Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 15th April 2024 |
Latest comedy news
Joe Lycett to publish art book
Joe Lycett's Art Hole, a book featuring the comedian's drawings of celebrities and "the salacious stories behind the portraits", will be published this September.
Tom Towelling wins Musical Comedy Awards 2024
Tom Towelling triumphed at the Musical Comedy Awards 2024 live final on Saturday evening. Anna Hale was named runner-up and took the Audience Favourite award. Luke Nixon, performing as Jim Midge, came third.
Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont to divorce
Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont have announced that, after nine years of marriage, they are separating.
Liam Harney and Rachel Barker win Luke Rollason's 2024 bursary
Liam Harney and Rachel Barker have been announced the winners of the 'inappropriately-named' Luke Rollason Memorial Memorial Bursary for 2024, with Rebecca Harrison and Alex Franklin as the runners-up. The award was set up by the physical comedian and actor to support new comedy creatives from alternative backgrounds bringing unusual work to the Brighton Fringe.
OUTflix to air five stand-up specials
LGBTQ+ streaming service OUTflix is to air five stand-up specials this May. The Stand Up Specials London series will involve James Barr, Heleana Blackwell, David Ian, Kat Nip and Vix Leyton.
Holly Ludlow wins West End New Act of the Year 2024
The West End New Act of the Year for 2024 is stand-up comedian Holly Ludlow. The runners-up were Prateek Kohli and Tasmin Sarkany.
FYI
Recovered Sykes and Basil Brush episodes to be screened; Romesh Ranganathan surprises young people on Teenage Cancer Trust unit; and Martin Lewis to guest host Have I Got News For You.
Advert
WeGotTickets are shining a spotlight on the UK's grassroots and independent comedy scene this April 13th to 28th. With almost 200 shows on sale all around the country - featuring top comics such as Richard Herring, Tez Ilyas, Shazia Mirza, Ria Lina, Nick Helm, Esther Manito, Nathan Caton and many more - there's never been a better time to pick up tickets to your local comedy club. Get tickets now.
Features
Win a pair of tickets to see 'Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle'
We have a pair of tickets to give away to see the great comedy show Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle in the West End next week.
Comedy Rewind: Wilt
A look back at Wilt, the 1989 film starring Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones based on Tom Sharpe's classic comic novel of the same name.
Creating a character: Tom Walker on Jonathan Pie
Jonathan Pie: Heroes and Villains will be playing at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End later this month for a 2-week residency. In this interview, Tom Walker discusses how he created the iconic newsman.
Ivo Graham's Rosie-looking marathon and not-all-rosy special
He took a novel approach to the marathon with Rosie Jones, and peppers his new special with random footballers, but does Ivo Graham prefer an arm round the shoulder or a kick up the backside?
British Comedy Quiz #301
Rab C Nesbitt, 3 Non-Blondes, Mrs Merton and Geoffrey Palmer are amongst the topics this time.
TV listings
Meet The Richardsons
They may be divorcing in real life, but the already-filmed new (and final?) series continues. Tonight: Lucy's having a nightmare on The Great British Bake Off.
Dinosaur
Nina and Evie hatch a plan to impress Ranesh's intimidating dad, Sachin. They must win him over before they share the news of Evie and Ranesh's engagement. Episode 3 follows on Sunday.
Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer
Jimmy Carr's latest stand-up special will be available on Netflix from tomorrow.
QI
Sandi Toksvig takes a look at upbringing with Sally Phillips, Josh Pugh, Aaron Simmonds and Alan Davies.
Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable
Emmanuel Sonubi explains the rules of a rude game, Daisy May Cooper tells us why you should never invite her to a wedding and Ardal O'Hanlon reveals how he ended up in a stranger's bath.
Mammoth
A three-part sitcom series, following on from a 2021 pilot. PE teacher Tony Mammoth (Mike Bubbins) is back from the dead with his old job, and he's approaching it the same way as the he did in the 1970s.
Jessica Fostekew: The Silence Of The Nans
The first TV broadcast for one of Jessica Fostekew's previous specials. She tells the story of performing comedy on a cruise ship.
Rob Beckett's Smart TV
Sara Cox, David Tennant, Lydia West and Roisin Conaty are the guests joining the regulars for the final episode in this series.
Taskmaster
Joanne McNally, John Robins, Nick Mohammed, Sophie Willan and Steve Pemberton are forced to wrangle wild animals - with unpleasant consequences.
Bottom: Exposed
A documentary special in which Adrian Edmondson looks back on the cult hit 1990s sitcom he made with Rik Mayall.
Horrible Histories
This broadcast coincides with 15 years of the hit sketch show being on television. It's a special from the Tower of London.
Have I Got News For You
Alexander Armstrong is to guest host Have I Got News For You for a record 41st time on this Friday. Jo Brand and Munya Chawawa are set to be the guests.
Avoidance
Jonathan and Claire get trapped in a dinner party from hell. And Dan and Courtney fail at 'gentle parenting' when tricked into looking after a friend's children.
Late Night Lycett
As this show is broadcast live it's too early to know what'll be on Friday's episode yet, but you can be sure of more from popular character Richard Yewtree.
For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
Shop
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TrappedIn these ten "witty, dark and disturbing" one-off comedy dramas, some of Britain's best comedians come together to perform simultaneously hilarious and unsettling stories that will have you gripped. Sticky situations on ski slopes, placating an unruly ghost, a boy stuck at the bottom of well and an unusual adventure weekend with romantic overtones - are just some of the scenarios from comedy writers Mark Maier and Daniel Maier (a long term collaborator of Charlie Brooker and Harry Hill). Ten episodes. Ten comedy legends. Ten reasons to listen now. |
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A Severed HeadDick Clement (The Likely Lads, Porridge) followed the success of his first feature Otley with this wry adaptation of Iris Murdoch's celebrated 1961 satirical novel, a harbinger of the sexual liberation that was to blossom in the mid-60s. A Severed Head chronicles the amoral escapades of a group of middle-class, middle-aged London couples, portrayed by a wonderful cast that includes Ian Holm, Lee Remick, Claire Bloom and Richard Attenborough. Absurdist and delightfully funny, A Severed Head is a dark satire staged with wit and intelligence, and this Blu-ray release comes packed with special features. |
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Soph Galustian - No Worries If Not: A Funny(ish) Story Of Growing Up Working Class And QueerNo Worries If Not is a "funny, relatable coming-of-age story" that explores Soph Galustian's experiences of poverty, queerness, mental health, grief and community. She recounts her life from childhood, to teens, into adulthood through a mixture of short stories, spoken word, illustrations, and space for the reader to reflect (or draw tits... whatever you prefer). This book is for anyone who was raised struggling, anyone who wrestled with coming out, who accidentally killed their childhood pet, who has lost the person closest to them... Filled with flashbacks to the 2000s/2010s, No Worries If Not is equally for the straights and the gays, the rich and disadvantaged. In this book Soph offers a space to reminisce and laugh at life's misfortunes. |
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Spangles 'n' TightsA "hilarious comedy" about the struggles of a Dublin theatrical costumier. The show must go on! Dessie (David Kelly) and Violet Doyle (Pauline McLynn) are trying to keep their theatrical costumier business afloat amidst drama, scandal and farce so brilliant it should be on stage itself. Attempting to embrace modern working practices, the pair find themselves in uproarious situations with a cast of colourful characters and multiple narrative threads... Pure radio comedy, Spangles 'n' Tights is a fantastically fast-paced farce. This perfectly turned-out series is an utterly charming listen, and will have you ab-sew-lutely in stitches. Irish writer, theatre and TV director, Christopher Fitz-Simon is the author of Ballylenon, the long-running BBC comedy drama. He has written numerous broadcast plays, including a BBC Italia Prize entry (The Dead) and two RTE Italia Prize entries (for Vina and A Snowman In July), and several books, including the memoir Eleven Houses. |
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Poor ThingsEmma Stone stars in the Oscar-winning film, one of the most-talked about British features in years, based on a satirical novel from the turn of the 1990s. In this wild and incredible tale, young suicide victim Bella Baxter is brought back to life by a brilliant but deeply unorthodox scientist. Mind and memory reset, eager to learn and hungry for the worldliness she lacks, it's not long before Bella runs off on an adventure that inspires in her a fantastical evolution - leading to a fierce dedication to equality and liberation. Co-starring Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and Ramy Youssef, this wild, dark, disturbing tale has to be seen to be understood. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Bermondsey Tales: Fall Of The Roman Empire - Trailer
Trailer for this gangster comedy film, which is in select UK cinemas from 17th May and then on Blu-ray, DVD & download from 10th June. London crime boss Mick Roman is deathly ill, and time is running out to find a successor...
I am a contemporary dancer
"It means conveying a message no one can interpret or even relate to".
Jazz Emu - Money
Jazz Emu traces the history of money through the medium of music in his latest big video.
Taskmaster - Series 17 outtakes - Part 1
Some of the best moments from Taskmaster Series 17 "that were too silly for your telly".
Binned Off
It's the morning after the night before. A man tries to piece together if his date was a success or if something has gone horribly wrong...
Comedy Central Live - Kemah Bob
Misogyny is stored in the ankles, according to Kemah Bob.
Spotlight
Very Important Person
The first in an unofficial trio of classic comedy features - with The Fast Lady (1963) and Father Came Too! (1964) - 1961's Very Important Person is a wonderful spoof of the strait-laced war dramas of the period, boasting a fantastic comic cast: James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips, Stanley Baxter, Eric Sykes, Richard Wattis, John Le Mesurier and a host of other very recognisable names and faces. Justice plays a brilliant Professor who is captured by the Germans whilst on an undercover mission. Held in a PoW camp, his fellow detainees are initially wary but soon receive an order direct from Winston Churchill to help him escape as a matter of utmost priority.
Thanks for reading
Kayleigh Jones has won the latest BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition:
Call me petty, but I'm not going to my Grandma's funeral, she's been ghosting me all week.
British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk
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