Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 7th August 2023 |
Latest comedy news
Dane Baptiste releases free show Chocolate Chip
Dane Baptiste has released his hit stand-up show The Chocolate Chip on YouTube for free.
Ania Magliano to tour sell-out Fringe show
Stand-up Ania Magliano is taking her Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show I Can't Believe You've Done This on tour early next year.
Eddie Kadi joins Strictly 2023
Comic Eddie Kadi has signed up to compete in Strictly Come Dancing this year.
Armando Iannucci writes play about Tories during covid
Armando Iannucci has written Pandemonium, a play about the action of politicians during the coronavirus crisis.
Eddie Izzard bids to become Labour MP for Brighton
Eddie Izzard is putting herself forward to become Labour's candidate in Brighton Pavilion at the next election.
Katherine Ryan to explore extreme parenting techniques in TV series
Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance, a series coming to TV channel W in 2024, will see the comedian investigating extreme parenting techniques.
Hugh Bonneville to play villain in Noel Fielding's Dick Turpin comedy
Hugh Bonneville plays the villain in The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin, Noel Fielding's new series for Apple TV+. He leads an all-star comedy cast that also includes Asim Chaudhry, Tamsin Greig, Mark Heap, Ellie White, Joe Wilkinson and Marc Wootton.
Drunk Women Solving Crime television adaptation in the works
Hannah George, Taylor Glenn and Catie Wilkins are developing a television adaptation of their hit podcast Drunk Women Solving Crime with True North Productions.
Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023 judging panel revealed
The Edinburgh Comedy Awards has revealed the 10 panellists who will decide the winners of this year's prizes.
Laura Smyth to embark on debut tour in 2024
Laura Smyth: Living My Best Life will tour between April and June 2024.
FYI
Kuan-Wen Huang travels to Edinburgh with his teddy; NextUp's Biggest Award In Comedy gets bigger; and Gold to celebrate 25 years of The Royle Family
Advert
Begin your journey through the annals of Carry On, Britain's longest-running comedy film series with these 4-disc Blu-ray sets, featuring the first 8 films of the uproarious franchise - in high definition for the first time worldwide. Each of the classic titles also features an enlightening audio commentary with members of the original cast, plus photo galleries and trailers. Collection 2 is newly available and as stunning as the first. Info & order
Features
Edinburgh Festival listings and features
Our round-up of interviews, press reviews, articles and all the latest show data is continually updated seven days a week and ready for reading.
Podcasts
Inept reviewers Hayley & Ruth are back for a fifth series of their podcast; the Worst Writer podcast reaches episode 200 today; and Richard Herring is publishing three podcasts a week over the festival period.
Adjani Salmon on Dreaming Whilst Black
We took a few minutes out with creator and star Adjani Salmon to chat about Dreaming Whilst Black and its origins as a self-produced web series.
Edinburgh Fringe Quiz
With the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 starting up, we have some questions related to comedy at the festival. Don't worry if you've never been, you can have a good guess at many of them...
British Comedy Guide at 20
British Comedy Guide is 20! Hooray!
Random 8: Toby Williams
His infamous doctor was struck off, but why did Toby Williams face a man in a rubber mask?
TV listings
Dreaming Whilst Black
The final double bill. Kwabena is struggling to impress the jurors in his development scheme; is he willing to do what it takes to get the funding? Will he make the right choices?
Baddiel & Skinner Unplanned Live From London's West End
Twenty years after it was recorded, the duo's hit live performance gets its television debut tonight.
Janey + Ashley Get A Real Job
Janey Godley and Ashley Storrie work at an airport, trying their hands at customer service, the check-in desk, baggage handling and the fire service. However, there's a lot to remember and absolutely no room for error, not to mention the challenge of fighting a fire on a fuselage. Can Ashley and Janey impress their boss and keep to the schedule, and which one will win the best employee trophy?
Rob And Romesh Vs
Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan are invited to join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the final night of a year-long residency at the Royal Festival Hall. The comedians learn various roles in the orchestra - from conducting to opera - before they face their final challenge at the sold-out venue.
Shopping With Keith Lemon
Keith does the big weekly shop in ASDA with This Morning's Josie Gibson and goes in search of the perfect hot tub with BBC Radio 1's Melvin Odoom.
Edinburgh Unlocked
Mark Nelson presents a selection of the best of the Festival Fringe, beginning by meeting Frank Skinner, who shares his memories of his formative years as a stand-up and why he keeps coming back to Edinburgh to perform. Blind comedian Jamie MacDonald is back to give his unique perspective on the brightest, loudest and most flamboyant shows he can find.
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Jimmy Carr, Rachel Riley and Susie Dent return for another few weeks from this Friday. Sarah Millican and Phil Wang take on Tom Allen and Roisin Conaty, whilst Sam Campbell takes the spare seat in Dictionary Corner.
Then You Run
Alone, pregnant, and seriously unimpressed, Stink must use her wits to survive Reagan's top hit-man Turi, and son Darian, who have orders to kill and a lot to make up for. Executing one lone young woman should be straightforward, right...?
The Power Of Parker
Moneylenders move in on Martin's family, leaving him with no choice but to fight back. Meanwhile, Diane and Kath decide to pursue Martin in the hope that they can work out what he's up to.
The Last Leg
Joining Adam, Josh and Alex this week are Rylan and Rose Matafeo.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
Shop
 |
Dickie Henderson On Radio And TelevisionOnce as big a star as Michael McIntyre is today, and similar to Lee Mack in having his own long-running TV sitcom, this new book celebrates the life and work of Dickie Henderson. Now usually cruelly overlooked, Henderson was a huge comedy name during the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and this set intends to spotlight his talent, popularity and influence. Combining a fascinating biography and career appraisal from noted historian and biographer Graham McCann alongside a full TV- and radio-ography, it also comes with a packed DVD: two episodes of his ratings-winning ITV sitcom - penned by Jimmy Grafton and Jeremy Lloyd - and an unbroadcast early 80s sketch/chat show pilot, I Wish I'd Said That, written by Barry Cryer and co-starring Kenneth Williams. If that weren't enough, an extra feature includes almost one thousand stills from missing and super-rare 1950s entertainment shows in which Dickie appeared. A must-own for fans of old comedy/entertainment everywhere. |
|
Rattle Of A Simple ManRattle Of A Simple Man (1964) follows Percy Winthram (Harry H. Corbett), a shy, naïve 39-year-old who is in London with his friends for the Cup Final. When he meets beautiful hostess Cyrenne (Diane Cilento) in a Soho strip club and accepts a bet, a night of lust seems to be on the cards, but back at her apartment Percy's innocence and vulnerability become all too evident. A bittersweet study of two characters from very different walks of life, the film is imbued with endearing and heart-warming humour and some stark home truths. Newly remastered and restored in high definition, this Blu-ray world premiere comes in tribute to pioneering female director Muriel Box. |
 |
The News Quiz 2009 - The Complete Series 67, 68 & 69Three series of the satirical radio panel show chaired by Sandi Toksvig. In these 25 episodes she's joined by regulars including Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Mark Steel, Francis Wheen, Sue Perkins and Carrie Quinlan, as well as relative newcomers such as Chris Addison, Phill Jupitus, Rory Bremner, Robin Ince and David Mitchell. Each episode brings a fresh crop of news for the team to get their teeth into, and among the topics under discussion are Barack Obama's first 100 days, MPs' expenses, Twitter's shakedown of super-injunctions, North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the Iraq inquiry and the perils of drunken trampolining. |
|
There She Goes - 2023 SpecialThis concluding special of the hard-hitting and funny BBC comedy drama sees the family struggling to deal with now 13-year-old Rosie's increasingly wild behaviour as she tries to comprehend puberty, while they continue to search to unlock the secrets of her chromosomal condition. David Tennant, Jessica Hynes and Miley Locke star. |
|
The Young PostmenIn Swansden, it seems like the men and women of the Post Office must make their own fun. From following mystic runes on a fantasy journey and competing in a little light professional competitive cycling, to fighting the Tuareg in a fort in Africa after joining the French Foreign Legion and engaging the Jupiter aliens in an amateur musical, via climbing Mount Everest and attempting to record a Christmas Number One - Brian, Derek and Sue will just have to make sure all the boring stuff like sorting and handing out the post is actually done at some point... A "delightful bite" of comedy with a star-studded comic cast in their early days, including Ben Miller, John Thomson, Felicity Montagu, Alistair McGowan, Jim Barclay and even Vinnie Jones. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Shy man thinks he's bonkers
An interview with Britain's self-proclaimed "Most Bonkers Man".
Henpocalypse! - Trailer
This series is centred around a bridezilla whose hen-do is interrupted by the apocalypse. A new BBC comedy, it begins next week.
Don't Overthink It - Complaining
Tom knows better than to complain in a restaurant. But Kate has other ideas.
LinkedIn users suffering from "Arsehole Fatigue"
As LinkedIn breaks all records for the number of Business Coaches in one place, users have been warned against stretching business metaphors.
The Panic Sisters - We Used To Be
A recording of the sisters singing live in 1979.
East Mode With Nigel Ng - Coming Out to Your (Asian) Mum
Waymond wants to come out as gay to his mum, but there's a language barrier between them. How is he going to communicate his sexuality to her, without using words?
Prolonged Encounter
Brief Encounter eat your heart out. Quirks & Foibles present the greatest love story ever told... (almost).
Comedy Central Live - Kuan-wen Huang
Kuan-wen Huang warns Comedy Central Live about how cracking jokes in job interviews isn't a good career move...
Spotlight
The Gaffer
Running for three series in the early 80s, telly favourite and comedy actor Bill Maynard starred in the titular role in this Yorkshire Television sitcom set at a small engineering firm. It followed the boss's attempts to keep his small but strike-happy workforce in order, survive the financial hardship of the era, and make a profit if remotely possible.
Thanks for reading
Alex Buchanan has won the latest BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition on the topic of "socks":
I'm reading a story about a pigtailed Swedish girl who never caught covid. PPE Longstocking.
That's all for today, but as the Fringe continues in Edinburgh we'll continue to bring lots of coverage from the live comedy world. Do keep checking our website and social accounts (below) every day for all the latest.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
