Weekly Newsletter

Monday 25th November 2024

Latest comedy news

Clinton Baptiste reveals 2026 tour

Clinton Baptiste reveals 2026 tour

Comedy medium Clinton Baptiste - AKA Alex Lowe - will tour Spectral Intercourse in 2026.

Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Richie & Joe Pasquale tour together

Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Richie & Joe Pasquale tour together

Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley, Shane Richie and Joe Pasquale are to tour together in April and May 2025 as The Prat Pack.

What Just Happened? gets New Year TV special

What Just Happened? gets New Year TV special

BBC One Wales has commissioned an end-of-year TV special of popular radio panel show What Just Happened?.

Alex Horne wants to host a US Taskmaster with Greg Davies

Alex Horne wants to host a US Taskmaster with Greg Davies

Alex Horne hopes to host a new American version of Taskmaster with Greg Davies, saying that "with a bit of luck we're going to try again" after a previous attempt flopped.

Radio 4 to air Loose Chippings, Victoria Wood's unheard audio diaries

Radio 4 to air Loose Chippings, Victoria Wood's unheard audio diaries

Radio 4 is to air Victoria Wood's previously unheard audio diaries, songs and stand-up this Christmas in Victoria Wood - Loose Chippings, consisting of entirely unbroadcast material.

Frankie Monroe's Pub Quiz to air on Radio 4

Frankie Monroe's Pub Quiz to air on Radio 4

BBC New Comedy Award winner Joe Kent-Walters is recording Radio 4 special Frankie Monroe's Pub Quiz.

Jazz Emu announces visual concept album Ego Death

Jazz Emu announces visual concept album Ego Death

Comedy musician Jazz Emu is releasing a "hubristic" visual concept album, a "self-indulgent" 30-minute music film featuring a host of comic talent, including Harry Enfield, Alex Horne, Al Roberts, Charly Clive, Ellen Robertson, Phil Dunning, Ed Jones and Will Hislop.

James Acaster's Heckler's Welcome comes to Sky Comedy

James Acaster's Heckler's Welcome comes to Sky Comedy

James Acaster's Hecklers Welcome special will air on Sky Comedy on 10th December, the channel has announced.

Ahir Shah's Seven Blunders Of The World comes to Radio 4

Ahir Shah's Seven Blunders Of The World comes to Radio 4

Ahir Shah is returning to his Gujarati roots for his debut Radio 4 comedy series, Ahir Shah's Seven Blunders Of The World, exploring the seven "social sins" that Mahatma Gandhi believed were responsible for the world's ills.

Improv show '...Earnest?' announces UK tour

Improv show '...Earnest?' announces UK tour

...Earnest?, the show in which audience members are asked to step into the spotlight to replace an ever-thinning cast, is to tour the UK in 2025.

Kerry Godliman to tour Bandwidth

Kerry Godliman to tour Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the latest live tour from comedian Kerry Godliman, "the next stand-up instalment of the longest running sitcom in her head".

Stuart Mitchell announces debut tour

Stuart Mitchell announces debut tour

Comedian and TikTok star Stuart Mitchell has announced initial dates for his debut UK tour, Tips Not Included.

Fast Show 2025 live tour confirmed

Fast Show 2025 live tour confirmed

After a successful run earlier this year, An Evening With The Fast Show returns to the road and the stage in 2025 for a UK tour.

Gavin and Stacey finale plot revealed

FYI

Jason Manford adds 89 more dates to his tour; Armando Iannucci readies social media satire; Have I Got News For You USA to return for Series 2; Gavin & Stacey finale plot revealed; Royal Variety Performance 2024 comedy line-up; Taskmaster's Live Experience extended; Jason Manford to host Have I Got Sport For You; The Vicar Of Dibley's top 10 memorable moments; Richard E. Grant and Tom Davis join Sacha Baron Cohen's Ladies First; and Comedy stars voice Sky's The Night Before Christmas In Wonderland.

Advert

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With the shopping event falling at the end of this week, many sales are already running and leading book retailer Waterstones is no different, with up to 50% off a wide range of titles. Browse

Features

Comedy Rewind: Spaced - Humble flat-share to cult smash

Comedy Rewind: Spaced - Humble flat-share to cult smash

Parody, pastiche and the cult: Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Edgar Wright in Spaced.

Meet the Smoggie Queens

Meet the Smoggie Queens

Phil Dunning, Mark Benton, Elijah Young, Alexandra Mardell and Patsy Lowe talk about starring in BBC comedy Smoggie Queens.

Red Richardson / Kathleen Hughes / Andrew Maxwell - Bobby Carroll's Live Comedy Diary

Bobby Carroll's Live Comedy Diary

Bobby goes drink driving in Red Richardson's Bugatti and then literally busts his gut at Gilded Balloon's Big Fab Comedy show featuring Kathleen Hughes and Andrew Maxwell.

Adam Riches on joining with John Kearns to take on Michael Ball and Alfie Boe

Adam Riches on joining with John Kearns to take on Michael Ball and Alfie Boe

Two award-winning comedy mavericks take on two mighty music behemoths, for two weeks before Christmas. Let ballads commence!

Who does Vittorio Angelone think he is?

Who does Vittorio Angelone think he is?

Vittorio Angelone discusses how he first got into the world of comedy, what it has been like to develop his latest stand-up show and his views on social media and the role it plays in the industry.

British Comedy Quiz #333

British Comedy Quiz #333

Did you know that a comedy star's voice appears in the Strictly Come Dancing theme tune? That's amongst this week's questions. Calendar Girls also features.

The Taskmaster Day

The Taskmaster Day

An extract from An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmaster Compendium, which explains what a filming day at the Taskmaster house is like.

Random 8: Chris Cantrill

Random 8: Chris Cantrill

Back for another run at London's Soho Theatre, Chris Cantrill explains why squirrels will never pass his lips again.

TV listings

Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains

Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains

Monday 9pm, Comedy Central. Series 6, Episode 5

David O'Doherty shows off his breakdancing skills, Sukh Kaur Ojla reveals an unhealthy obsession with Ally McCoist and Judy Murray gets down and dirty with some Bay City Rollers fan fiction.

QI

QI

Tuesday 9pm, BBC Two. Series 22, Episode 6

Sandi Toksvig presents a volatile episode of QI with Aisling Bea, Mark Watson, Michelle Wolf and Alan Davies.

Cheaters

Cheaters

Tuesday 9:45pm & 10:40pm, BBC One. Series 2, Episode 4 & 5

Zack pays Fola a visit, but things don't go according to plan. Meanwhile, Josh is regretting his hasty decision.

Bad Sisters

Bad Sisters

Wednesday, Apple TV+. Series 2, Episode 4

Convinced that a blackmailer is to blame for their tragedy, the sisters look for evidence. Becka is shaken by life-changing news.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Wednesday 9pm, Sky Max. Series 32, Episode 7

Pixie Lott, Charlie Simpson and John Kearns join regulars Noel Fielding, Jamali Maddix and guest captain Sophie Willan.

Only Child

Only Child

Thursday 10pm, BBC Scotland. Episode 2

Richard decides the time has come to clear Ken's house of all his junk - or as Ken calls it, 'his memories'.

Smoggie Queens

Smoggie Queens

Thursday 10:10pm & 10:40pm, BBC Three. Episode 1 & 2

This comedy about a gang of friends who are fiercely proud of their north-eastern town of Middlesbrough and their small pocket of the LGBTQ+ community launches with a double-bill.

Junior Taskmaster

Junior Taskmaster

Friday 8pm, Channel 4. Episode 4

It's time for heat four and Mike Wozniak is in his element because he gets to build sandcastles.

Have I Got News For You

Have I Got News For You

Friday 9pm, BBC One. Series 68, Episode 8

Victoria Coren Mitchell makes her 20th appearance in the guest host's chair. Stacey Dooley and Andy Hamilton complete the panel.

The Last Leg

The Last Leg

Friday 10pm, Channel 4. Series 31, Episode 6

Lorraine Kelly, Nabil Abdulrashid and Susan Wokoma are set to join the regulars this Friday.

The Graham Norton Show

The Graham Norton Show

Friday 10:40pm, BBC One. Series 32, Episode 9

Cher will be on the show, to talk about her autobiography. Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin and Jalen Ngonda also appear.

Breaking The News

Breaking The News

Friday 11:30pm, BBC Scotland. Episode 8

Des Clarke hosts another episode of Scotland's award-winning satirical news quiz.

Legends Of Comedy With Lenny Henry

Legends Of Comedy With Lenny Henry

Saturday 8:30pm, Channel 4. Episode 3

Sir Lenny welcomes one of the hardest working men in modern comedy, Romesh Ranganathan, to his couch.

Sorry, I Didn't Know

Sorry, I Didn't Know

Sunday 10:50pm, ITV1. Series 5, Episode 3

Adjoa Andoh, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Richard Blackwood and Ignacio Lopez answer questions about black history.

For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.

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Shaun Of The Dead: 20th Anniversary Edition

Shaun Of The Dead: 20th Anniversary Edition

Monday 2nd December 2024. 4K Blu-ray

The first real 4K UHD release of the classic zom-com comes out next week to mark its 20th anniversary, loaded with a range of old and new extra material. A steelbook edition contains additional features for super-fans.

There comes a day in every man's life when he has to get off the couch...and kill some zombies. When flesh-eating zombies are on the hunt for a bite to eat, it's up to slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost) to save their friends and family from becoming the next entrée. Satisfy your bloodthirsty appetite with the movie that masters of horror and film critics alike hailed as a screamingly hilarious zomedy that will have you dying with laughter.

Cuckoo - The Complete Series

Cuckoo - The Complete Series

Out now. DVD

What do you do when your darling daughter marries the biggest idiot you could ever imagine? In this BAFTA-nominated BBC Three comedy, Greg Davies and Helen Baxendale are Ken and Lorna Thompson, uptight parents whose nightmares become reality when their daughter returns from abroad with a new husband in tow - a New Age slacker and self-styled spiritual ninja named Cuckoo.

Co-starring Andy Samberg as Cuckoo; Taylor Lautner as Dale, the Thompsons' well-meaning but socially inept lodger; Tamla Kari (Series 1) and Esther Smith (Series 2 to 5) as their flighty, self-sabotaging daughter Rachel; Tyger Drew Honey as Dylan, their indolent liability of a son; and Kenneth Collard as their insufferable neighbour Steve; Series 5 also introduces Andie MacDowell as Ken's scheming, long-lost sister Ivy.

The Likely Lads Complete Collection: 60th Anniversary Edition

The Likely Lads Complete Collection: 60th Anniversary Edition

Out now. DVD

This exciting, landmark collection brings all episodes of The Likely Lads and its sequel Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? together on DVD for the first time, with a delicious array of extras.

One of the most popular, influential sitcoms of the early 1960s, revived a decade later, the series were the first from Porridge writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. All 38 surviving episodes of the two series are presented together for the first time, a number newly rescanned from the surviving film prints, alongside audio recordings of 10 otherwise-lost episodes from that were wiped by the BBC.

Additional features, exclusive to this set, include two documentaries about the programme; footage from one of the lost episodes; two new audio commentaries from Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais; and a collection of previously unreleased archive content. It's a must-own collection for fans of the series or British comedy of the period more generally.

Wallace & Gromit - The Collection

Wallace & Gromit - The Collection

Out now. 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD

From the Academy Award-winning Nick Park, this is the collection of four cracking half-hour TV specials featuring the charming and eccentric inventor Wallace, and his faithful, four-legged friend, Gromit.

Remastered in 4K UHD for the first time - four times the resolution of normal HD, for crystal-clear, breath-taking picture quality - the classic adventures, broadcast on Channel 4, BBC Two and BBC One between 1989 and 2008, are padded out with a range of tantalising extra features, including making-of documentaries, commentaries and more.

The titles are: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter Of Loaf And Death. Feature film The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit is, sadly, only included on the equivalent North American (Region A) release of this set.

Cowboys - The Complete Series

Cowboys - The Complete Series

Out now. DVD

Should your kitchen need repainting or your bathroom require renovation, you certainly wouldn't want to hire the dubious firm of builders that goes by the name of Joe Jones Limited!

Geyser, Wobbly Ron and Eric work for Joe because no-one else will employ them. And Joe has to employ Geyser, Wobbly Ron and Eric because no-one else will work for him... This joyous sitcom aired 13 episodes on ITV in 1980 & 81, starring Oscar-winning scriptwriter and actor Colin Welland as aptly named plumber Geyser, David Kelly (Robin's Nest) as the terminally confused Wobbly Ron, and Roy Kinnear as the boss entirely unburdened by a conscience.

Written by Surgical Spirit creator Peter Learmouth, look out for James Wardroper, Debbie Linden and sitcom favourite Janine Duvitski.

Generation Z

Generation Z

Out now. Blu-ray and DVD

The seemingly quiet town of Dambury. It's the last place you'd expect an apocalypse... until a chemical leak outside a care home leaves the local OAPs hungry for human flesh. This Channel 4 comedy drama follows a group of teenagers navigating the virus outbreak, along with all the complexities of normal teenage life.

Sue Johnston leads the cast in writer/director Ben Wheatley's apocalyptic tale.

For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.

Comedy videos

Unhinged - Ruining my sister's wedding (gone tragic)

Ruining my sister's wedding

What happened to girls supporting girls?

Unhinged - The Hair Monster

The Hair Monster

This sketch answers the question of what hairdressers do with all the hair.

Bangmouth Village - Episode Three

Bangmouth Village - Episode Three

Jimmy Wisp gets a sticky bonnet in the final episode of the soap opera by Christopher Bliss.

Psychic Simon

Psychic Simon

Simon tells his parents about his new career move, but their lack of belief in him causes a few problems...

Long Steven

Long Steven

Steven the dog: Always alert. Ready for battle.

Make Your Life Good Again

Make Your Life Good Again

This week's hero is Martin - a grouch with a heart of gold. Can the show turn this grumpy bear's frown upside-down?

Bad Tidings - Trailer

Bad Tidings - Trailer

A first look at the Sky comedy special starring Lee Mack and Chris McCausland.

Taskmaster - Series 18 Outtakes - Part 3

Taskmaster - Series 18 Outtakes - Part 3

The final chunk of outtakes for Series 18.

Spotlight

Beryl's Lot

Beryl's Lot

Debuting in 1973 and still fondly remembered, this early feminist TV comedy starred Carmel McSharry (The Liver Birds, In Sickness & In Health) as a housewife who decides to improve her 'lot'. With her 40th birthday on the horizon, she enrolls in evening classes studying philosophy and makes a new group of friends - much to husband Tom's disdain and dismay. A popular hit from Yorkshire Television and based on a true story, 52 episodes were produced but are currently languishing unloved in ITV plc's archive.

Thanks for reading

Crispin Fisher submitted this to the BCG Pro Gag-a-Week competition:

I did a poo that was 12 inches long, it was a foot stool.

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