| Ah, Monday, and back the grindstone. Never mind - a new week means a whole range of new comedy to look forward to... not to mention your regular BCG newsletter. We've packed this one full of features. |
| Latest Comedy News |
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| Also of interest... |
Here are some pages on other websites that you might also be interested in...
- David Walliams talks about the talents of Sue Townsend, the writer of Adrian Mole, who died on Thursday. He calls her "my hero". The Telegraph
- Frank Skinner talks about money in this interview. "I lost several million pounds". The Telegraph
- An article about Tommy Cooper. "A violent alcoholic who couldn't choose between his wife and mistress"? The Express
- Four Weddings And A Funeral writer Richard Curtis has revealed he may be getting married... The Express, but this was news to his partner Emma, who posted on Twitter "Whaaaat? First I've heard about it. Is this what you call a proposal?"
- The Daily Mail has found a pig that it thinks looks like Michael McIntyre: The Daily Mail
- Danny John-Jules has let slip Red Dwarf XI will be on air next year. Here's a picture of the cast at a recent convention: Blog
- Shaun Of The Dead was released 10 years ago. Here's the free interactive screenplay website: View
- England's Going Out (To Do It Again) - the world cup song sung by Omid Djalili. You can hear it in full here: SoundCloud
- In an interview to promote his new solo tour, Michael Palin has said "A lot of Python was c--p, it really was". The Telegraph
- Ben Miller is set to guest star opposite Peter Capaldi in an episode of Doctor Who. BBC Press Office
Found these links interesting? For more like this each evening follow us on social media, or visit our website:
   
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| Features |
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| TV Listings |
Here is a guide to the new British comedy on TV this week, plus Easter Monday (as there'll be no newsletter that day)...
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8 Out Of 10 Cats
Monday, Channel 4, 10pm
The last episode in the series. This time Jimmy, Sean and Jon joined by guests including Henning Wehn, Rob Beckett and wildlife presenter Kate Humble. Guide |
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Rev
Monday, BBC Two, 10p
The position of church treasurer is vacant and Adam has found the ideal candidate to turn the church's dire finances around; unfortunately he has a bad mark against his name. Guide |
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The Michael McIntyre Chat Show
Monday, BBC One, 10:35pm
Sir Bruce Forsyth joins Michael to talk about his career and his forthcoming live one-man show. Also joining Michael is James Corden and artist Tracey Emin. Guide |
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Dara O Briain: School Of Hard Sums
Tuesday, Dave, 10pm
Is age really just a number? Sharp-witted stand-up comedian Dara O Briain is joined by Jon Richardson and Stephen K Amos to see whether maths can help us in our advanced years. Guide |
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Sweat The Small Stuff
Tuesday, BBC Three, 10pm
The panel on this week's panel show is completed by The Choir star Gareth Malone, EastEnders actor Khali Best and stand-up comedians Roisin Conaty and Tom Rosenthal. Guide |
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Celebrity Juice
Thursday, ITV2, 10pm
Joining the panel for Keith Lemon's show this week are Made in Chelsea star Ollie Locke, soul sensation John Newman, Emmerdale hunk Matthew Wolfenden and
Boyzone singer Keith Duffy. Guide |
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Some People With Jokes
Thursday, BBC Four, 10:30pm
Dog owners from around Britain tell their favourite jokes. We take the ruff with the smooth as these canine cackle merchants prove it's not just the dogs that are barking. Guide |
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Have I Got News For You
Friday, BBC One, 9pm
Paul Merton and Ian Hislop are joined by guest host Jeremy Clarkson and guest panellists including the very funny German stand-up, Henning Wehn. Guide |
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Sniggers With Attitude
Friday, London Live, 9:30pm
A sketch show pilot in which Jason Lewis brings his urban-skewed comedy to television via the new London Live channel. See our guide for an interesting interview with Jason about his journey to screen. Guide |
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Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Friday, Channel 4, 10pm
Alan is joined by US film actresses Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton who talk about their latest movie The Other Woman; TV chef Paul Hollywood; and TV host and 'comic' Paddy McGuinness. Music is from Katy B. Guide |
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The Trip
Friday, BBC Two, 10pm
Steve and Rob visit Viareggio in Tuscany where Shelley's body was washed ashore. They have lunch at Trattoria Albana. It's weird to see Rob Brydon being somewhat highbrow in this... and then the next day being Mr Mainstream on BBC One. Guide |
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The Graham Norton Show
Friday, BBC One, 10:20pm
Ricky Gervais will be talking about the new series of Derek and comedy legend Ronnie Corbett is on the sofa to prove reports of his retirement from showbiz are somewhat premature. There's also French actress Juliette Binoche and Irish singer Imelda May. Guide |
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The Guess List
Saturday, BBC One, 9:30pm
Confusion over the final round in Episode 1 suggests the format of this new show may be a little bit thin, but Rob Brydon's quips make up for that. Deborah Meaden, Julian Clary, Larry Lamb, Melanie C and David Haye are the celebrities taking part this week. Guide |
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Morecambe And Wise In Pieces
Sunday, BBC Two, 7pm
Another episode from this occasional series looking at highlights from the legendary duo's TV shows. This time Penelope Keith focuses on the men who were brave enough to appear on Eric & Ernie's show. Guide |
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Off Their Rockers
Sunday, ITV, 7:30pm
More sketches in which fearless senior citizens play pranks on the public. Velma gets racy in a photo booth, Seb needs a fright to get rid of his hiccups and Rosemary eats some funny tasting biscuits. Guide |
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All About Two
Sunday, BBC Two, 9pm
A one-off panel show celebrating 50 years to the day since the launch of BBC 2, hosted by Dara O Briain and Richard Osman. Guests include Meera Syal, Hugh Dennis and Rebecca Front. It's a long show - 100 minutes in total. Guide |
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Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This
Monday 21st, ITV, 9pm
A real treat for the Bank Holiday Monday. A two hour TV film based on the highs and lows of Tommy Cooper's life. The production has put a lot of time into making David Threlfall realistic as the comedy icon. See our guide for lots more information and some pictures. Guide |
For a complete list of broadcasts, including other London Live shows, CBBC, repeats and radio comedy, see our full schedule. |
| New DVDs |
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Mann's Best Friends - The Complete Series
OUT NOW. Penned by Last Of The Summer Wine creator Roy Clarke, Mann's Best Friends stars Barry Stanton as the inheritor of a rambling old house along with its menagerie of strange animals... and even stranger humans! Also starring the scourge of HMP Slade, Fulton MacKay, and Carry On legend Bernard Bresslaw. See our feature below for more info on the series. Details |
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The Harry Hill Movie
PRE-ORDER. Featuring machine gun-toting chickens and a terminally ill hamster, surreal comedian Harry Hill brings his first movie to your home. The film follows Harry and his Nan (Julie Walters) as they travel to Blackpool while being pursued by a mentally unstable veterinarian (The Inbetweeners' Simon Bird)... Other stars include Sheridan Smith and Matt Lucas. Blu-ray Details & DVD Details |
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Ali G Bling Bling
PRE-ORDER. The latest in a series of reissues from 4DVD. This is a compilation of unbroadcast material from Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G. Features parodies, guest appearances, and interviews conducted by the Staines massiv's leading spokesperson. Includes the Beckhams' Comic Relief interview, new material from Borat, and an on-location guide to gang warfare in Los Angeles. Details |
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Bottoms Up!
OUT NOW. A spin-off of Frank Muir and Denis Norden's enormously popular TV sitcom Whack-O!, this 1960 film stars Jimmy Edwards as a devious, cane-brandishing headmaster. Written by Michael Pertwee with Muir and Norden, the film is almost the only glimpse we can hope for of the original hit TV series - 63 episodes were made, but just 4 now exist. Details |
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Moone Boy - Series 1 & 2
OUT NOW. This brand new double-disc box set includes the complete first and second series of Chris O'Dowd's Sky1 sitcom, Moone Boy. It's been a huge hit for the channel, and rightly so - O'Dowd plays the imaginary friend of young Martin Moone, a character based largely on himself. And it's very, very funny. Details |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon. |
| Comedy Videos |
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| Guide Spotlight |
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Mann's Best Friends
Originally broadcast in 1985, this is a little bit of a lost sitcom from Roy Clarke, the celebrated writer of Open All Hours, Last Of The Summer Wine, Keeping Up Appearances, and many others. It follows Hamish Ordway, a freshly retired official from the water board, played expertly by Porridge's sternest warden, Fulton Mackay. He's pointed toward renting a room from Henry Mann, proprietor of a lodging house - once a splendid Edwardian villa - and is horrified at the chaos he finds within. Mann was domineered by his recently deceased mother, who also ran the house and organised its residents, and so has no skills of his own to keep control. Somewhat vague and distant, he is nevertheless keen to bring some semblance of order to his home: could Ordway be the perfect solution...? Guide
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| Thanks for Reading |
We hope you have a lovely Easter. As next Monday is a Bank Holiday we won't send a newsletter then, but we'll be back in your inboxes soon. In the meantime, it's business as usual with daily updates to our website!
The British Comedy Guide
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