Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 25th March 2024 |
Latest comedy news
Graeme Garden wins Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC Audio Awards
The winners at the BBC Audio Drama Awards include Graeme Garden, Sarah Keyworth, Where To, Mate?, Trust, Mark Heap and Cracking.
Picture This rom-com coming to Prime Video
Picture This, a romantic comedy film starring Simone Ashley and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, is coming to Amazon's Prime Video platform.
Bill Bailey writes My Animals And Other Animals memoir
Bill Bailey has written a new memoir, about his life with animals, My Animals And Other Animals.
The Mash Report's Tim Telling pens killer squirrel comedy The Scurry
The Mash Report creator Tim Telling has written his first film, The Scurry, a comedy-horror about killer squirrels starring Rhys Ifans, Pixie's Olivia Cooke and I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu, directed by actor-director Craig Roberts.
BAFTA TV Awards 2024 nominations
Big Boys, Dreaming Whilst Black, Extraordinary, Such Brave Girls, The Graham Norton Show, Late Night Lycett, Rob And Romesh Vs and Would I Lie To You? are amongst the nominees for the BAFTA Television Awards 2024.
Leicester Comedy Festival Awards 2024 results
Joe Kent-Walters, Susie McCabe and Jack Skipper were amongst the winners at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards. Jenny Eclair was crowned Legend of Comedy.
FYI
Bradley Walsh to return for two more series of Blankety Blank; Sian Gibson joins Mike Bubbins' sitcom Mammoth as it comes to BBC Two; and Video Nasty comedy drama coming to BBC Three next year.
Advert
Naughties web series out now! Laugh and cringe along with us as we journey back into the noughties, following the embarrassing daily life of teenager, Olivia. Revel in the awkwardness as your mouth waters over the 00s nostalgia. Created by and starring NTA nominee Olivia D'Lima (The Stand Up Sketch Show, The Killing Kind).
Features
Comedy Chronicles: The Duce of Entertainment - Comedy, commercial TV and Val Parnell
Val Parnell was one of Britain's most significant and influential impresarios of the twentieth century. A major manager of the live variety circuit, a powerful promoter of talent and one of the pioneers of commercial television, he helped shape, maintain and move on what passed as popular entertainment in this country for the best part of fifty years.
Comedians to look out for in Series 2 of Extraordinary
Luke Rollason talks through some of the homegrown comedy talent joining the cast for Series 2 of Extraordinary.
How The Death Of Stalin live in concert brings added drama
As Armando Iannucci's masterpiece heads to the Barbican stage, event mastermind Tommy Pearson explains the great Shostakovich mystery, the secrets of scoring comedy, and Jason Isaacs's musical medals.
Ross Noble, BBC 1Xtra's Comedy Gala, Late Night with Terry Wogan - Mark Muldoon's Comedy Diary
Our live comedy columnist reports back on the inaugural BBC 1Xtra Comedy Gala, featuring nine established and upcoming comedians of black heritage. Plus: Ross Noble at the London Palladium, and surreal chaos courtesy of Late Night with Terry Wogan.
British Comedy Quiz #298
This week's questions are all themed around bears in British comedy. There are more of them than you might have thought!
Garth Marenghi / Jessica Fostekew / Josh Pugh - Bobby Carroll's Live Comedy Diary
Bobby has one helluva month seeing a cult favourite spoof it up, an old favourite on rare form and a new favourite step things up a gear.
Random 8: Ed Patrick
Our favourite anesthetic-wielding comedian, Ed Patrick, on overrated oysters, carp ambitions and his cold-water conversion.
TV listings
Asian Network Comedy
This stand-up show is now on iPlayer. Noreen Khan and Lubna Kerr introduce acts including Don Biswas, Joshua Bethania, Faizan Shah, Pravanya Pillay and Sabina.
Out Of Order
Desiree Burch and Dan Tiernan are the guests joining the regulars for the final episode in this current run. There'll be another batch on TV in the autumn.
QI
Sandi Toksvig hosts an 'upsadaisy' episode of QI and is joined by Justin Moorhouse, Emmanuel Sonubi, Holly Walsh and Alan Davies.
Wreck
Series 2 of the comedy thriller. This time the six episodes are set around a wellness festival in Slovenia. Episode 2 is on Wednesday at 10pm, or you can get all six via iPlayer.
Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable
Nish Kumar spills the beans on his workplace behaviour, Ruby Wax tells of her drug smuggling past and Reuben Kaye's NSFW pantomime pranks are revealed.
Quiet Life
A short film starring Luke Rollason. A social media meltdown forces Geoffrey to reassses his life and values.
Mandy
Series 3 of the comedy starring Diane Morgan. Mandy often has her head in the clouds - normally a disadvantage for long-term success. But in her new role, it is absolutely essential.
Rob Beckett's Smart TV
Anna Maxwell-Martin, Cush Jumbo and Romesh Ranganathan join regular Natasia Demetriou and captains Josh Widdicombe and Alison Hammond on the panel show celebrating the small screen.
Taskmaster
Series 17 begins. Joanne McNally, John Robins, Nick Mohammed, Sophie Willan and Steve Pemberton are the formidable five hoping to pass the Taskmaster's muster.
Big Mood
This new comedy starring Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West launches with a double-bill. It delivers a "rebellious portrayal of female friendship when infiltrated by the complexities of a serious mental illness".
The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin
The final episode in the series. Hempstead's new normal proves to be a harsh reality. Can Dick saddle up and save the day?
The Life And Death Of Lily Savage
Paul O'Grady became a much-loved fixture of TV and radio. However, for more than 20 years, he was a razor-tongued drag queen. This documentary focuses on his character and features his closest friends and family, including his daughter and sister talking about the character for the first time.
The Last Leg
Richard Osman and Jordan Gray are the guests lined up for this Friday's show.
Michael McIntyre's Big Show
The host looks back on some of the best moments "from 10 years of his Big Show"... which is a bit of a cheeky synopsis, given Series 1 was actually only in 2016. Still, lots of highlights for them to pick from.
The Jonathan Ross Show
David Walliams is back on the show. Also: Marisa Abela and director Sam Taylor-Johnson talking about Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black; Kirsten Dunst; Yung Filly; and music from Madness.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
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Big Banana Feet - Dual Format EditionBilly Connolly is at the peak of his powers in this newly rediscovered and restored documentary film. Capturing 'The Big Yin' on and off stage during his 1975 tour of Ireland, Big Banana Feet is a captivating record of Connolly on the cusp of international stardom. Director Murray Grigor and cinematographer David Peat present Connolly at his beguiling best, using humour and charm to successfully navigate the political tensions of 1970s Dublin and Belfast. Featuring iconic stand-up material alongside fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses, this previously elusive milestone of British comedy is now newly restored in 2K (from original 16mm materials), reaffirming the genius that has endeared Connolly to generations of fans. |
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Joyce Grenfell Remembered: The Pursuit Of JoyJoyce Grenfell in her own words and through the eyes of Maureen Lipman. Grenfell was one of the last century's greatest entertainers, renowned worldwide for her monologues, songs, and comic writing. Contained here are five sparkling productions of her work, performed by acting legend Maureen Lipman - who is celebrated for portraying Joyce in the 1991 TV film Re-Joyce - alongside a delightful reading by Joyce Grenfell herself of her autobiography. This and hundreds of other digital audio releases from the BBC radio archives - plus books and much more - are available through Audible, currently offering a 3-month membership for just 99p. |
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Tell Me Another - Series 3 & 4Dick Hills and his studio audience welcome an array of the brightest and wittiest stars to share a range of fascinating and hilarious anecdotes from their lives and careers, in this classic late-70s series. Actors, musicians, comedians and other TV stars featured include Clive Dunn, Yootha Joyce, Moira Lister, Sylvia Syms, Tommy Trinder, Max Wall, Kenneth Williams, Colin Crompton, Alfred Marks, Roy Castle, Joan Turner, Terry Scott, Jack Parnell, Leslie Phillips, Billy Dainty, Bernard Manning, Liza Goddard, Mike Reid, Humphrey Lyttelton, Cardew Robinson, Norman Wisdom, Fred Emney, Roy Kinnear, Charlie Drake, Miriam Karlin, Tom O'Connor, Peggy Mount, Acker Bilk, Hughie Green, Charlie Drake, Dickie Henderson, Cliff Michelmore, Leslie Crowther, Roger de Courcey, Sydney Tafler, John Junkin, Marjorie Proops and Percy Edwards. |
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Let There Be Love - The Complete SeriesTimothy Love is a confirmed bachelor and has everything he needs at his fingertips. He is a successful businessman, has money in the bank and a choice of girlfriends when ever he needs company. So why, when he meets Judy, should he be hearing the sound of wedding bells? Judy has three children and a dog, but there is something about her that Timothy believes he can forsake his individuality for. This set contains both series of the early-80s Thames sitcom, starring Paul Eddington and Nanette Newman. |
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Ian Hislop's Oldest JokesAnother wonderful BBC radio treat available from Audible. The British are rather proud of their sense of humour - but where has that pride come from and what makes it unique? With the help of contemporary comedians, scholars and an appetite for enduring humour, Ian Hislop tracks down the earliest examples of enduring British comedy tropes and jokes, and guides us through some of the vital elements that make up that most curious thing: the British sense of humour. Beginning his quest in the Dark Ages, he admires the Bishop's seat and discovers the filth hidden behind the double entendre of the Exeter Book Riddles. He looks for the earliest examples of visual humour, discovers a mythical beast that appears to have no Biblical message beyond its capacity to make the reader laugh, explores satirical cartoons and a collection of comic songs with hilarious consequences. |
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Changing EndsFrom award-winning writers Alan Carr and Simon Carlyle, Changing Ends is a comedy based on Alan's childhood growing up as the son of a fourth division football manager in Northampton, 1980s. This is more than just a trip down memory lane. It's a love letter to a time and a town where things weren't always so inclusive. Told with warmth and wit, it follows Alan's journey through puberty, adolescence and finally self-discovery. Against the backdrop of Thatcher's Britain, Alan experiences sexual awakenings, battles with bullies and navigates the highs and lows of fourth division football. This is a show about school and family, and figuring out who you are when your family are Match of the Day football fanatics - and you're a little bit Miss Marple. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Michael Spicer - US comedy remakes don't work
Michael Spicer talks about why so few remakes of British sitcoms are a success.
Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood With My Father
A preview clip from this forthcoming Netflix series in which Jack Whitehall and his dad look at the topic of fatherhood.
Bad news from the DNA test results
A song from Nikola McMurtrie. "I didn't need a DNA test to tell me I'm not interesting."
Tell me where I'm going wrong
A short film from Kyle Jon Shephard. Mark wants to join in with the game.
Comedy Central Live - Sharon Wanjohi
Sharon Wanjohi on juicy church gossip and LGBT miracle babies.
Spotlight
The Girl On The Boat
Norman Wisdom leads this 1962 comedy: one of only three he starred in away from his most-lauded work, at Pinewood Studios with The Rank Organisation. Here he plays Sam Marlow, who becomes entangled with his cousin Eustace (Richard Briers), ferocious aunt Adeline (Athene Seyler), and a run of young women. Based on the PG Wodehouse novel of the same name, this star-packed comic laugh didn't perform well at the box office upon its release but is well worth a look for fans of the era's comedy. A DVD release includes an audio commentary with Wisdom.
Thanks for reading
The BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition on the topic of movies was won by Chris Collyer:
I always struggle when asked to name my favourite film, but I'm going to go with "Cling".
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