Weekly Newsletter |
Tuesday 27th December 2022 |
Hi! We hope you're having a good Christmas. Here's a little newsletter update from us, featuring a list of the TV specials still to come, and the festive features you might not have read yet.
Latest comedy news
BBC Audio Awards 2023 nominees
The shortlist for the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2023 has been revealed. DMs Are Open, Gemma Arrowsmith's Sketched Out, Please Use Other Door, SeanceCast, The Skewer and Thanks A Lot, Milton Jones! are amongst the nominees.
FYI
Plus Buzzcocks producers developing TV-focused panel show On Demand; Tom Ward lands 'charity shop Taskmaster' series for Channel 4; and Troy Hawke releases comedy special free on YouTube.
Features
The Frost Report: Beyond the class sketch
We delve into the seminal satirical sketch show The Frost Report, yet to be issued on DVD, and look beyond the much-celebrated class sketch to discover more about this iconic 1960s comedy series.
Comedy Chronicles: And so this is Christmas... TV's strange reluctance to indulge in seasonal fun
Comedy was once the staple of British television - and particularly so at Christmas. Now it feels a third consideration at best. But how did the present set of events come to pass?
First Gig, Worst Gig: Jacob Hawley
Hitting The Horn and beyond on tour next year, Jacob Hawley looks back at the gigs and gifts of Christmas past.
Christmas Comedy Quiz
It's time for our annual festive test. How much do you know about Christmas comedy?
A Tribute to The Golden Age of British Comedy
And now … the sixth and final instalment of the piece which has paid tribute to the comedy greats. See if you can pick the names out, right up to the last two words!
TV listings
Frankie Boyle's New World Order
Frankie Boyle returns with an end of year special where, with the help guests Sophie Duker, Miles Jupp, Jamali Maddix and Kiri Pritchard-McLean, he dissects the unsettling year that was 2022.
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan
Jason Manford, Danny and Dani Dyer, Marvin Humes, Sophie Willan and Samson Kayo join Mo for festive fun and games.
Jon And Lucy's Party Of The Year
In this one-off seasonal special, Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont are joined by Judi Love, Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Allen to eat, drink and get very merry during a night away from the post-Christmas, pre-New Year lull.
Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything
Two more episodes. Joey, Ruby, Nico and Win are not happy with Rosie having abandoned her attempt at rehab/giving up anything (let alone everything).
Never Mind The Buzzcocks
In this mid-night timeslot, Sky look to be finishing airing the most recent series of their Buzzcocks revival, with an episode postponed from the original broadcast run. Some sources disagree on what episode will air, but the missed edition features comedian and presenter Joel Dommett, ex-Geordie Shore star and now superstar DJ Joel Corry, and rapper Lady Leshurr.
Doc Martin
A documentary to conclude the long-running comedy drama. Caroline Catz takes viewers behind the scenes of Doc Martin to discover the secrets of the ITV show's huge success.
Katherine Ryan: Missus
A stand-up show by the comedian in which she reveals how marriage has given her new perspectives on life, love and what it means.
Prince Andrew: The Musical
Comedy satire centring on the key events, relationships and controversies in the Duke of York's life, including a reimagining of his Newsnight interview.
The John Bishop Show
The comedian takes an irreverent look back at the past 12 months, with the help of guests including veteran actor Ian McKellen - currently co-starring with John in the pantomime Mother Goose - and Lionesses star Beth Mead.
Live At The Moth Club
The final episode. An estate agent tells George that selling up would make him enormously wealthy - it looks like the writing's on the wall, but can the gang do anything about it?
Breaking The News
Des Clarke is joined by Karen Dunbar, Chris Forbes, Susie McCabe and Neil Delamere to take a wry look back at the biggest stories and events of the past 12 months.
Would I Lie To You?
Christopher Eccleston, Sophie Willan, Guz Khan and Gloria Hunniford join David Mitchell and Lee Mack for the game show, trying to hoodwink their opponents with festive fibs or facts about themselves. Whose family hold a festive sweepstake to decide what time they will fall asleep on Christmas Day?
Jason Manford: Recent Nostalgia
A stand-up performance from the comedian's Like Me tour, recorded at Sheffield's City Hall at the end of September 2022.
The Last Leg
Two-hour extravaganza to wave goodbye - and good riddance - to 2022. Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker are joined by Rylan, Sue Perkins, Ellie Simmonds, Tom Davis, Desiree Burch, Baroness Warsi and Mike Wozniak. Sophie Ellis-Bextor provides musical entertainment.
The Graham Norton Show
Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Hugh Laurie, Romesh Ranganathan, footballer Leah Williamson and Cabaret stars Callum Scott Howells and Madeline Brewer are the guests on this big show.
Paul Black's First Footing
In the line-up for Scottish viewers is this new comedy whodunnit from social media star Paul Black. When he wakes up on New Year's Day with no memory of the night before, he has to retrace his whereabouts.
Ooh The Banter
Jack Docherty delves through the BBC's Scottish archives in this hour-long special as he examines the nation's humour. Is it as unique as many Scots think?
Jonathan Ross' New Year Comedy Special
Jonathan Ross brings stand-up sets from Tom Allen, Judi Love, Katherine Ryan, Babatunde Aleshe and Bill Bailey to the screen, as part of ITV's countdown to 2023.
Queen Of The New Year
From turkey teeth, delayed ferries, fast turn around prime ministers, everyday VAR decisions to an unusual masked singer... 2022 has been a rollercoaster of a year. Thankfully Queen Of The New Year is here to poke fun at all the news and gossip of the last year. 2021's edition was one of the season's TV highlights UK-wide, so do tune in and see what this year's edition brings.
Adam Hills: Clown Heart
Released on DVD back in 2017, this is the TV debut of Adam Hills's stand-up show Clown Heart.
Taskmaster
The third New Year's Treat sees Amelia Dimoldenberg, Carol Vorderman, Greg James, Sir Mo Farah and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) competing in a one-off special to win Greg's golden eyebrows.
Romantic Getaway
This brand new comedy drama, starring Katherine Ryan and Romesh Ranganathan as a couple who steal money to fund IVF treatment, launches with a double-bill on New Year's Day.
Mrs. Brown's Boys
The second of this year's new specials. Buster and Dermot are convinced Cathy's boyfriend is a vampire - and there's only one way to deal with vampires...
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
Shop
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Carry On - Collection 1The brilliant first four Carry On films are collected together in this new Blu-ray box set. Fully remastered in HD for superior picture and sound quality, and brimming with original extras from early DVD releases - including commentaries with stars including Leslie Phillips, Dora Bryan and Richard O'Sullivan, plus trailers and image galleries - it is available now. Released by an Australian company, the set is region-free so will play on any Blu-ray device. Buy it direct from down under or via importers on the likes of Amazon and eBay now. If sales are sufficient, another set will follow in 2023. |
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Worzel Gummidge - The Complete Restored EditionJon Pertwee stars as Worzel Gummidge, the loveable scarecrow of Scatterbrook Farm. When children John and Sue move to the countryside, they learn that life is never dull with Worzel around. The restless scarecrow dreams of a life away from his post in Ten Acre Field and often wanders off into mischief. Whether getting his heart broken by the creaking fairground doll Aunt Sally (Una Stubbs) or disobeying his maker, the eccentric old Crowman (Geoffrey Bayldon), Worzel is lucky to have his young friends on hand to help rescue him from trouble. Based on the stories of Barbara Euphan Todd, Worzel Gummidge was produced by Southern Television and ran for four series between 1979 and 1981, enchanting audiences of all ages. For the first time, the entire series has now been fully restored from the original negatives and is packed full of incredible bonus material, both old and new. |
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Doc Martin - Complete Series TenMartin Clunes returns as the eponymous Doc Martin in a tenth and final series of the hit ITV comedy drama. |
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That Mitchell & Webb Sound - The Complete Series 1-5All five series of the award-winning sketch show - plus standalone comedy Daydream Believers. Welcome to the inside-out world of Mitchell and Webb, a strange and surreal place populated by misfits, eccentrics, talking animals and a few stray Radio 4 arts programme presenters. Included here are all five series of their fantastically skewed comedy show, packed with offbeat sketches and peculiar characters. Meet seedy snooker commentators Ted and Peter; poorly matched crime-fighting duo Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit; a cop who doesn't get results but, by God, he does things by the book; and some nervous Nazis who've just noticed their caps have skulls on them... The supporting cast includes Olivia Colman, Mark Benton, Simon Greenall and Mark Evans. |
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Tommy Cooper At ITVWith his uniquely chaotic blend of fluffed magic and lame jokes, Tommy Cooper was a constant and instantly recognisable presence on television for four decades. A firm favourite with the public, his variety shows were always eagerly awaited - Eric Sykes hailed Tommy Cooper as the "funniest man in the world", so it's hardly surprising that it was noted "he only had to walk on stage to cause hysterics"! Cooper appeared in many series and specials on television over four decades and this special set contains all the existing shows he made for the ITV regions. They feature a veritable galaxy of guest stars, including Richard Briers, Arthur Lowe, Warren Mitchell, June Whitfield, Patricia Hayes, Bernard Cribbins, Patrick Cargill, Michael Bentine, Thora Hird, Diana Dors, Eric Sykes, Liz Fraser and Ronnies Barker and Corbett. |
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David J Cohen - Stand Up, Barry GoldmanIf you're reading this on the 27th, you've got until midnight tonight to pick up Dave Cohen's acclaimed first novel in eBook format for just £1.99. It focuses on Barry Goldman, a sensitive boy who is being primed to run the family business but has discovered a talent for making audiences laugh at his silly poems. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Ghosts Christmas Special 2022 cast Q&A
The cast of Ghosts return to the BFI Southbank to talk about their latest Christmas special.
The People Vs - Kerry Katona
The chat show pilot format in which Bobby Mair gets the public to ask the questions. Kerry Katona reveals how she spent lockdown turning her fortunes around on OnlyFans.
Get Off My Phone!
All six episodes of this online format, in which comedians hand their phone over to a family member, are now online to watch.
Everyone Else Burns - Trailer
Everyone Else Burns - coming to Channel 4 soon - is an irreverent new six-part comedy set in a fictional Christian community and centred around a family headed by patriarch David (Simon Bird).
Spotlight
Carry On Christmas
There's much more to the world of Carry On than the iconic film series that is its backbone. This run of four seasonal specials, airing from 1969 to 1973, sees the hugely loved cast members reunite and take on the festive season in their own inimitable, saucily-spoofing comedy style. Think pantomime with a Carry On twist. Just reissued on DVD with a juicy selection of bonus features, the Thames Television programmes are a riot for any classic comedy fan to enjoy.
Thanks for reading
We hope you enjoy the rest of this holiday period. We'll be back in your inbox next Tuesday.
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