BCG Daily Friday 17th October 2014

Revolution by Russell Brand review

His tract is heavy going, light on politics and, in places, beyond parody. Has the leader of the rebellion missed his moment?

Essential tips for new comics by James Woroniecki

James Woroniecki is the Director of the 99 Club, which runs Comedy Clubs across London and has been awarded Best London Club at the Chortle Awards for the last four years running. He has an enviable record of nurturing new talent as well as playing host to some of the biggest names in comedy such as Jack Whitehall and Russell Howard. He has kindly offered to share some of his wisdom: "In my capacity as the UK's most successful multi-award winning comedy promoter I'm often asked to offer advice to new comedians. In such cases I naturally seek insight from the source of all wisdom late 90s dance music, specifically Olive's classic "You're not alone"...

This week's new live comedy

Previews of Toddy Barry, the Brighton Comedy Festival and Paul Foot.

Detectorists Episode 3 review: 'bittersweet'

The sitcom Detectorists has humour with edge.

Stand-up comedy training course launches in Burnham

Stand-up comedy and selling on eBay are among more than a dozen new training courses being launched in Burnham-On-Sea this autumn.

Mark Thomas: 'I love seeing my dog chase squirrels'

Stuart Anderson talks about a run-in with the police, dogs chasing squirrels and what makes him laugh.

Radio Times review

Uber-loafer and all-round northern waster Lee (Lee Mack) feels a direct attack on his manhood when his flatmate Lucy is mugged by a group of young thugs. Lee watches helplessly as they flee with her handbag, and decides he must prove himself as a real man.

As a new series starts, Not Going Out doesn't deviate from its standard, winning formula. And why should it? What it does, it does brilliantly. Gags are carefully set up, you can see them coming, but when they hit, you laugh. Simple. Of course all of this is made special by Lee Mack, probably the best gag-man on television, and a proper comedian who is funny to his bone marrow.

But let's also give a cheer to his wonderfully dry foil, Sally Bretton as Lucy, who heroically feeds Lee with his jokes, while also slapping down his doomed attempts at self-improvement.

Rufus Hound missing from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Rufus Hound has been replaced in the West End musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I was given conflicting reasons for his exit.

Radio Times review

It's as reliably funny as a Swiss timepiece is accurate. But what if you replace one of the mainsprings in the WILTY watch? This time, there's no Lee Mack, but far from spoiling the show, the presence of Greg Davies as replacement captain brings an enjoyable new dynamic.

It's particularly good when he abuses his power and overrules team-mates Gareth Malone and Richard Osman - unheard of on this show. (That's right, Osman and Davies together at last, the Harlem Globetrotters of comedy.) The round where Davies insists he invented a private language with his sister - and has to speak it - is a joy. Also on board: Phill Jupitus and Sherlock's Amanda Abbington.

Radio Times review

In honour of guest Victoria Coren Mitchell, QI goes off-grid and includes an Only Connect round. The most shocking thing to emerge from this dramatic deviation from the norm is that Alan Davies has never managed to sit through an entire episode of the BBC Two brainiac quiz.

It will surprise no one to learn that Jack Whitehall takes over the proceedings completely for his usual Whitehall farce, though you can't dislike him for it. He's funny, particularly when discussing his dad's disapproval of his son's bromance with host Stephen Fry.

Elsewhere, we learn the connection between PG Wodehouse and Sherlock Holmes - and did you know that a quarter of the people who claim to have read 1984 are lying?

Radio Times review

Considering he's possibly the world's most charming man, Stephen Fry is never too far away from controversy. The publication of the third volume of his memoirs, More Fool Me, was accompanied by a racket as some readers and commentators demanded he be retrospectively prosecuted for his acknowledged cocaine use in the 1980s.

But Fry was determined to tell what he's described as the "ugly truth" about his drug-taking past that even saw him snorting cocaine during a reception at Buckingham Palace. "I was an imbecile, an idiot, I got caught up in a ridiculous dependency," he told Huw Edwards recently.

Another man who's had his own monumental battles with addiction, Robert Downey Jr, joins Fry and Oscar-winning Robert Duvall on the Norton sofa.

Dawn French: 30 Million Minutes preview

The last time she appeared on stage, six years ago, was to bid an official farewell to her 30-year partnership with Jennifer Saunders. But this present show is less of a standard stand-up gig and more of a comic, but also searingly honest, look at her life.

Sky axes Mr Sloane and Trying Again

Two flagship projects of 2014 will not be returning for a second series the broadcaster confirms - with the Mr Sloane production team saying it finds the decision "a bit baffling".

Noel Fielding on his audience

'People who think they have to be on drugs to enjoy my shows are depressing'

Bad Education series 2 DVD review

School-based comedy series have a somewhat hit and miss reputation as anyone who has seen Teachers or the more recent David Walliams/Catherine Tate sitcom Big School will agree. But while not exactly disproving this rule, BBC Three's relentlessly hip sitcom Bad Education is well worth skipping homework for.

Russell Brand and Donald Trump have major Twitter spat

Donald Trump and Russell Brand have gone head-to-head in an epic Twitter battle of egos.

British satire isn't angry enough to be funny

The cancellation of Channel 4's 10 O'Clock Live reflects the sad state of British satire. The problem lies with the scripts.

Russell Brand in Michael Winterbottom economics film

Comic Russell Brand is working with British director Michael Winterbottom on a documentary about the global economic crash.

Meet the contestants: Heat Six - Manchester, 2014

You can catch the sixth heat of the BBC Radio New Comedy Award 2014 on Friday 17th October at 10.30pm on BBC Radio 4 Extra. The show was recorded at the iconic Comedy Store in Manchester.

11 classic Gary and Tony moments

To celebrate its (brief) return, here are just a small collection of the show's most hilarious moments to influence you to binge on the boxset this weekend.

Not Going Out, review: 'the cracks are showing'

It remains, at least, a formidable technical achievement: a would-be triumph of quantity over quality, where jokes are sprayed around by Mack, a human Gatling gun whose mastery of comic timing remains a thing of wonder. But such eagerness to please meant that rather too many of these are now missing their mark: when I laughed, it was more from exhaustion than anything else.

Richard Herring interview

Richard Herring talks about his new stand-up show, the Edinburgh Fringe - and why he won't be returning next year.

James Acaster interview

Triple Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated comedian James Acaster isn't who we thought he was. We out Pat Springleaf, the undercover cop posing as a stand-up.