BCG Daily Saturday 3rd January 2015

How I get ready: Julian Clary

"I try things on, and what might look good in the bathroom mirror doesn't look good in the bedroom mirror, so I change my mind a lot"

Remembering Peter Cook

The self-proclaimed 'funniest man in the world' died 20 years ago.

A mostly spoiler-free look at the Miranda finale

I'll admit I shed a few tears at the end, both joyful and melancholy.

Radio Times review

There's nothing quite like the literate, deliciously surreal, controlled madness of a Bill Bailey gig. He's brilliant, as deft with music as he is with words, and he makes it all look so easy.

Qualmpeddler was his 2012-13 tour and it's a hilarious stew of stand-up and musical numbers that transcend anything that can be classed as a "comedy musical pastiche". Like Bailey's version of the Downton Abbey theme, which is a reggae/trance anthem accompanying characters listing types of spoon; "tea spoon, egg spoon, grapefruit spoon".

Another highlight is Bailey's reworking of the Match of the Day tune that sounds like it's the harpsichord centrepiece of a musical evening in a Georgian drawing room. Glorious.

Radio Times review

The sight of the Vicar and Verger in battledress is just one of many rarities in this extraordinary affair. Among the others are Mainwaring laid up in a hospital bed (with ingrowing toenails), Frazer brandishing a live white mouse on parade and Godfrey having a big speech to remember. Also, poignantly, a note on the floor where James Beck should be standing. This was the first story not to feature Walker; thereafter, bizarrely, he was never mentioned again.

Overlooking a few old-school lines that don't bear repeating, there are a handful of treasures, including Wilson's annoyance at Mainwaring treating him like a labrador, and Frazer comparing the Verger's face to a sour prune.

Radio Times review

Err, so, yeah. Eddie Izzard made his career out of hilarious, dizzying, surreal routines held up by their own daft logic, but you can expect him to return to certain themes: history, religion, James Mason. He's Wikipedia in heels, and fans will find much of this show familiar even though the material is new.

Force Majeure shows that, no matter how much time he spends running marathons or running for public office, on stage he is still a force of nature. It's just a shame that his flights of fancy are somewhat locked into autopilot.

Piccadilly Comedy Club New Comedian Of 2015 review

Amir Khoshsokhan won. Also featured were Magnus Turner MP, Russ Peers, Laura McClenaghen, Edd Hedges, Archie Maddox, Tom Ward and Ben Clover.

The Logic Police

You've plotted your script. Maybe you've written a couple of drafts - and then you get a note. 'This scene is very funny, but would Jennifer really run down the street in a giraffe costume, especially given how self-conscious she is?' So, does that mean you need to change it? Maybe. Maybe not. Let's ask the most basic question first.

Norman Wisdom impersonator plans charity walk

An impersonator of Sir Norman Wisdom has set his sights high by planning to walk from London to Cardiff to raise money for charity.

Farewell to a truly great comic genius Jeremy Lloyd

Jeremy Lloyd wrote and produced television comedy series that relied on good old-fashioned British bawdiness and double entendre to carry their preposterous plotlines. So it was almost a shock to hear him talk with quiet conviction about the afterlife.

Channel 4 defends making comedy about Irish Famine

Channel 4 has defended a situation comedy about the Irish Famine, saying that "brilliant humour can come out of times of terrible hardship."

This week's new live comedy

Previews of Bec Hill, Gein's Family Giftshop and Tony Law.

Review: Piccadilly Comedy Club new comedian of the year

The first comedy competition of 2015 didn't mess about with anything as conventional as qualifying heats. The eight acts chosen were simply some of the favourites of the long-standing club that was staging the final, run by comic Mike Manera. An unusual selection process, but one that guaranteed a consistently strong level and also some familiar competition names, including the winner, Amir Khoshokhan (pictured).

Graham Norton: Straight people find their love easier

The openly gay chat show host, fresh from extending his multi-million pound contract with the BBC, says he would find it easier to hold down a relationship if he was straight.

Still Open All Hours still has a place in the schedules

There is still a place for the cosy sitcom amid the daily diet of violence, sex and swearing that emanates from our TVs.

Absolutely Fabulous movie WILL happen in 2015

Jennifer Saunders, 56, is determined that the film, titled Edina and Patsy, will be made by the end of the year.

Graham Norton: It's easier to find love if straight

The openly gay chat show host, fresh from extending his multi-million pound contract with the BBC, says he would find it easier to hold down a relationship if he was straight.