BCG Daily Friday 27th May 2011
Press clippings
Troubled Michael Barrymore scraps comeback gigs
Michael Barrymore yesterday binned his bid to relaunch his career on stage - just days after his latest meltdown.
Richard Moriarty, The Sun, 27th May 2011Graham Norton and Alan Carr in ratings war
Camp chatshow stars Alan Carr and Graham Norton will be pitched against each other in a Friday night ratings war.
The Sun, 27th May 2011Channel 4's Comedy Gala, O2, London
Post-punk icon and inveterate grump Mark E Smith was recently asked what makes him most depressed; his answer was "all UK comedians". With a considerable number of tonight's 21 acts on poor form, partly due to over-runs, this charity gala could be admissible as evidence to support Smith's scything comment. Rating: * *
Julian Hall, The Independent, 27th May 2011Opinion: Dot.Comedy - Telling jokes in cyberspace
I first started writing jokes about a year ago. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, I already had a captive audience of about a hundred people on which to try out my material. However, my initial attempts at humour weren't very good. In fact, some of them were just plain terrible. For some reason, being on the receiving end of a bad joke brings out the worst in people. A good joke would earn me a couple of 'likes' or retweets. A bad one would have at least half a dozen people commenting on it with an air of vitriol normally reserved for genocidal dictators - and these were my friends and family.
Phil Swales, Giggle Beats, 27th May 2011The Goon Show must go on - 60 years since its debut
Prince Charles, Goon fan and patron of the Goon Show Preservation Society, to give message to mark anniversary.
Jonathan Sale, The Guardian, 27th May 2011Radio review: Dave Against the Machine
A comedy with a good premise but one that worked best away from its main protagonist's fears.
Elisabeth Mahoney, The Guardian, 27th May 2011HarperCollins acquires Alan Partridge memoir
HarperCollins has acquired a memoir by comedian Steve Coogan of his most famous character, Alan Partridge. The title has moved publishers even before publication, having previously been listed on Nielsen BookData as being published by Century.
Charlotte Williams, The Bookseller, 27th May 2011Johnny Vegas's 'Ideal' returns with 630,000
Series seven of Johnny Vegas' sitcom Ideal debuted with almost 630,000 on Thursday evening, while Celebrity Juice remained popular on ITV2, according to the latest audience data.
Andrew Laughlin, Digital Spy, 27th May 2011'Psychoville' 2.4 review
I've been frustrated with Psychoville because recent episodes haven't develop the backbone of the storyline much, they just brought a few of the characters' lives to grisly ends... fortunately, episode 4 remedied many of my previous complaints and could be the catalyst for a more focused, illuminating half.
Dan Owen, Dan's Media Digest, 27th May 2011An interview with Kevin Cecil
Kevin Cecil is a co-multi-BAFTA-award-winning comedy writer who, along with long-time friend Andy Riley has written for some of the best and/or most popular British comedy shows of the past however many years, such as Black Books, Little Britain, Hyperdrive, and countless others.
The Humourdor, 27th May 2011What will it take to make Jack Dee cheer up?
Rick Spleen is a 'what-if version of me', says Jack Dee. Well what if we made it our mission to cheer him up?
Tim Jonze, The Guardian, 27th May 2011Image gallery: On the water with Jack Dee
Jack Dee is back as his grumpy character Rick Spleen in a new series of Lead Balloon. So we thought we'd cheer him up with a fun day out in London...
The Guardian, 27th May 2011Actress Janet Brown dies aged 87
Actress and comic Janet Brown, who was best known for impersonating former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has died aged 87.
BBC News, 27th May 2011"I feel overexposed": Stephen Fry on the perils of fame
He's one of the most popular figures in British entertainment - but, in an extraordinary, confessional new interview, Stephen Fry has spoken of his deeply uneasy relationship with fame, and how it has grown beyond his control.
Jack Seale, Radio Times, 27th May 2011Videos
TV
TV
TV & radio
10am30 min
What's So Funny?
Series 1, Episode 8Rufus Hound is joined by Richard Herring with news, reviews and previews of what's happening in comedy this week.
11:30am30 min
The Gobetweenies
Series 1, Episode 4 - Befriending FreddieMimi is delighted that her new husband wants to be a father - but Lucy has overheard.
1:45pm15 min
Sybil Law
Episode 3Leading Scottish comedy actress Una Maclean stars in a series featuring Sybil's comically unpredictable weekly exploits and confrontations with neighbourhood friends and foes.
5pm30 min
Sorry, I've Got No Head
Series 3, Episode 3The helpful bees find themselves in space, Sticky Martin struggles to release a bird of prey and there is a special delivery in the Museum of Imagination.
6:30pm30 min
The News Quiz
Series 74, Episode 7A satirical review of the week's news, chaired by Sandi Toksvig with guests Andrew Maxwell, Paul Sinha, Susan Calman and Jeremy Hardy.
7pm30 min
What's The Story?
Series 4, Episode 2Steve Williams, Frank Honeybone, Dan Thomas and Dan Mitchell are on the panel for the topical quiz, recorded at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Hosted by Justin Waite.
9pm30 min
Have I Got News For You
Series 41, Episode 7Bill Bailey acts as tonight's guest host. Joining Ian Hislop and Paul Merton are guest panellists Armando Iannucci and Jack Whitehall.
9:30pm60 min
A League Of Their Own
Series 3, Out-takes - Unseen ExtraFill your boots with more never-before-seen footage from season three of the smash-hit sports panel show.
10:35pm45 min
The Graham Norton Show
Series 9, Episode 7 - Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Rob Lowe, Alex KingstonGraham is joined by Hollywood stars Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms in the studio to talk about their new Hangover movie; heartthrob actor Rob Lowe discusses his autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends; and Alex Kingston talks Doctor Who and her new play. Plus music from Aloe Blacc, who performs his hit I Need a Dollar.