BCG Daily Sunday 5th February 2012

The Trials and Triumphs of Les Dawson - book review

A new life of Les Dawson celebrates a great British comic talent too often overlooked.

The Big Yin's not laughing any more

After 40 years in the job, why is Billy Connolly - recently voted the most important British stand-up of all time - walking off stage in a huff?

The Jonathan Ross Show is lagging behind its rivals

The Jonathan Ross Show was bolstered by high profile appearances from David Beckham and Jessie J, but remains less probing and less humorous than The Graham Norton Show and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

Only Fools & Horses to undergo US remake? Stop this now

The Only Fools and Horses US version is the latest in a long list of TV reboots that should never have made it past the brainstorm stages - must we resurrect EVERY classic TV show?

Being modern: Arena comedy

Lee Evans, Steve Coogan, Dylan Moran, Eddie Izzard, Peter Kay, Russell Brand, Tim Vine, Michael McIntyre... the very best of our home-grown talent has since filled the O2 Arena, the very biggest of our coliseums - and McIntyre has made playing to these rooms an expected practice rather than a remarkable event thanks to his televised "roadshows". Fewer than 100,000 arena-comedy tickets were sold in 2004; within five years, that figure had breached a million.

Has Billy Connolly lost his mojo?

He's still on tour at 69, but Britain's 'greatest stand-up' is turning into a cantankerous and unpredictable diva, says Simmy Richman.

Peter Capaldi interview

"I like Malcolm Tucker very much. He's got a heart of gold and he's only trying to do his job; it's not his fault that he's confronted by an army of idiots"

Radio Times review

Peter Capaldi plays it straight as a film buff and devotee of the now defunct Cricklewood Studios. Pure fiction, of course, but pinning spoofs of cheap British movies and even cheaper British movie stars onto a made-up studio lets Capaldi and co-writer Tony Roche have some arch fun.

Capaldi presents this "documentary" celebrating the output of his beloved Cricklewood Studios (now a DIY superstore). He recalls Florrie Fontaine (Lindsay Marshal), a terrifyingly cheerful Gracie Fields-type singer whose career died when she became friendly with Nazi high command: "I speak as I find, and they were grand company."

Watch out for Hustle's Kelly Adams as a Barbara Windsor-ish bimbette, star of the Thumbs Up series. But the show is stolen by Terry Gilliam, playing himself, a profligate director who brought the studio to its knees.

Barry & Stuart interview - The Magicians

Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod, from Aberdeen, star in The Magicians which sees celebrities paired with one of three magic acts - the Scots duo, Pete Firman or American Jason Latimer.

Cricklewood Greats, BBC Four, review

Isabel Mohan reviews Cricklewood Greats, The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi's spoof documentary on BBC Four.

Cricklewood Greats: review

This smart and very funny spoof hit the mark every time.

Cricklewood Greats review: super spoof

Cricklewood Greats, a mockumentary which Peter Capaldi wrote, directed and presented, is a strange beast and unlike most comedies, gets stronger as it goes on. Excellent stuff.

How to get Michael McIntyre tickets for £5

Michael McIntyre tickets are normally £40 min. But right now there's a bargain to be had in north London.