Current radio comedy Page 131

I like Serious About Comedy!

Quote: lofthouse @ 6th February 2012, 9:11 PM GMT

Never been into the Marx Brothers but ive been listening to Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel on 4 extra lately

Good stuff!

I'm only 3 years behind Lofty but I have just started listening to this as it's back on Radio 4 Extra. I am thoroughly enjoying it. Great scripts, contemporary feel to the gags and great impersonations of Groucho and Chico (I was a fan to start with though).

OH dear, may I mention 'The Archers' as the best radio comedy, brilliant views on websites, so funny, anyone else interested? ;)

Andrew Lawrence's There Is No Escape is an unfunny, one-note parade of insults. I have no idea why it was commissioned.

Miles Jupp has settled nicely into The News Quiz. Early on, he seemed to take a back seat. Latterly, he's become more of the ringmaster. His frequent collaborator James Kettle contributing to the Chairman's script adds the Jupp stamp.

So agree, he is talented. not on this.

I don't know how talented he really is. His solo stuff isn't dissimilar - one-note outrage. One-trick pony, I think.

Listening to a repeat of Routemasters. Brilliant Hitchhikers like ideas, such as a futuristic civilization of penises-can't see where they get that idea from...

There Is No Escape improved a bit when it found some heart to underpin the insults.

Love To Hull And Back. Hopefully there's more.

Maybe not the right thread for this but did anyone catch the Radio 4 comedians bit on Children in Need yesterday? They all came together to tell a 'joke', a term I use loosely as it was the unfunniest thing I've seen for a long time! A build up of a story aout a shaggy dog with no pay off, unless it's lack off a payoff was the payoff and I should feel intellectually inferior for not finding it hilarious?

Good to hear The Horne Section back on Thursdays. I even liked the rapper they had on the last episode.

Really? I find The Horne Section hurts my ears.

Gloomsbury is another shocker.

Current radio highlight is John Finnemore's Double Acts.

Not a big fan of The Horne Section either. Twee stuff.

Huge fan of Gloomsbury. Sue Limb is a parodist without compare. Great cast, too.

North by Northamptonshire is wonderful stuff. R4Extra is replaying the 3rd series. Katherine Jakeways finds the perfect balance between satire and heart. An outstanding cast, including Sheila Hancock's pitch-perfect narration. I especially love Jakeways using the narrator to editorialise on her own (Jakeways') methods - eg, the increasingly tortured metaphors.

Great to hear John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme again. Loved the "Since you ask me" story this week.

Finnemore is incredible, and can turn his hand to so many different sorts of comedy...but, dare I say it, he's shit at writing songs, and should stop.