Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 12th February 2024 |
Latest comedy news
Comedy.co.uk Awards 2023 winners
Ghosts, Queen Of Oz, Taskmaster, Horrible Histories, Would I Lie To You?, Good Omens, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Austen?, Dead Ringers, The Unbelievable Truth and You're Dead To Me are the winners in the public-voted Comedy.co.uk Awards for 2023. Click through to see videos from the winners.
Omid Djalili to tour new show Namaste
Omid Djalili: Namaste will tour between October 2024 and January 2025.
Janey Godley writes Not Dead Yet memoir as The C Bomb returns to Radio 4
Janey Godley is publishing her second memoir this summer, Not Dead Yet, as her Radio 4 show The C Bomb returns next month. The Glaswegian comic is also embarking upon the On Screen & On Stage Tour in support of her documentary film, Janey.
Richard Ayoade pens doppelganger memoir The Unfinished Harauld Hughes
Richard Ayoade has written The Unfinished Harauld Hughes, a seemingly fictionalised account of his attempts to rescue the reputation of a lookalike auteur.
Johnny English 4 to film this summer
Rowan Atkinson will return as bumbling spy Johnny English with a fourth feature film following the character due to shoot this summer.
Karen Gillan is Mary Tudor in Fools from Outnumbered's Guy Jenkin
Karen Gillan is to star as Mary Tudor in Fools, a historic comedy film from Outnumbered co-creator Guy Jenkin, co-starring Patsy Ferran as her court jester, Jane Foole.
Adrian Edmondson films Bottom documentary
Adrian Edmondson has now filmed his contributions to Bottom: Exposed, a new documentary looking at the classic sitcom he created with Rik Mayall.
Black Ops wins at Broadcast Awards 2024
Winners at the Broadcast Awards 2024 included Black Ops, Dreaming Whilst Black, Russell Brand: In Plain Sight and Joe Lycett's Got Your Back.
Chortle Awards 2024 nominees announced
Julia Masli, Ian Smith, Ahir Shah, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Paddy Young and Sam Campbell are amongst the comedians nominated in the 2024 Chortle Awards.
Russell Hicks to head out on first UK tour
Russell Hicks: Happy To Be Here will tour between October 2024 and April 2025.
Scott Agnew lands debut Radio 4 series Dead Man Talking
Scott Agnew is recording his debut Radio 4 series about his brushes with mortality, Dead Man Talking, with the Glaswegian stand-up reflecting upon being HIV positive and suffering a heart attack.
Les Dennis to star in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night
Les Dennis is set to take to Liverpool's Shakespeare North Playhouse stage as Malvolio in Twelfth Night this June.
Romesh & Shanthi's Parental Guidance quiz piloted for ITV
Romesh Ranganathan and his mother Shanthi are reuniting on screen for a primetime ITV comedy quiz pilot, Romesh & Shanthi's Parental Guidance.
FYI
Neighbours star Alan Dale joins Wreck Series 2; Jason Manford to host BBC quiz show The Answer Run; Beano hunts for funniest school as it marks Bash Street Kids' 70th; and Frankie Boyle, Susie McCabe & Chris MacArthur-Boyd launch dark podcast.
Advert
Which films would you take to a desert island? On Sunday 18 February, Bristol's Slapstick Festival welcomes the super-talented Adam Hills, best known for The Last Leg, to talk through his picks. Join him at the historic Bristol Old Vic.
FLASH SALE: Get 2 for 1 tickets for Adam Hills: Desert Island Comedy Flicks, by using the code Slap2024 at the checkout. Info & tickets
Adam will be interviewed by festival favourite Robin Ince, best known for The Infinite Monkey Cage, and it promises to be a great night for comedy lovers of all ages.
Features
Comedy Chronicles: Taking It To The Hilt - Jack Hylton and British Comedy
Jack Hylton must rate as one of, if not the, most extraordinary and influential impresarios in the history of British entertainment.
Frank Skinner, Daniel Kitson, Jessica Fostekew - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary
This week our live comedy columnist sees Frank Skinner's West End run, Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Jessica Fostekew, and legendary uber-comedian Daniel Kitson twice! Plus he deploys the word 'exquisite'.
First Gig, Worst Gig: Mark Nelson
Lime-tossing, stark-bollock Birmingham and a barney in Abu Dhabi: Mark Nelson takes us back.
British Comedy Quiz #292
Hyacinth Bucket, Hello, Cheeky! and a sitcom set feature this time. Also, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?".
Random 8: Grubby Little Mitts
After much moistness at the Leicester Comedy Festival gala, Grubby Little Mitts talk crying blood, a Parisian p*sser and New York hair hijack.
Advert
Interested in comedy writing? With sitcom star and acclaimed stand-up Lee Mack headlining the Big Comedy Conference, you won't want to miss out. Grab your tickets to the all-day BCG Pro event on Saturday 16th March before the end of this weekend to get the early bird rate. Find out more
TV listings
Katherine Ryan: Parental Guidance
Episode 2 of the series following Katherine Ryan. This week she visits the super-busy and infamous Marsh family.
QI
Sandi Toksvig dusts off her tinfoil hat for a look at ufology with Cally Beaton, Nish Kumar, Tom Ward, and Alan Davies.
So Awkward Academy
The fifth spin-off from the popular CBBC sitcom format. Lily is now teaching, but still has a lot to learn.
Rob And Romesh Vs
In the first of a two-part special, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan enter the world of Formula One, hanging out with the Mercedes team at the Monaco GP.
Billy Connolly Does...
The comedian looks back at how our attitudes have changed about drinking over the decades, and the evils of eating food from a bucket.
Horrible Histories
Legendary artists Da Vinci and Michelangelo are the guides for a journey through one of history's most creative, and sometimes weirdest, periods.
Here We Go
It's Valentine's Day, and the Jessops attempt to expose Paul's secret admirer.
Would I Lie To You?
Babatunde Aléshé, Mike Bubbins, Jessica Knappett and Claudia Winkleman are the guests this week tasked with helping their team captains spot the lies.
Fantasy Football League
Tony Adams is one of the celebrity managers joining hosts Elis James and Matt Lucas to talk about the week in football.
The Last Leg
Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker return for their 30th series, with guests Rosie Jones and Richard Ayoade set to join them in this opening episode.
The Graham Norton Show
Olivia Colman talks about her new mystery comedy Wicked Little Letters. Plus: Jodie Foster, Wanda Sykes, Lorraine Kelly, Dune stars Josh Brolin and Austin Butler, and music from Calvin Harris & Rag'n'Bone Man.
Michael McIntyre's Big Show
In the final episode of this seventh series, Tom Allen hands over his phone for Send to All. Plus: Chesney Hawkes is duped; Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas and James Nesbitt help pull off an incredible surprise on a One Show fan; and there's music from, er... former footballer Eric Cantona.
The Jonathan Ross Show
Series 21 of the ITV chat show. In this opener, the host welcomes Jack Whitehall, Lashana Lynch, KSI and Paloma Faith.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
Shop
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The Young Ones - The Complete BBC TV SoundtracksThe complete television soundtracks of all 12 episodes of the legendary BBC sitcom. Ground-breaking, satirical and anarchic, The Young Ones introduced alternative comedy to mainstream TV, and made household names of its writers and performers. It ran for two series on BBC Two between 1982 and 1984, winning a host of devoted fans and a BAFTA for its second series. A world away from the cosy suburban sitcoms that preceded it, the show centred around four degenerate students sharing a squalid North London house: hippy Neil (Nigel Planer), right-on Rick (Rik Mayall), Mike 'TheCoolPerson' (Chris Ryan) and punk psycho Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson). Alexei Sayle co-starred as the various members of the dodgy Balowski family, and the plethora of guest stars included Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and series co-writer Ben Elton. Musical interludes were provided by top bands such as Dexys Midnight Runners, The Damned, Madness, Motörhead and Nine Below Zero. |
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The Comedy ManThe Comedy Man is a 1964 British kitchen sink comedy drama directed by Alvin Rakoff, featuring a performance from Kenneth More critics hailed as his finest work. With a superior supporting cast in Cecil Parker, Dennis Price and Billie Whitelaw, The Comedy Man depicts the life of a struggling actor in Swinging London. Fired from his job in repertory theatre after seducing the producer's wife, Chick Byrd (More) moves to London. At 40 years old, he realises this is his last chance to make it as an actor. Not long after moving into digs with Julian, a fellow actor, Julian's career soars after a successful screen test, but Chick's meets with continued failure. After a tumultuous event, Chick finally gets a break and finds the fame he has always craved, but even with a bank balance, celebrity and settled way of life, he must finally face the truth. |
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Rosie Jones - The Amazing Edie Eckhart: The Friend Mission (World Book Day 2024)From TV comedian Rosie Jones comes a sparky and hilarious story for World Book Day, perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Dork Diaries. It's the start of Year Eight and there's a new girl in Edie's class from America! Edie can't wait to get to know Mia and her twin brother, Benjamin. This is Thrilling with a capital T! Especially as Mrs Adler sits Mia next to Edie in class. Mia has a hearing impairment and wears hearing aids. She seems shy and Edie knows how scary it can feel to join a new school. Maybe Edie can be the jam to Mia's jelly? It's time for... THE FRIEND MISSION! |
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Joel Morris - Be Funny Or Die: How Comedy Works And Why It MattersComedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse. Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life's most difficult questions, such as, 'What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?'* It's a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don't understand how it works. So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy. Packed with gags and examples of comedy at its best - plus some invaluable tips on how to master that b'dum tish timing - Be Funny Or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive. *Cliff. |
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The Navy Lark - Series 14 And 15The final two series (24 episodes) of the fondly remembered comedy - plus the Silver Jubilee Special and the 2008 reunion show. Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray star in these hilarious shows as HMS Troutbridge joins a flotilla travelling round the world on a Navy goodwill mission - but en route, the crew are ensnared in the revolutionary plans of El Godmother and the Raffia, and come up against The Master and his female associate The Mistress. They also have an explosive encounter with a talpinium shell, attempt to get to grips with NANA, and form their own lobby group, An Officer and a Gentleman's Liberation Movement... Also included is 1977's The Jubilee Navy Lark and documentary The Reunion, in which presenter Sue MacGregor interviews some of the stars of the seafaring show, including June Whitfield, Leslie Phillips, George Evans, Heather Chasen and Tenniel Evans. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
QI - Alan invents a new bag of crisps
Taken during a break between filming during QI Series U, Alan gets his specially-made bag of crisps.
Lost in Translation
Pierce is a bit confused about exactly what subject he's studying...
Dead Hot - Trailer
Comedy-thriller series Dead Hot - coming to Amazon on 1st March - sees Elliot and Jess going on a journey through grieving and discovering their true identities.
I really wish I was James Cleverly
Michael Spicer really wants to be the politician James Cleverly.
When you hire someone using LinkedIn
LinkedIn. It's such a powerful tool in professional communities. And if you use it to hire people for YOUR business, you can be sure that you're getting the right calibre of applicant.
Comedy Central Live - Rachel Fairburn
She may have a magic body part but Rachel Fairburn still has to cope with budget hotels, train cancellations, and Ed Sheeran...
The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin - Trailer
Noel Fielding is Dick Turpin, the most dangerous highway robber of the 18th Century. Sort of. This series launches on Apple TV+ on 1st March.
Spotlight
Cool It, Carol!
In this X-rated feature from 1970 (based on a true story), Robin Askwith and Janet Lynn star as friends from a small Shropshire town who head to the capital in hope of, if not necessarily fame and fortune, then at least a more interesting, comfortable, colourful life. However, the pair have barely arrived in London before they begin getting sucked into its seedy, exploitative underworld. A humorous but cautionary tale that's dotted with comic actors, it's available now on DVD and Blu-ray, shining a fascinating alternative light on the dying days of the Swinging Sixties.
Thanks for reading
Tony Coe has won the latest BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition on the topic of vegetables:
I asked my girlfriend if she liked mange tout. She said 'I don't know, I haven't even seen the first one'.
We hope you enjoy Pancake Day tomorrow. Meanwhile, if you really love what we do, on Wednesday why not enter a new relationship by becoming a BCG Supporter? We will very much love you back!
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
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