BCG Daily Wednesday 11th March 2015

Comedy heroes: Stephen K Amos on Redd Foxx

This street-smart comedian navigated a difficult era in race relations with his standup - before hitting the mainstream in the US remake of Steptoe and Son.

TomSka interview

Thomas Ridgewell, aka TomSka, is a long-serving YouTuber - he's been making comedy videos for years. But he says the only way to attract viewers to his vlogs is by being "incredibly, painfully honest".

Radio Times review

Miles Jupp's comedy In and Out of the Kitchen is an occasional pleasure on Radio 4, where it works perfectly; it's a small, quiet, irresistibly intimate bourgeois sitcom centred on writer/creator Jupp's precious food writer Damien Trench and his easy-going boyfriend Anthony (Justin Edwards).

The translation to television in this brief (three-episode) series isn't particularly comfortable, maybe because the alchemy of some shows just works better on radio.

But never mind, it's always a pleasure to meet Trench, a self-absorbed foodie snob who's appalled by supermarkets, trendy restaurants and overly familiar waiters. As we join the Trench household, Damien is agonising about baking a cake for his builders and re-adjusting his principles to write a column for a "Waitburys" magazine. "I write it, they print it, no funny business," he instructs his agent.

Radio Times review

Reader, I LOL-ed. This is brilliant. For the third and final part of Jon Canter's blisteringly funny sitcom, time-travelling biographer James Boswell (Miles Jupp) meets Harold Pinter.

Harry Enfield is spot-on as the master of comic menace. There are a couple of obvious gags ("Would The Caretaker be different without the pauses?" "It would be... shorter.") but Canter writes with originality and depth.

Bizarrely, this would make an excellent introduction to Pinter's work. It's almost -- though it pains me to say it -- edutainment. Essential listening.

Radio Times review

Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr are not going to lose any sleep if they listen to this. Jim Moir, better known as Vic Reeves, is not a natural interviewer. It's his guest, Olivia Colman, who holds the show together, using her ability to ad-lib with wit.

I love this series. I love Vic Reeves. I love Olivia Colman. It's why I chose this as my Pick of the Week. But were it not for Colman's thespian talents there are moments when tumbleweed would have blown through the studio (à la Shooting Stars). She picks up when Reeve's questions or direction of thought trails off, and yet, while he sounds delighted to have got to the end of the show intact, there are some parts where this interview is so funny it should come with its own health warning.

If Olivia Colman had to choose between a plastic hand and a hook, which would she favour? Is she any good with blood? As I said, Reeves is not your typical interviewer, but these surreal questions do encourage Colman to reveal more about herself than she would on a predictable chat show.

And so, I now know that she believes that the path to true love depends upon clutching a fallen eyelash with one's intended and making a wish. And that she can spend hours staring at pictures of men's swollen testicles (in medical books, not real life).

It's a peculiar half-hour, but one I wouldn't have missed for the world.

Leigh Francis on Twitter hate

"I'm only trying to make you laugh"

Jack Dee in Dubai - interview

Laconic comedian Jack Dee on touring, sitcoms, Dubai and fellow comic Josh Widdicombe.

The sketch show with a brilliant star

There's no way to overstate how good the make-up is. Paul Whitehouse first bounced into frame as Maurice, an 80-year-old Jewish motormouth with no sense of when he wasn't wanted. One scene later, he was morbidly obese Graham, spilling over the sides of his armchair like Dolly Parton in a boob tube.

Interview: Ross Noble

A favourite at the Edinburgh Fringe and a vigilant stand-up gigger, Ross Noble has previously admitted to planning entire shows around "about four words on a scrap of paper." It's hardly surprising then, that his foray into television takes a similarly unstructured form. He merges the conventions of spontaneous comedy with the massive network for randomness that social media has to offer. Noble's broadcasting brainchild is Freewheeling; "It's a show that doesn't have a format, we make it up as we go along," he explains.

Interview: Rarely Asked Questions - Gary Delaney

An interview with comic Gary Delaney.

Review - Bramall Hall Comedy Night: 5th March 2015

As always, the comedy night at the University of Birmingham certainly did not disappoint.

How we pulled off Paul Whitehouse's many looks

A picture gallery of Paul Whitehouse being made-up for his roles in Nurse.

Comedy comes first: Ellie Taylor on her debut tour

Ellie Taylor's debut show Elliementary arrives for one night at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival as part of her tour. She speaks to us about the importance of crafting that first hour of comedy and having a uniquely supportive mother.

What makes a radio comedy funny on TV?

Paul Whitehouse's Nurse was an audio treat, now it's a visual treat too. What's the secret, asks Jasper Rees.

Monty Python to reunite for Holy Grail anniversary

The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by AT&T, today announced a special celebration to mark the 40th Anniversary of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Review: Stephen K Amos, Soho Theatre

No broadcaster has managed to successfully capture the magic of Amos live, says Bruce Dessau.

Jane the Virgin actress Rachel DiPillo joins Cuckoo USA

NBC's remake of the BBC sitcom Cuckoo has cast Jane The Virgin actress Rachel DiPillo.

John Shuttleworth review - a novelty deficit

With his provincial patter dragging and his songs light on laughs, it feels like Graham Fellows' long-running comic persona needs a rest.

Preview: Nina Conti: Clowning Around, BBC Four

While Clowning Around isn't quite as personal as Her Master's Voice, it does give an insight into a side of clowning that we rarely see.

The amputee who impersonates celebrities with her stump

An amputee who dresses her stump up to resemble celebrities says it helps her "own" her disability.

First look at Manford and Jupitus in The Producers

Production images have been released for the UK tour of The Producers, which opens at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley tonight (11 March 2015).