Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 13th November 2023 |
Latest comedy news
Cariad Lloyd signs deal to write five children's books
Hachette has signed a five-book deal with Cariad Lloyd, to write children's books. The Christmas Wish-tastrophe, out in 2024, will focus on a character called Lydia Marmalade. Meanwhile 2025 picture book Where Did She Go? will tackle the subject of death in a way that's accessible to young readers.
Amanda Craig novel The Three Graces to be developed for TV
Monumental Television, the producers of Ghosts, are working to bring novel The Three Graces to television. Amanda Craig's comic story follows three octogenarians who become involved in a Tuscany crime.
Harry Hill releases silent rom-com film The Last Caveman
Harry Hill has written and stars in The Last Caveman, a silent, slapstick rom-com film about a prehistoric man, co-starring Holly Burn, Nick Helm and Jason Forbes.
Book published to tie in with Radio 4's Nature Table
A Housefly Buzzes In The Key Of F, a new book based on the award-winning radio comedy series Nature Table, has been published.
Brian Cox returns as Bob Servant for two final Radio 4 specials
Succession star Brian Cox is returning to play Dundee burger van owner Bob Servant for two specials in which the character announces his retirement from public life.
Aimee Lou Wood stars in BBC comedy Daddy Issues from Danielle Ward
Aimee Lou Wood and Susan Lynch are reuniting for Daddy Issues, a BBC comedy drama written by Danielle Ward and directed by The Inbetweeners' Damon Beesley.
Sikisa to tour Hear Me Out stand-up show
Sikisa: Hear Me Out will tour the UK between February and May 2024.
Bridget Christie writing a second series of The Change for Channel 4
Bridget Christie has begun writing a second series of her acclaimed Channel 4 comedy drama The Change, though she says the broadcaster has only commissioned scripts for three more episodes and has yet to confirm a full recommission.
Peter Jones wins Beat The Frog World Series 2023 competition
Australian comedian Peter Jones has won the Beat The Frog World Series 2023 new act competition. The runner-up was Daniel McCreanor, with Qasim Akhtar taking the panel prize.
FYI
Ray Bradshaw seeks out lookalike; I Talk Telly Awards 2023 nominations announced; Ivo Graham opens up about the impact of his mum's multiple sclerosis; Avoidance Series 2 begins filming with Aisling Bea and Matthew Lewis; Rosie Jones announces tour filming and major extension; ITVX's G'wed cast announced; Live At The Apollo confirmed for two more series; and Paul Whitehouse & Nicola Coughlan join Dodger Christmas special on BBC.
Features
Glenn Moore introduces his Almanac
As Glenn Moore's Almanac arrives on Radio 4, we caught up with the writer and performer to find out more. It's a funny interview.
Comedy Rewind: Into the world of Filthy Rich & Catflap
Regularly overlooked between sitcom titans The Young Ones and Bottom, we revisit 1987's showbiz-puncturing Elton-Mayall-Edmondson comedy stepping-stone, Filthy Rich & Catflap.
Balls Etc: Dear England's Will Close on becoming Harry Kane
He's taking the West End by storm - as a tragi-comic Harry Kane. Will Close reveals how he filled the boots of the England captain.
John Robins, Soho Theatre India double bill: Urooj Ashfaq, Abishek & Nirmal - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary
Our live comedy columnist reports back as John Robins tackles his alcoholism and anxiety in his new tour show Howl. Plus Soho Theatre India present a double bill: Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer winner Urooj Ashfaq and Instagram stars Abishek Kumar and Nirmal Pillai.
Sue Perkins introduces A Housefly Buzzes In The Key Of F book
Here's the foreword Nature Table host Sue Perkins has written for the book A Housefly Buzzes In The Key Of F, followed by an extract in which we learn more about South American Giant Ants.
Esther Manito, Simon Wozniak, Jamie Hutchinson - Bobby Carroll's Comedy Diary
This month Esther Manito makes Bobby's date night while Simon Wozniak and Jamie Hutchinson really excel at The Stand in Edinburgh.
British Comedy Quiz #279
Topics this time include To The Manor Born, Miranda, Old Mother Riley and Wallace & Gromit.
Interview with Dad's Army: The Animations director Charles Norton
Charles Norton, director of Dad's Army: The Animations, talks us through the process of bringing the series to life.
Random 8: Lady Clementine
Deigning to grace Soho with her presence, Lady Clementine recalls a ghastly hat and a ghostly sewer.
TV listings
Dad's Army: The Animations
In the second episode animated from audio recordings of the brilliant original cast, the platoon arrest a supposed Nazi agent.
Big Zuu's Big Eats
This week, Big Zuu and the boys welcome stand-up Nabil Abdulrashid to the manor.
Live At The Apollo
Ria Lina hosts this week, before introducing stand-up routines by fellow comedians Lucy Beaumont and Josh Pugh.
The Scotts
Series 3 of the family sitcom begins. Henry does his best to throw himself into Laura's new adventures and Vincent gives Jason some dating advice.
A League Of Their Own
Christian Horner and Alex Brooker take on a G-force challenge. Meanwhile the show's regulars find out who leads the best cycle class.
Outsiders
David Mitchell challenges the Outsiders to make dummy David fly as far as possible, before forming their own political parties.
BBC New Comedy Awards
Rosie Jones hosts the final of the competition at the King's Theatre in Glasgow. Judges Josh Pugh, Zoe Lyons and Darren Harriott have the hard task of picking which of the six contestants wins.
Taskmaster
Episode 9. Susan Wokoma has excuses when it comes to road sweeping, Julian Clary makes smart use of a fishing rod, Sue Perkins reimagines Botticelli, Sam Campbell collects some coins and Lucy Beaumont asks Alex Horne to sit on a sled.
Brassic
After discovering that Manolito has been playing them this whole time, the gang set out to frame him by stealing some rare explicit Lowry paintings and planting them in his house.
Hullraisers
Two more episodes of the sitcom. With her landlord set on selling her house, Toni fends off potential buyers with outlandish displays of 'street theatre'.
Breeders
Ally is convinced she needs more friends, so she decides to reunite her antenatal class.
The Last Leg
David Tennant and Thanyia Moore are set to join in the live show this Friday. It's at a later time this week, due to Channel 4 showing football.
Blankety Blank
Oti Mabuse, DJ Target, Yung Filly, Sue Perkins, Eamonn Holmes and Josie Gibson are tasked with filling in the blanks this weekend.
Barrymore: The Rise And Fall Of Mr Saturday Night
A documentary looking at Michael Barrymore's TV career, and how it abruptly ended when an after-party at his mansion resulted in the death of a young man; Stuart Lubbock.
Sorry, I Didn't Know
Series 4 of the panel show. Jimmy Akingbola returns with team captains Chizzy Akudolu and Eddie Kadi. The guests are Kae Kurd, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Oti Mabuse and Jordan Stephens.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
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On The Buses - Film CollectionHold on for a non-stopping service of laughs with all three films spinning off from the LWT sitcom smash-hit, on Blu-ray for the first time worldwide. This triple-disc set includes a limited edition 40-page collectable booklet containing reproductions of the original pressbook for each film. In On The Buses, larky Reg Varney and lecherous Bob Grant lose their overtime pay and excuses for laziness when women drivers are employed to ease a staff shortage at the bus depot. Mutiny On The Buses sees Stan tell his shocked family he's getting married; to earn extra cash he blackmails his bosses into giving him the job of driving the money-making Special Tours Bus. A great idea... if only Inspector Blake hadn't taken Stan on a trial run to Windsor Safari Park! Meanwhile, Pontins-filmed classic Holiday On The Buses finds Stand and Jack beside the seaside to run a holiday resort's transport. But when Blakey coasts in as Camp Security Inspector, the sun of a beach sets in motion a coachload of chaotic misadventures. |
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Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing - Series 6Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse return for the sixth series of their hit BBC Two show. This run of episodes sees the pair visiting the UK's oldest pub, camping overnight on the shores of a carp lake and celebrating their faithful hound Ted's birthday as they travel across the UK and cast their lines in Wales, Shropshire, Wiltshire, the Scottish Borders, Driffield Beck in Yorkshire and Burgh Island off the Devon coast. Also includes the wonderful 2022 Christmas special. |
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The Betty Witherspoon ShowRadio legends Kenneth Williams (Beyond Our Ken, Hancock's Half Hour) and Ted Ray (Ray's A Laugh) join forces for this quickfire mix of characters, songs and sketches, first broadcast on Radio 2 in 1974. Accompanied by Quote... Unquote's Nigel Rees and veteran actress/comedian Miriam Margolyes, they cross their comedy swords and trade playful repartee. In these ten episodes, Ted Ray demonstrates his virtuosity on the violin; documentary feature 'Witherspoon's World' explores topics including medicine, the arts, Europe and the younger generation; and Inspector Spewles of Scotland Yard's Intelligence Unit gets flirty, sweetie, with a public information bulletin that's full of honeyed words. There's also a host of groan-inducing gags and humorous tunes, including 'The Type of Horrible Cockney Song that Killed the Music Hall' and 'Why Don't They Write Songs About Runcorn?' None of the shows were kept by the BBC archive, but thanks to the 'Treasure Hunt' campaign, they were all recovered, and are collected here for you to enjoy once more. Happy days! |
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Ghosts - Series 5The residents of Button House - the living and the dead - are back as the BAFTA-nominated supernatural sitcom returns for its fifth and final series. The unlikely house share between Mike and Alison and their afterlife tenants continues to cause comedy chaos, and there's April fools' high jinks between Alison and the ghosts. Meanwhile, Mike struggles to handle the insurance claim on the gate house fire (yes, lightning really does strike thrice). And can a visit from an antiques dealer be the answer to all Mike and Alison's money woes or is a golf consortium and buddying up with nosey neighbour Barclay really the best option? Also includes both the 2022 and (concluding) 2023 Christmas specials. |
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Mellors And SellersEdward Hardwicke and Robert Lang star in this four-part comedy thriller. With the House of Commons in recess, it's a chance for all hard-working politicians to take a holiday. So when Conservative MP Vincent Mellors and Labour MP Arnold Sellers discover that they're staying at the same golf hotel in Lytham St Annes, they agree to put affairs of state on the back burner. But they're soon handed a political hot potato in the shape of Sir Bertram Oliphant's parliamentary memoirs. Full of red-hot revelations, the manuscript is diplomatic dynamite - and someone will go to any lengths to get their hands on it... Then Sir Bertram is found murdered, buried head-first in a bunker and wearing someone else's shoes. Deciding to investigate, Mellors and Sellers find themselves faced with a slew of suspects, including a suspiciously inquisitive Welsh receptionist, a mysterious Baltic businessman with size eleven feet, and an Italian mafioso named Marinello... |
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The Admirable CrichtonA classic film comedy based on J. M. Barrie's play in which Kenneth More's English butler, shipwrecked with his employers, resourcefully leads them in their attempts to survive. It's out today, for the first time on Blu-ray from a high definition restoration. In the social satire, when an aristocratic family and their butler become marooned on a tropical island, Crichton (More), the butler, has a good deal more practical experience and sense than his employers so he's soon in charge of their survival. Directed by Lewis Gilbert (Alfie, Shirley Valentine), it co-stars Diane Cilento (Tom Jones) and Cecil Parker, with support from the likes of John Le Mesurier, and looks absolutely wonderful in HD. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Taskmaster - Series 16 outtakes - part 2
More outtakes from the current series, including Lucy describing the taste of Alex's toes, and Susan's poem about Greg.
Buggy Books
The hidden truth behind the 'cult' targeting new mums.
The Ballad of James Corden - Matty Hudson
Matty Hutson asks why everyone hates James Corden. "Does he deserve a diss track, or is he just misunderstood?".
Men with large cars - Broken News
Ground-breaking research has finally explored the link between big cars, and something that we can't write in this email for fear of setting off your spam filter.
Spotlight
George And The Dragon
Peggy Mount, who died 22 years ago today, co-stars with Sidney James, John Le Mesurier and Keith Marsh in this hit TV comedy, which marks its own 57th anniversary on Sunday. Made by ATV, it ran for four very successful series from 1966, following Colonel Maynard (Le Mesurier) and his three domestic staff - cook/housekeeper Gabrielle (Mount); butler/handyman/chauffeur George (James); and gardener Ralph (Marsh) - attempting to get along (and occasionally succeeding!). Written by prolific scriptwriters Harry Powell and Vince Driver, it begat a long TV relationship between the pair and James, creating multiple further popular series for the star. All 26 episodes survive and are available to own on DVD.
Thanks for reading
We asked our BCG Pro members to joke about cows. Here is the entry from Mike Grace:
Artificial Insemination? Straight up, No Bull.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
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