BCG Daily Wednesday 15th April 2015

Lee Ridley on the representation of disabled people

Award-winning comedian Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, says jokes help people to understand how he lives with disabilities, at a time when discrimination and prejudice are rife.

Pauline McLynn hopes for reunion with Ardal O'Hanlon

It's been nearly two decades since they starred together in Father Ted, but Pauline McLynn has revealed that she would love to work with co-star Ardal O'Hanlon again.

Radio Times review

"I have had the same training as all the women," protests Darren Boyd's male midwife Matthew, a bloke in a very female-centred environment. In Green Wing writers Robert Harley and James Henry's old-fashioned comedy he has to cope with quite a lot of sexism, but doesn't help himself by being quite an irritant, which detracts a little from a sitcom packed with decent lines and excellent supporting stars (Fay Ripley and Aisling Bea among them).

There is also little sense of Matthew's back story - apart from the fact he used to be a policeman - although the signs are that we will be seeing a lot more of Paddy McGuinness as his even more annoying (and slightly unhinged) former colleague and flatmate.

Jo Brand interview

How do people remember bits of advice they've been given? I can't even remember what happened last week.

Blake Harrison & Georgina Campbell pictured filming

Pictures of Blake Harrison handcuffed to co-star Georgina Campbell on the set of E4 comedy Tripped.

Ophelia Lovibond interview

Ophelia Lovibond, who counts Caroline Flack and Jack Whitehall among her friends, said she also hopes to achieve success on stage: "Oh my God, I would love to go on stage so much. I'm undignified with how badly I want it."

Dara O Briain review

Playing in front of a large Town Hall crowd, the experienced comic demonstrates his comfort on stage by performing an accomplished relaxed set filled with wry observational humour.

ITV's new show is 'spikier, edgier' than Spitting Image

Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson discuss how Newzoids is different from Spitting Image.

Simon Amstell interview

Simon Amstell is back in the States this month for a series of stand-up shows.

How left wing writers helped Thatcher win an election

"Margaret Thatcher probably did more to help alternative comedy than anyone else."

TV preview: Inside No. 9 - Cold Comfort, BBC2

It's the CCTV that gives this episode its haunting flavour.

Live review: Holly Walsh, Soho Theatre

There are some particularly well-crafted set-pieces.

Spike Milligan: Man of Letters, review

Comedian Spike Milligan was a prolific letter writer and had witty correspondence with royalty, pop stars and the man in charge of round tea bags.

Catriona Knox interview

Catriona Knox is one of the most hilarious LGBTI comics working in the UK today. She's battled the streets of Edinburgh for the fringe festival for years, leading to a sell-out, critically acclaimed run of her show Thinks She's Hard Enough in August 2014. A character comedian, she is the star of BBC Radio 4's Sketchorama and Mission Improbable among others, and is now bringing the show back for a short run in London.

Info on new Alan Partridge book revealed

Aha! There's another Alan Partridge book in the works, due to hit your bookshelves, tablets, e-readers and audio players (with his close friend Mr Coogan reading it aloud) in October 2016.

''Newzoids is no Spitting Image'' say Twitter viewers

Newzoids has arrived on ITV and the reaction was mixed.

12 funniest (and one not so funny) moments on Newzoids

It may not be the most original idea ever (Spitting Image, anyone?) but Newzoids proved entertaining on its debut.

Newzoids, ITV, review: Not quite hilarious enough

If only the gags on Newzoids were as sharp as the pointy-chinned marionettes populating this new satirical puppet show from ITV.

The Delivery Man, ITV, review: 'punchy'

The Delivery Man (ITV) was ITV's latest attempt to create a broad sitcom of its own to rival Miranda and Mrs Brown's Boys on the BBC. And it wasn't half bad.

Newzoids, TV review

A forgettable start - but it was the same for Spitting Image.

Newzoids review

The big problem with this show however, is that no matter how good this show can be, it will always be judged against Spitting Image, and Spitting Image was such an iconic programme it's hard to come up with an impression show that can be as good.

Newzoids is funny, but its satire lacked real bite

More hits than misses, and that's a pretty good for a debut comedy. However, with its satire based on well-established views of its targets, whether it's going to make anyone see the world in a different light, is another matter.

The Delivery Man review: best ITV laughs in a long time

It's no Green Wing, but for a very mainstream sitcom it's pretty good.

The Delivery Man: woeful ITV sitcom fails to deliver

I kept thinking about what would happen if there had been a sitcom about a woman taking a job that is stereotypically masculine and then being portrayed as completely incompetent on her first day. I personally think that there would be a massive backlash if this were to happen although I don't believe that many people will have the same reaction with The Delivery Man. Of course The Vicar of Dibley had a similar joke at its core but every episode saw Geraldine Granger getting one over on her bumbling congregation.

Newzoids: meet the impersonator behind the puppets

Dead Ringers' Jon Culshaw lampoons the latest generation of politicians in ITV's impressionist show.

TV Review: Newzoids, ITV1

The easiest way of describing Newzoids is to say that it is probably quietly hoping to be the new Spitting Image. Or at least have some of that show's acclaim. The trouble is that Spitting Image is such a hard act to follow. Over the years Headcases and 2DTV have tried to pick up the animated satire baton and failed. So could Newzoids succeed? Well, with the first episode just finished, guess what, the jury is still out.

Review: Jesting About, Live Theatre, Newcastle

Jesting About has already featured such comedy luminaries as Gavin Webster, Ben Crompton, Holly Burn, Rob Gilroy and John Scott, and some stand out performers from this round of talent search are surely destined for a very bright future.

Nish Kumar interview

The fantastic Nish Kumar brought his completely brilliant 2014 show, Rumination on the Nature of Subjectivity to Manchester last week. We caught up with him before his stint at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival, previewing his new show Long Word... Long Word... Blah Blah Blah... I'm So Clever.

Paul Abbott interview

Paul Abbott's brilliant new series No Offence is a 'comedy for a crime-addicted audience'. He talks about writing Shameless, his family and his battle with bipolar disorder.

Newzoids - not its fault it can never be Spitting Image

ITV has been doing its darnedest to persuade everyone that its satirical show Newzoids, starting tonight, should not - repeat NOT - be regarded as the new Spitting Image. Needless to say, this hasn't stopped the media from calling it exactly that.

Interview with Jacob Hawley

Usually it will start with a note on my phone, then I'll expand and mess around with it with a pen and paper to find the structure and the framework of the joke.

Interview with Tom O'Mahony

I gig full time now but past life (Jaysus that sounds like I've died) experiences definitely do come into my material.

Interview with Laughing Stock

We've been gigging for just over a year now. Our first gig was January 2014.

Interview with Bosh & Babbs

The three of us got together and created Bosh & Babbs in February last year and have been gigging since April last year.

Man With A Porpoise interview

Comedy is an instantly rewarding sort of performance, so as long as you're getting laughs, it's hard to dislike any moment of it.

Interview with Daphne

Interview with Phil Wang, Jason Forbes and George Fouracres from Daphne.

Interview with Norris and Parker

We met at the Manchester Met School of Theatre in 2009 and discovered a shared day of birth and a love of dark and surreal comedy.

Netflix suggested a show called Scrotal Recall

If you're signed up for Netflix, then you know the service frequently sends out emails updating users with new programming available for streaming. Sometimes, it even makes suggestions for shows it thinks you might enjoy. Well, that PR scheme kind of backfired today when subscribers found a suggestion for a show called -- wait for it -- Scrotal Recall sitting in their inbox. With a name like that, naturally it's a British series -- gotta love the Brits and their cheeky zero-damns-given humor. (It's also the title of a Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode.) No surprise, the reactions to the email were priceless.

PSA: Netflix has a show about diseased dicks

This week, Netflix has apparently quietly launched the Classic Balls Puns Based on the Collected Works of Arnold Schwarzenegger segment of its Original Programming*. This is my way of telling you that you can now watch a show called Scrotal Recall.

Say hello to 'Scrotal Recall'

From creator Tom Edge comes a witty British comedy about lust, love, deceit, and yes, sex. Lots of sex.