Weekly Newsletter

Monday 23rd June 2025

Latest comedy news

Connor Burns to tour Gallus stand-up show

Connor Burns to tour Gallus stand-up show

Stand-up show Connor Burns: Gallus will tour between September 2025 and March 2026.

W1A's Ian Fletcher to return in World Cup series Twenty Twenty Six

W1A's Ian Fletcher to return in World Cup series Twenty Twenty Six

Hugh Bonneville is to return as Ian Fletcher, the character previously seen in W1A and Twenty Twelve, in six-part BBC One football World Cup themed series Twenty Twenty Six.

Al Murray to tour as The Pub Landlord in 2026

Al Murray to tour as The Pub Landlord in 2026

Al Murray is to tour across 2026 with All You Need Is Guv!, a new Pub Landlord stand-up show.

Aisling Bea to embark on debut tour in 2026

Aisling Bea to embark on debut tour in 2026

Despite being an established stand-up comedian, Aisling Bea has not toured a live show before. However, from February 2026 she will take her show Older Than Jesus on the road.

Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon return with The Trip To The Northern Lights

Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon return with The Trip To The Northern Lights

The Trip, the series starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, is to return for a fifth series. Six-part The Trip To The Northern Lights will air on Sky.

Sara Pascoe and Roisin Conaty to sample worst reviewed places

FYI

Fern Brady to showcase Edinburgh Fringe comedians in Audible series; Sara Pascoe and Roisin Conaty to sample worst reviewed places; Guz Khan to present TV car show; and Memorabilia, including Only Fools props and scripts, to be auctioned.

Advert

Comedy for Cure

Laugh loud. Do good. Comedy For Cure - at London's Bloomsbury Theatre on Wednesday 22nd October - is bringing the funny! Hosted by the fabulous Olivia Lee with comedy powerhouses including Romesh Ranganathan, Tom Davis, Ellie Taylor, Paul Sinha, Angelos Epithemiou, Paul Mayhew-Archer and Laura Smyth - the show is raising laughs (and funds) for Cure Parkinson's. Book now

Features

Comedy Rewind: The Young Ones - From out of the Shadows

Comedy Rewind: The Young Ones - From out of the Shadows

When The Young Ones burst on to screens in 1982 it felt like a palette cleanser against all the "nice" programmes that typified network sensibilities and attitudes. Despite only running for two series, the comedy is still held aloft as one of the most anarchic sitcoms in British history.

First Gig, Worst Gig: Kyrah Gray

First Gig, Worst Gig: Kyrah Gray

Gigging for Refugee Week, Kyrah Gray gives us her best/worst backstory.

British Comedy Quiz #362

British Comedy Quiz #362

When Cold Feet returned in 2016, which previous regular was not part of the cast? That's one of the questions in this week's quiz.

Random 8: James Trickey

Random 8: James Trickey

Counting the days until his Edinburgh debut, James Trickey talks formative rock festivals, boxing injuries and double entry bookkeeping.

TV listings

Transaction

Transaction

Tuesday 10:05pm, ITV2. Episode 1

A new sitcom about transgender supermarket worker Liv (Jordan Gray), who is hired by a supermarket to avert a PR crisis. Liv soon realises she is unsackable, and turns the store into a playground.

Building Betty & Joan's

Building Betty & Joan's

Wednesday 6pm, OUTflix. Episode 6

The final episode of the documentary about setting up a club. The comedians return to the stage... But there's a problem.

Live From Merthyr Tydfil

Live From Merthyr Tydfil

Wednesday 10:40pm, BBC One Wales. Episode 2

Kiri Pritchard-McLean introduces four more Welsh comedians: Priya Hall, Ignacio Lopez, Owen Money and Anna Thomas.

Taskmaster

Taskmaster

Thursday 9pm, Channel 4. Series 19, Episode 9

It's the penultimate episode of the series, and the competitors pull out all the stops in a last, desperate push to win Greg's sought-after golden head.

Pushers

Pushers

Thursday 10pm & 10:30pm, Channel 4. Episodes 3 & 4

Emily and Ewen attempt to balance the complexities of drug dealing with their burgeoning love lives. They plan a double date to coincide with their biggest deal yet.

Not Going Out

Not Going Out

Friday 9pm, BBC One. Series 14, Episode 3

Lee borrows a 30-year-old campervan from his cousin to take Lucy away for the weekend. Felicity Montagu guest stars.

The Power Of Parker

The Power Of Parker

Friday 9:30pm, BBC One. Series 2, Episode 5

Diane is stressing about Alison's 18th, Martin lets Mic down gently, and Kath is left questioning her life choices when Ash turns up.

Death Valley

Death Valley

Sunday 8:45pm, BBC One. Episode 6

John and Janie unravel a mystery involving a murder at a school reunion, a cold case and a shocking discovery from Janie's past. John risks their friendship with unexpected news.

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

Shop

The House Of Unspeakable Secrets

The House Of Unspeakable Secrets

Thursday 10th July 2025. Audio Download

An eight-part comedy thriller starring the great Leslie Phillips, originally heard on BBC Radio 2 way back in 1967.

Hilaire is a famous Mayfair hairdresser - he is also a secret agent. Returning from Hamburg with a secret tape revealing the hide-out of a top wartime Nazi, he finds an attractive blonde half-strangled in his sleeping compartment on the Nord Express train. He soon wonders if there is more to her than meets the eye...

Steve Williams - Teachers Vs Aliens Vs The Kids!

Steve Williams - Teachers Vs Aliens Vs The Kids!

Out now. Paperback and eBook

When a school assembly is interrupted by an alien invasion, bookworm Finley Swinnerton finds himself catapulted into an unlikely quest to save the planet, humanity and even Derek the school guinea pig! Join Finley for an out-of-this-world adventure as he grapples with alien assassins, cowardly headmasters and intergalactic overlords in a tale of slime, grime and PE teachers past their prime. Get ready for the cosmic clash of the century... It's teachers versus aliens... versus the kids!

Ivo Graham - Yardsticks For Failure

Ivo Graham - Yardsticks For Failure

Out now. Audiobook, Hardback and eBook

After coming last by quite such a distance on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare in a series of memes of him with his head in his hands, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy. Yardsticks For Failure is an exquisite map of the brain behind the breakdowns; a deep dive into the various facepalms of Ivo's recent past, and a live diary of his unravelling present, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before.

Longer-term resolutions of rest and relaxation can wait; in the meantime he's trying to host the greatest club night of all time, run a Sub-3 marathon while pushing a wheelchair, and put his heart on the line in a show unlike anything he's ever done before. Can these dreams become a reality, or will they just become more yardsticks for failure? A gleeful glimpse behind the grubby curtain of stand-up comedy, via friendship and films, fatherhood and Funkytown, this book is a feast for anyone who's ever been enthralled or appalled by Ivo's cursed politeness, squandered promise, or serial prank-victimhood.

The League Of Gentlemen - The Complete Collection

The League Of Gentlemen - The Complete Collection

Out now. Blu-ray

Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss play the dozens of bizarre and darkly comic inhabitants of the fictional town of Royston Vasey, located in a remote part of the North of England. Their dark, bizarre, off-puttingly insular cult world has to be seen to be believed.

This complete box set comes to Blu-ray for the first time in HD, featuring the previously released individual titles Series 1, Series 2, Series 3 and The Christmas Specials together with the three Anniversary Specials celebrating the League's twenty-fifth anniversary at the BBC.

Bhaji On The Beach

Bhaji On The Beach

Monday 14th July 2025. Blu-ray

Gurinder Chadha's debut feature Bhaji On The Beach is an empowering and cultured comedy about the bond between women regardless of age and background.

A group of women, led by Simi (Shaheen Khan), leave their lives in Birmingham for a day out in Blackpool. Initially, the women seem not to have much in common due to their age gaps and different beliefs but by the end of the day, they learn of the bond they share and the significance of each other's company. Director Gurinder Chadha and screenwriter Meera Syal infuse a precise and slightly critical eye as well as a welcome warmth into this charming and funny story.

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

Comedy videos

The letter that will end the world - Broken News

The letter that will end the world - Broken News

A mysterious open letter has emerged - signed by world leaders, spiritual icons and public figures.

Every guy with a tragic backstory in a movie

Every guy with a tragic backstory in a movie

He used to be the best. But he's retired now...

Rate everything! Review everything!

Rate everything! Review everything!

"Rate and review everything. Rate and review this video. Rate and review these sentences. For our part, we will rate and review your ratings and reviewings."

Comedy Central Live - Eddie Kadi

Comedy Central Live - Eddie Kadi

Sometimes schooling is best left to the professionals.

Spotlight

The Great Outdoors

The Great Outdoors

A 3-episode BBC Four mini-series from 2010, Death Valley's Gwyneth Keyworth appeared here amidst a very recognisable ensemble cast including Ruth Jones and Mark Heap. It charted the friendships and rivalries between a group of walkers from a countryside rambling club, in particular the arrival of new member Christine and the angst of leader Bob.

Thanks for reading

The Victorian-themed BCG Pro Gag-a-Week generated this from Andy Bucks:

Nobody could believe it when Charles Dickens named his son 'What the'.

British Comedy Guide
www.comedy.co.uk

BCG on social media:
X   Facebook   Instagram