BCG Daily Thursday 14th May 2015
News
Press clippings
Legendary south London comedy club closes
Long-standing comedy club East Dulwich Comedy at the Hob in Forest Hill is to close this weekend after ten years. Owners of the pub Emma and Ron Emslie broke the news late last night.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 14th May 2015Comedy Central UK nabs Buzzfeed UK's creative director
Comedy Central UK has hired Buzzfeed's Philly Byrne as digital director as it looks to continue developing its online presence.
Khidr Suleman, PR Week, 14th May 2015Radio Times review
Ian Fletcher, the BBC's head of values, knows how to set aflame the hearts of his female colleagues. In Twenty Twelve, as head of Olympic deliverance, he was the object of his secretary Sally's silent devotion.
Now he's taken the fancy of brutal Anna Rampton (Sarah Parish) and personable, sensible Lucy Freeman. Both women cast covetous glances at the hapless chap in the final episode of John Morton's knowing sitcom.
Ian's (Hugh Bonneville) well disposed to Lucy (Nina Sosanya) but there's little time for romance when a perfect storm of nonsense involving a BBC London weather man and a female presenter blows up and threatens to engulf the management team. It's all Siobhan's fault, of course.
Alison Graham, Radio Times, 14th May 2015Interview: Ross Noble, The Producers, Sunderland Empire
Ross Noble will be swapping stand-up for swastikas from Friday. He'll be stepping into the leather lederhosen of Franz Liebkind in a new tour of classic Mel Brooks musical The Producers.
Katy Wheeler, The Sunderland Echo, 14th May 2015Paul Merton on his return to live improv work
It has long been Paul Merton's dream to direct a cinema film and he says that he and Suki Webster are working on a film script.
Russell Leadbetter, The Herald, 14th May 2015Review: The 39 Steps
Award winning director Lexi Ward's The 39 Steps was performed at The Green Room Club, West Walls Theatre this week.
Sarah Briggs, Cumbria Live, 14th May 2015Review: The Comedy Of Errors
The Handlebards are something special. Innovative, energetic and absolutely hilarious, this quartet of actors brought Shakespeare's The Comedy Of Errors to life in an open-air performance in the Museum Gardens on Wednesday afternoon. This was by far the most innovative and exciting production of a Shakespearean comedy I have seen in a long time.
Rosanna O'Donnell, The York Press, 14th May 2015Interview: Jason Thorpe from Jeeves & Wooster tour
"It's the combination of wonderful language and absurd situations which make this show so fantastic," said Jason Thorpe, who plays Jeeves.
Salisbury Journal, 14th May 2015Still Game 'isn't Scottish enough' for major award
It is one of Scotland's biggest comedy successes, but last year's mammoth stage run of Still Game has been ruled out of a major theatre award - for not being Scottish enough.
Chortle, 14th May 2015Review: Dylan Moran at Butterworth Hall, Warwick
Dylan Moran's misanthropic musings on modern culture include coffee shop hipsters with "Edwardian cricket beards" and the trend for cross-breed dogs.
Catherine Vonledebur, Coventry Observer, 14th May 2015Eastbourne comedian goes viral on social media
A young comedian from Eastbourne is utilising an innovative way to showcase his work - on Youtube.
And after four months, Alex Partridge, 26, has built up quite a following on social media - with 70,000 fans on his Facebook page "The Unluckiest British Bloke Ever".
Sussex Express, 14th May 2015What could happen in series three of W1A?
As we bid farewell to Hugh Bonneville's Ian Fletcher and his idiotic BBC colleagues, writer John Morton tells RadioTimes.com he is keen to focus on charter renewal in another series in 2016.
Ben Dowell, Radio Times, 14th May 2015W1A, series 2, episode 4, TV review
Funny? Yes, but we've heard all these jokes before.
Chris Bennion, The Independent, 14th May 2015The Vote was dull compared to the real election
For thrills, I would take that exit poll over Judi Dench and Jude Law any day.
Rachel Cooke, The New Statesman, 14th May 2015Canongate sign up more Karl Pilkington
Canongate has signed the latest book from Karl Pilkington, planned for released in summer 2016.
Joshua Farrington, The Bookseller, 14th May 2015What's funny? An update from our Comedy Script Room.
Our Script Room for unsolicited scripts is open twice a year, once for Comedy and once for Drama. The most recent Comedy Script Room closed last month. Since then our team of freelance Script Readers have been busy ...
Sally Scott, BBC Writersroom, 14th May 2015W1A review: 'award winning perforances'
Four episodes might seem too short for the second series of a Bafta-winning comedy, but on reflection it feels right - any more exposure to these insufferable characters and we might find ourselves picking up their vile mannerisms. And that would be a total "bummer".
Isabel Mohan, The Telegraph, 14th May 2015Jason Manford takes a look at his latest comedy club
Currently starring in the touring production of The Producers at the Sunderland Empire, Jason popped over to Tyneside to see The Terrace bar.
Sam Wonfor, Newcastle Journal, 14th May 2015Reginald D Hunter review
Unafraid of silences, Hunter imbues his material that can be simultaneously lofty and base with a thoughtfulness, which he punctures only sparingly with a punchline, keeping us listening on tenterhooks in anticipation of the laugh.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 14th May 2015Behind-the-scenes on SunTrap
A six-part sitcom set on a sun-drenched island was the perfect start for our newly launched indie- until we had to go to sea, says Neil Webster.
Neil Webster, Broadcast, 14th May 2015Videos
TV & radio
Lunch
Series 3, Episode 4 - The IntrovertBill is grumpy due to still being on a starvation diet whilst Bella is glowing with sexual fulfillment - who is the lucky man?
Best Behaviour
Episode 2Holly Walsh and the panel - Mark Steel, Isy Suttie and Tom Allen - tackle the social minefield of parties, including the suggestion of a new rule banning all small talk and an end to evening-only wedding invitations.
Celebrity Juice
Series 13, Episode 9 - The Normal SpecialKeith, Holly and Fearne are joined by pop couple Marvin and Rochelle Humes, Corrie's Brooke Vincent, former footballer Jimmy Bullard and top record producer Naughty Boy.
W1A
Series 2, Episode 4On the verge of leaving the BBC, Lucy has been persuaded to take on a new job as Head of Inclusivity.
The Cool Beans Television Show
Series 2, Episode 1 - CakeAfter a dark six months without a television show, the Cool Beans Collective get the go ahead on a second series. But something's not quite right when they return to film...