones takes Cold Feet legend Fay Ripley to Pembrokeshire in Wales.
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Greg Davies welcomes singer James Bay and comedian Roisin Conaty to Daisy May Cooper's team, whilst Noel Fielding is joined by series regular Jamali Maddix and Brighton rapper ArrDee.
Doc Martin
Martin is called to an emergency at a local farm, but much to his annoyance the sick farmer, Ron Pickford seems well enough to be managing his lambing sheep.
Brassic
A fun, lads-only camping trip to the local woods turns out to be a nightmare when the gang end up horrendously lost.
A League Of Their Own
Joining the ALOTO boys this week as guest captain of the Blue team is former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra, alongside Richard Ayoade, Angela Scanlon and Jimmy Carr.
Life After Deaf
A documentary following John Bishop and his eldest son, Joe, who has an autoimmune condition causing progressive deafness. They aim to find out more about the deaf community. Then, after the news, John headlines a stand-up gig of British Sign Language comedy.
Late Night Mash
Like a lot of topical shows, this programme ended up taking a week off last week, but it's now back for another episode.
Shopping With Keith Lemon
Keith goes antique shopping in Essex with actor Danny Dyer, and searches for the perfect neon sign with Radio 1's Clara Amfo.
Bloods
Gary finds himself in charge of the depot while Jo attends Hazardous Area Response Training. But his time as leader is to be anything but plain sailing if Kareshma has anything to do with it.
The Russell Howard Hour
After the sad death of The Queen, Russell is back to talk about recent events.
Bad Sisters
John Paul suspects foul play as he pieces together what happened. Thomas and Matt reconnect.
Ghosts
Series 4 of the hit sitcom. Mike and Alison welcome the first guests to their new bijoux bed and breakfast and are determined to get a glowing review, whatever the cost.
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Paul and Bob catch the sleeper train to the Scottish Highlands to fish for ferox trout. Bob can't resist the challenge to look for Nessie in the vast waters of Loch Ness.
Have I Got News For You
Richard Ayoade will guest present this episode, his 9th time doing that job. Roisin Conaty is also on the show, but it is the booking of strike-instigating trade union boss Mick Lynch that could provide the biggest talking points.
Am I Being Unreasonable?
Delayed from last week, it's the new comedy starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli. If you missed it in our last email, here's an interview with the creators and stars.
Mock The Week
The final series. Joining mainstays Dara O'Briain and Hugh Dennis for this opening episode will be Angela Barnes, Rhys James, Alasdair Beckett-King, Ria Lina and Josh Pugh, making his debut after a great Edinburgh Festival.
The Last Leg
Munya Chawawa is to be amongst the guests joining the regulars live on Channel 4 this Friday.
Blankety Blank
Another series launch that ended up getting delayed. Bradley Walsh is joined by Denise Van Outen, Ellie Simmonds, Chris Eubank, Frank Skinner, Vick Hope and Joey Essex.
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Snap: Clean Break Or Clean Slate?All three series of the BBC radio sitcom about a couple who've split up, but can't quite call it quits. When two people have history, how can they ever be history? That's the question facing Molly and Doug, who are separating after 16 years of marriage. He's moving out (albeit a mere three streets away), and she's moving on (just as soon as she can get her wedding ring off) - only somehow, they can't seem to stay away from one another. Breaking up would be so much easier if it wasn't for the woes of their two teenage children, Doug's elderly mum's interference, and the sneaking suspicion that perhaps they shouldn't be divorcing at all... Written by Paul Mendelson (May To December, My Hero), this romantic comedy stars Rebecca Lacey as Molly and Paul Venables as Doug, with a full cast including Rebecca Front, Samantha Spiro and Robin Weaver. |
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The National HealthJack Gold's film about life and death in a shabby London hospital interweaves the story of the real hospital with a fantasy one which exists in the soap-opera world of Nurse Norton's Affair, where everything is fully funded and patients are miraculously cured. A darkly funny satire on the state of the nation from 1973 - and also a deeply prescient comment on TV's ability to turn tragedy into entertainment - The National Health sits somewhere between the bawdy antics of the Carry On films and the angry satire of Lindsay Anderson's Britannia Hospital, but emerges as a starkly prophetic film, more relevant now than ever. |
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Elephant In The RoomThe quiz that finally decides: who's the most Average Jolene, and who's the ultimate Maverick Matilda? Sarah Millican picks through her guests' minds and secret routines - using simple surveys from the Great British Public on childhood habits, daily rituals, and preferred cheeses - to discover which of them fits the pattern of the average person on the street, and which is so far from the norm we really ought to be worried. Featuring Kathy Burke, Tom Allen, Jenny Eclair, Alun Cochrane, Sandi Toksvig, Angela Barnes, Phil Wang, Lucy Beaumont, Sara Pascoe and Kerry Godliman, as well as Mark Watson, Susan Calman, Jo Brand, Sara Cox, Daliso Chaponda, Scarlett Moffatt, Sindhu Vee, Shappi Khorsandi and Josie Long, expect skeletons to come tumbling out of closets as Sarah uncovers her panel's surprising quirks and hilarious anecdotes. |
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Brian And CharlesThe acclaimed comedy film starring David Earl and Chris Hayward. Brian lives alone in a remote village in the countryside. Something of an outcast, he spends his spare time inventing things out of found objects in his garage. Without friends or family to rely on, Brian decides to build a robot for company. 'Charles' is not only Brian's most successful invention, but he appears to have a personality all of his own and quickly becomes Brian's best friend, curing his loneliness and opening Brian's eyes to a new way of living. However, Charles creates more problems than Brian bargained for, and the timid inventor has to face-up to several issues in his life; his eccentric ways, a local bully, and the woman he's always been fond of but never had the nerve to talk to. |
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And Now In ColourOriginally broadcast in 1990 and 1991, here are all 14 episodes of the cult comedy sketch show written and performed by Tim Firth, Tim de Jongh, Michael Rutger and William Vandyck. Join the team as they whisk the audience away on a series of adventures, including a day trip to Margate, Territorial Army manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain, an excursion to Nevada for NASA astronaut training, a Euro link-up in France and a luxury tour of London. Along the way, they entertain us with a plethora of precision comedy sketches, interspersed with songs, jokes and banter. You'll get drawn in to the architects' improvisation game, Whose Pencil Line Is It Anyway?, discover an unusual way of plotting a novel, step inside the mind of a Shakespearean actor, and listen to some rather surprising Books At Bedtime... |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
The Blame Game
When Tom plays the blame game, everybody loses!
Catherine Called Birdy - Featurette
A feature going behind-the-scenes on the new film about a 14 year-old girl living in Mediaeval times.
Fantasy Football League - Trailer
Matt Lucas and Elis James host a reboot of the iconic football-based show, which is set to launch on Sky on 29th September.
The Annoyingest Guy in the Realm
There's always an annoying guy with a squeaky voice.
Comedy Central Live - Josh Pugh
A quick fire set from rising stand-up star Josh Pugh. He discusses disappointment, dealing with taxi drivers and having skills to fall back on.
Spotlight
The Bubble
A topical comedy format that should have lasted much longer than its single series way back in 2010 was The Bubble. Hosted by David Mitchell, each episode saw three comics isolated together in a farm house without internet or other media access, before being brought back to London and challenged to tell between fake-but-believable and real-but-bizarre news stories that had appeared in the news over the previous few days. The BBC had initially been keen to recommission the show but scheduling clashed with pre-existing filming commitments - we can't help but feel it would be particularly difficult to tell fact from fiction in 2022.
Thanks for reading
Peter Halpin submitted this joke to the BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition about qualifications:
I failed my maths GCSE because I ate the exam paper. But it was ok because I passed it the next day.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
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