Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 20th February 2023 |
Latest comedy news
National Comedy Awards results
Joe Lycett, Katherine Ryan, Ricky Gervais, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Lee Mack and Diane Morgan were amongst the winners in the second annual National Comedy Awards.
Micky Flanagan announces new tour dates
Micky Flanagan has announced a major new arena tour for 2023, If Ever We Needed It....
Still Open All Hours Series 7 cancelled by BBC One
A seventh series of Still Open All Hours has been cancelled, after coronavirus delayed its production.
STV to stream cleaner sitcom Dirty Water
Scottish channel STV is launching a new sitcom about Glasgow cleaners on its streaming service. Dirty Water stars Burnistoun's Kirsty Strain, stand-up comic Billy Kirkwood and High Times' Stephen McCole.
Bleak Expectations stage play gets West End run
Dickensian pastiche Bleak Expectations, a Radio 4 hit from 2007, is to take to the West End stage this summer with a run of headline guest stars.
Brennan Reece pilots BBC Three comedy Step 9 about alcoholism recovery
Brennan Reece and actor Dawn Sievewright are piloting Step 9, an anarchic BBC Three comedy drama about "real, flawed people" in alcoholism recovery in Glasgow, with the pair writing and co-starring.
Blackadder revival for Comic Relief
Richard Curtis has announced a mini-revival of Blackadder for this year's Comic Relief fundraising telethon.
Ignacio Lopez to tour Nine IG Fails
Spanish-Welsh comedian Ignacio Lopez is to tour the UK with Nine IG Fails.
Here We Go returning for two more series on BBC One
Here We Go, the BBC One family sitcom created by Tom Basden, who stars alongside Katherine Parkinson, Jim Howick and Alison Steadman, is returning for two more series.
FYI
Plus: Ashley Blaker to publish parenting memoir Normal Schmormal; Alan Carr to present BBC game show Picture Slam; Sean Lock's radio collection to be released; Channel 4 developing deep fake spoof Keeping Up With The Kremlin; and Frank Skinner goes in search of Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.
Advert
Jessica Fostekew will host the final of the BCG Pro Talent Awards for Performance on Thursday 23rd March at London's Museum Of Comedy. Come and see the brilliant Kate-Lois Elliott, James Murphy, The Awkward Silence, Silham Shahzad and Ashish Suri competing for the trophy, plus a set from Starter category winner Ella Gonzales! Tickets
Features
First Gig, Worst Gig: John Hastings - again!
He's turned a tough few years into top comedy; now John Hastings tackles the rigours of FGWG2.
Red Dwarf Quiz
As the iconic sci-fi sitcom turns 35, we've a special anniversary quiz to celebrate its legacy.
Catherine Cohen, Sara Barron, Celya AB - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary
This month's live comedy adventuring includes returning Netflix star Catherine Cohen, acerbic American Sara Barron and French newcomer Celya AB.
TV listings
Everyone Else Burns
The final episode. At an annual cross-church party, Aaron waits to be baptised. But his head is turned by one congregation carrying rainbow flags. Fiona and Rachel argue over university.
Buffering
The gang are in the countryside to party with Watson, an old university friend of Iain's who's known for his epic drinking sessions. But when they arrive they realise Watson's given up booze and is talking about marathon training.
The Family Pile
It's the last day in the family home, but the sisters still aren't talking to each other - will they patch things up before leaving the house?
Guessable?
Sara Pascoe, Alan Davies, Darren Harriott, and sidekick John Kearns, welcome Mike Wozniak, Lou Sanders, The Vivienne and Toussaint Douglass to play absurd guessing games.
Funny Woman
As the comedy drama continues, Barbara's life changes overnight. Intoxicated by success, she embarks on a romance with her co-star, Clive.
A League Of Their Own
Jamie Redknapp and Micah Richards are joined by Patrice Evra, Maisie Adam and Mo Gilligan as they take on more sporting and cultural challenges as they continue their Southeast Asia road trip.
QI
A selection of the best moments from the recent series. Sandi Toksvig asks questions connected to the letter T, as Alan Davies and the guest panellists try to come up with interesting, point-worthy answers - all the while avoiding the most obvious ones.
Fantasy Football League
Matt Lucas and Elis James are joined by AJ Tracey and Tom Grennan for another episode of the football-based show.
The Last Leg
Adam, Alex and Josh discuss all the latest news and events with guests Pete Doherty and Aisling Bea.
The Graham Norton Show
Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart, Ariana DeBose and Pedro Pascal are set to promote their latest projects, and Freya Ridings will perform her current single Weekends.
The Jonathan Ross Show
The chat show returns for a 20th series, with Maisie Adam appearing alongside Ant-Man star Evangeline Lilly, actors Danny Dyer and Will Sharpe, and model Leomie Anderson. There's music from band The 1975.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
Shop
|
The Fosters - The Complete SeriesA landmark comedy production for 1970s British television, The Fosters was the first sitcom written for and starring black actors. This hit comedy showcases the early work of Lenny Henry as the budding artist son of an easy-going family man and his feisty wife (played by Norman Beaton and Isabelle Lucas), immigrants now living on a south London housing estate. Produced by Stuart Allen - who by this point had made On The Buses, Love Thy Neighbour, Billy Liar and Romany Jones - and adapted from scripts written for the long-running US comedy series Good Times, this release contains both series and the 1977 New Year special. |
|
The Pete Walker Heritage CollectionYears before he became revered as the 'Gentleman of British Horror', prolific filmmaker Pete Walker started his cinema career making hugely popular sexploitation movies and gangland thrillers. Walker's films didn't shy away from controversial subjects and proved irresistible to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. 'X'-rated productions display the exceptional early talents of Britain's most celebrated and commercially successful director of his generation. Now for the very first time, Walker's finest non-horror movies are brought together for this new box set, starring a host of famous faces: Robin Askwith (Confessions Of A Window Cleaner), Francoise Pascal (Mind Your Language), James Aubrey (A Bouquet Of Barbed Wire), David Kernan (Carry On Abroad) and Luan Peter (Lust For A Vampire). The Pete Walker Heritage Collection collects For Men Only (1967, AKA I Like Birds), School For Sex (1968), The Big Switch (1968), Man Of Violence (1970), Cool It, Carol! (1970) and Home Before Midnight (1978), all presented here in brand new HD restorations, and featuring an arresting array of exclusive extras, including brand new interviews with Walker himself. |
|
Toby Benjamin - Withnail & I: From Cult To ClassicThe definitive, in-depth exploration of the creation and legacy of film classic Withnail & I, featuring interviews, essays, and fascinating never-before-seen archive material. Authorised (and with a foreword) by author and director Bruce Robinson, Withnail & I: From Cult To Classic charts the extraordinary journey of a beloved cult film from being 'just thoughts really' to becoming a permanent feature in any list of the Best British Films ever made. For the first time all of the surviving players have been interviewed for this book about their parts in the making of the movie, and the lasting effect it had on their lives. Robinson offers detailed insights into his creative process and influences, while new interviews with the film's stars Richard E Grant and Paul McGann provide personal insights into the impact that making and living with Withnail & I had. Illustrated throughout with never-before-seen photography and archive material, and featuring contributions from famous fans like Sam Bain, Margaret Cho and Charlie Higson, this is the definitive, must-have book on Withnail & I. |
|
The Absolutely Radio ShowThree series of surreal, fast-paced sketch comedy from the cast of the iconic TV show - plus Sketchorama's Absolutely Special. Described as 'Channel 4's best-kept secret', Absolutely was a cult hit on TV, running for four series between 1989 and 1993. In 2013, the original cast (minus Jack Docherty) reunited for the Sketchorama: Absolutely Special for BBC Radio 4, winning a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category. It was hugely successful, and was followed by three full series of The Absolutely Radio Show. In this radio reboot, Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy, John Sparkes and Gus Beattie revisit some of their much-loved comic creations, and introduce some hilarious newcomers. |
|
Fern Brady - Strong Female Character"This is a book about how being a woman gets in the way of people's expectation of what autism should look like and, equally, how being autistic gets in the way of people's expectations of what a woman should look like." Released just on Thursday and already a best-seller, Scottish comedian Fern Brady's Strong Female Character is a game-changing memoir on sexism and neurodiversity. Brady uses her voice as a neuro-divergent, working-class woman from Scotland to bring issues such as sex work, abusive relationships and her time spent in teenage mental health units to the page. It takes a sledgehammer to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope that is mistakenly applied to neuro-diverse women and looks at how her lack of regard for social expectations ultimately meant she surpassed any limitations of what a Scottish working-class woman can do. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
The Sheikh - Football
The latest episode of the series in which Sami Abu Wardeh fools people into thinking he's a wealthy businessman. This time The Sheikh is ready to invest his billions to secure the future of England's football with the help of the beautiful game's finest, including former pro-footballer John Fashanu.
The Man In The Box - The Corners
A new episode from the web series following a man who has spent the last fourteen years working nights in a security hut... and is very much worse for it.
Graham's new invention
Rare footage has been found of Alexander Graham Bell during his first investors' meeting for his invention 'the telephone' - although you'll never guess what it was originally called!
Cancelled YouTubers and podcasts be like
An apology from a recently cancelled podcast host. Chris Devon says this sketch is "dedicated to the memory of cancelled YouTubers, who are probably in a grimy corner of Discord, talking about how cancel culture sucks or something".
Meeting dad
A girlfriend prepares to meet her boyfriend's dad for the first time in this sketch starring Stevie Martin, Bilal Zafar and Richard Herring.
Graphic designers on The Apprentice
Ever wonder what it's like to be a graphic designer on The Apprentice? This hard-hitting documentary speaks to someone who is.
Do audiobooks count as reading?
Think listening to an audiobook is an easy way to devour a good story? Think again! One unlucky listener is desperate to enjoy a new story, but is shocked to discover just how far a bad voiceover will travel...
Rain Dogs - Trailer
The trailer for Daisy May Cooper's next BBC One series. It's the tale of "a makeshift swaggerous family fed on defiance and chaos, and a deep but complicated love".
UK Pun Championships 2023
Highlights from this year's joke competition. Winner Lee Brace said: "I can't quite believe I did it! It's been a lot of fun writing so many puns (over 200 in total!) but getting to perform them in front of a sell-out crowd, at De Montfort Hall, in a full-size wrestling ring was something else! Magical!"
Comedy Central Live - Ola Labib
Ola Labib recounts having to explain something to her devout Muslim mum after they watched The Jeremy Kyle Show...
Spotlight
The Galton & Simpson Playhouse
Leonard Rossiter, Richard Briers, Roy Kinnear, Frances de la Tour. Just a handful of the names you can see in this collection of seven one-off comedy plays penned by the superlative writing team, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Made by Yorkshire Television in 1977, the run includes a number of acclaimed vignettes, notably Car Along The Pass, starring Arthur Lowe, in which a stiff-upper-lipped English gentleman takes it upon himself to keep his fellow passengers calm, upbeat and entertained when their Alpine cable car comes to an unexpected halt. 46 years since it first aired, the wonderful collection is available on DVD.
Thanks for reading
Gavin Webb has won the latest BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition on the topic of "pay":
I've turned off all the lights and heating. I can afford to pay the bills, I just don't like my tenants.
There's not long left to enter our competition to win the complete Detectorists on DVD.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
Join our mailing list