British Comedy Guide Newsletter
Weekly Newsletter Monday 13th April 2015
We're back after Easter and hope you didn't have any troublesome incidents! There's plenty to catch up on...
Latest Comedy News
News Picture BAFTA TV Awards 2015 comedy nominations

The shortlists for the 2015 BAFTA Television Awards have been announced. Detectorists, Harry & Paul, Moone Boy and The Wrong Mans are amongst the comedy nominees. Read
News Picture Channel 4 to broadcast topical political sitcom Ballot Monkeys

Channel 4 has announced Ballot Monkeys, a political sitcom from the team behind Drop The Dead Donkey which will be filmed close to transmission for topicality. Read
News Picture Blake Harrison takes the lead role in E4 comedy drama Tripped

E4 has announced that The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison will take the lead role in Tripped, a comedy drama series set in parallel universes. Read
News Picture E4 orders new comedy drama Aliens

E4 has ordered Aliens, a comedy drama about a group of extra-terrestrials forced to live in a segregated community on Earth. Read
News Picture Sue Perkins to film BBC panel show pilot Insert Name Here

Sue Perkins will host the pilot episode of Insert Name Here, a comedy panel show for BBC Two about people who share the same name. Read
News Picture David Mitchell to star as Shakespeare in new BBC sitcom

David Mitchell has signed up to play William Shakespeare in Upstart Crow, a sitcom pilot for BBC Two overseen by Ben Elton. Read
News Picture Alan Davies returns with As Yet Untitled Series 3

Unscripted chat format Alan Davies As Yet Untitled is to return to Dave for a third series. Read
News Picture Gold to profile comedians in new series 'The Interviews'

Kenneth Williams, The Two Ronnies, Les Dawson, Spike Milligan, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are amongst the comedians profiled in new Gold series The Interviews. Read
Feature Picture Terry Jones receives Bath Plug Award

Monty Python star Terry Jones has received Bath Comedy Festival's first ever 'Bath Plug Award', for his services to comedy. Read
News Picture No third series for Up The Women

Jessica Hynes's suffragette sitcom Up The Women will not return for a third series, the BBC has confirmed. Read
Also of interest...
Here are some pages on other websites that you might also be interested in...

- Jeremy Clarkson has pulled out of hosting Have I Got News For You. The producers say: "We'll have Clarkson back on when he's ready": The Guardian

- Rebecca Humphries won the We Got Tickets Musical Comedy Awards 2015 final: Beyond The Joke

- With Rufus Hound and Doon Mackichan now on board too, Trev & Simon Kickstarter campaign to make the audio sitcom Strangers In Space has past £14,000: Kickstarter

- Bob Mortimer is taking over from the late Rik Mayall as the face of the Bombardier Beer adverts: Facebook picture

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Features
Feature Picture Kevin McHale interview

Kevin McHale talks about how he nearly said no to hosting Virtually Famous, and explains why you don't see the panel show format on American TV. Read
Feature Picture Max and Ivan introduce their Radio 4 show

We asked comedy double-act Max & Ivan to introduce their Radio 4 series The Casebook Of Max And Ivan to us... this is the funny results of that. Read
Feature Picture You, Me & Them interviews

Eve Myles, Anthony Head, Susie Blake, Jeff Rawle, Daisy Beaumont, Marcus Garvey and Honor Blackman talk about Series 2 of Gold sitcom You, Me & Them. Read
Feature Picture The 39 Steps - 4 actors, 139 roles!

The 39 Steps is one of the West End's longest-running and funniest plays. We take a look at the show here, and there's a chance for you to win free tickets. Read
Feature Picture Seann Walsh interview

A quick chat with Seann Walsh about his 2015 stand-up tour, and his role as a team captain on the E4 panel show Virtually Famous. Read
TV Listings
Here is a guide to the new British comedy on TV this week...

I Live With Models I Live With Models
Monday, Comedy Central, 10pm

Comedy Central's USA-set sitcom concludes. With a 24-hour storm due to hit Miami, the models plan an epic house party. (This episode contains real-life fashion models!) Guide
Bluestone 42 Bluestone 42
Monday, BBC Three, 10pm

The last episode of the sitcom... maybe forever, as it observes as the army preparing to leave their Afghanistan base for good. Simon receives some devastating news too. Guide
Raised By Wolves Raised By Wolves
Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

The sitcom set in Wolverhampton continues. This episode sees Della and the kids rescue a distraught Grampy in the aftermath of a family bereavement. Guide
Jack Dee's Election Helpdesk Jack Dee's Election Helpdesk
Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

The first of three episodes in which Jack Dee brings his hit stage format to TV. With the help of guests, he tries to answer some election-based questions from the audience. Guide
Virtually Famous Virtually Famous
Monday, E4, 10pm

Series 2 of the panel show looking at the best content on the internet. Kevin McHale, Seann Walsh and Chris Stark are joined by Made In Chelsea's Mark-Francis Vandelli, pop star Dappy, The Last Leg's Alex Brooker and comedian Ellie Taylor. Guide
Ross Noble Freewheeling Ross Noble Freewheeling
Tuesday, Dave, 10pm

More random roadtrip adventures with the Geordie comic. This time Ross Noble brightens up a grandma's day, tries to unite the mods and rockers, and helps jobseekers in Sussex find work experience. Guide
Newzoids Newzoids
Wednesday, ITV, 9pm

A new topical satirical sketch show featuring puppets. Unsurprisingly it is being labelled a modern Spitting Image. There's some preview clips in our guide. Guide
The Delivery Man The Delivery Man
Wednesday, ITV, 9:30pm

A new sitcom starring Darren Boyd as a policeman-turned-midwife. It's created by some of the team behind Green Wing. To find out more about the characters see our website. Guide
You, Me & Them You, Me & Them
Wednesday, Gold, 10pm

Ed's and Lauren's future looks threatened by his past when an ex shows up. Roles are reversed when a bandaged Emma has to place her trust (and home) in Clive's hands. Guide
Celebrity Juice Celebrity Juice
Thursday, ITV2, 10pm

The girls and boys are back for another week of outrageous games, single-entendre and fantastically crude quizzes. ITV haven't yet revealed who the guests joining Holly, Fearne, Gino and Keith will be, but we're sure their antics will delight and horrify in equal measure! Guide
Inside No. 9 Inside No. 9
Thursday, BBC Two, 10pm

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith deliver another episode with an interesting concept: in this one, set around a support line call centre, we see all the action unfold via other cameras - e.g. CCTV screens. Guide
Have I Got News For You Have I Got News For You
Friday, BBC One, 9pm

Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts, with Alun Cochrane and Lord Prescott as the guests. Has former MP Prescott really forgiven the show for all those fat jokes it used to make about him? Elephants never forget. Guide
Alan Carr: Chatty Man Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Friday, Channel 4, 10pm

Alan Carr is joined by flamboyant pop star Nicki Minaj who chats and performs her latest single The Night Is Still Young. Plus Mr Selfridge star Jeremy Piven, and Paddy McGuinness - plugging The Delivery Man and his latest stand-up tour. Guide
The Graham Norton Show The Graham Norton Show
Friday, BBC One, 10:35pm

The now-bearded Graham Norton continues his latest series. No word on who the guests are yet. Given last week's episode got almost 3 million viewers, it probably doesn't matter who he books, people will still tune in. Guide
Play To The Whistle Play To The Whistle
Saturday, ITV, 9:15pm

The second episode of the new sports-based panel show. Holly Willoughby, Bradley Walsh and Frank Lampard are joined by Graeme Swann, Sean Lock, Alex Scott and Romesh Ranganathan. Guide
Celebrity Squares Celebrity Squares
Sunday, ITV, 7:15pm

Warwick Davis returns for another series of the refreshed comedy game show. Paddy McGuinness, Rob Beckett, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix are amongst those appearing. Next week: Vic & Bob! Guide

For a complete list of broadcasts, including repeats and radio comedy, see our full schedule.
New Products
Inside No. 9 - Series Two Inside No. 9 - Series Two

PRE-ORDER. Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith follow up the award-winning Series 1 with another anthology of tales of the genuinely unexpected. Series 2 has been getting rave reviews, and Sheridan Smtih's performance in the pathos-laden second episode is surely a BAFTA-winner. Sadly no Blu-ray release is on the cards, but the DVD will be out on 4th May. Details
The Keith Lemon Sketch Show The Keith Lemon Sketch Show

PRE-ORDER. Keith Lemon's (aka Leigh Francis) mad, ratings-winning ITV2 sketch show comes to DVD in June. With a regular cast including Fearne Cotton and Paddy McGuinness, guests range from Christine Bleakley to Verne Troyer, Phillip Schofield and the one-and-only Carrie Fisher. Details
Faith In The Future - The Complete Series Faith In The Future - The Complete Series

OUT NOW. Lynda Bellingham reprises her role as divorcee Faith Greyshott in this hit sequel series to award-winning ITV sitcom Second Thoughts, adapted from the BBC Radio 4 series of the same name. Also starring Julia Sawalha and featuring an early role for Simon Pegg, Faith In The Future ran for three massively successful series and this complete set includes them all. Details
W1A - Series One & Two W1A - Series One & Two

PRE-ORDER. W1A returns to screens on Thursday next week with an hour-long opening episode (and really quite funny it is, too); like the first series, Series 2 will run for just four episodes, and this complete 2-disc set of both Series 1 and 2 will be released on Monday 18th May - just 5 weeks from now. Get your copy reserved today: Details
Hackney's Finest: Gangs Of London Hackney's Finest: Gangs Of London

OUT NOW. After a limited cinema release earlier in the month, this British film is now out on DVD and download. A gangster flick with a comic twist, it focuses on a small-time drug-dealer who gets into big trouble when a corrupt East London cop tries to steal a consignment meant for Welsh-Jamaican Yardies. (Yes, you read that right.) See the trailer, immediately below. Details

For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy Videos
Video Picture Hackney's Finest

The trailer for this film, out now on DVD, which sees a small-time drug dealer in trouble when a corrupt East London cop tries to steal a consignment meant for Welsh-Jamaican Yardies. Watch
Video Picture Luisa Omielan - Thigh gap?

London-based comedian Luisa Omielan's empowering stand-up video has clocked up over 9,000,000 views on Facebook in just two weeks: Watch
Video Picture No Offence - Trailer

No Offence is a brand new crime comedy drama from the creator of Shameless, coming soon to Channel 4. Joanna Scanlan is amongst the stars. Watch
Video Picture The Policy Song

Jake Yapp and Harry the Piano's indispensable musical guide to the five major political parties' policies in the run up to the General Election 2015. Well, sort-of. 'Cos this is online before they've even bothered to publish their manifestoes! Watch
Guide Spotlight
Guide Spotlight The Cracksman

A delightful comic crime caper from the early 1960s, The Cracksman stars physical comedy master Charlie Drake as Ernest Wright, an honest and upstanding but highly naiveĀ East-End locksmith who gets in way over his head when an unscrupulous gentleman thief spots a use for his considerable professional talents. Imprisoned, one of Wright's inmates is Yossle - played by Ronnie Barker, in a role that can only be described as proto-Norman Stanley Fletcher. Guide
Thanks for Reading
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