BCG Daily Monday 26th October 2015

Dawn French: No ordinary treasure

It's not every national treasure who's happy to chat about their lesbian fantasies. But Dawn French is no ordinary national treasure.

Radio Times review

Sigourney Weaver makes a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo when she strides into Portwenn's chemist. An American tourist with ancestral connections to Cornwall, she wants to buy eye-drops to treat her glaucoma, so inevitably she meets Dr Ellingham. "Your accent is very thick. I can't understand what you're saying," he snaps when she suggests a smile would help. Maybe his curmudgeonly manner is the reason for the brevity of her visit.

Another new arrival is young teacher Erica (Kelly Adams), who upsets the children with her unorthodox approach to art. When she's not fainting, that is. Meanwhile, Martin and Louise are still having marriage counselling with Dr Timoney (who's behaving rather strangely herself) and there's a real "ahhhh" moment when Joe is offered a transfer to the big city. Well, to Exeter. Will anyone care if he goes or if he stays?

Review: The Lobster

Will you enjoy this strange take on modern love? Depends on how you feel about being single, says Day Moibi.

Richard Briers to be honoured with blue plaque

The British Comedy Society is to honour late actor Richard Briers CBE with a blue plaque.

Leicester Comedy Festival launches Silver Stand Up

Organisers of the Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival are launching their latest search for the best Silver Stand Up Comedians.

Online review: Matt Berry Does...Ghosts, BBC iPlayer

The latest short online micro-comedy from fruity-voiced Matt Berry takes its inspiration from Halloween. "UK ghosts are real and they are here to stay...they make you shit yourself," Berry explains at the outset.

Festival of the Spoken Nerd: Just For Graphs review

Arney, Mould and Parker are a great team, seemingly having a great time working together and bringing science and performance skills that make for a varied and entertaining evening.

Spencer Jones review: there's method in the madcap

Jones, in the guise of almost wordless tight-wearing fool The Herbert, takes traditional knockabout prop comedy and appears to merge it with something more meaningful, says Bruce Dessau.

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse: Legends - review

Yes, they depend on smut and stereotypes in some of their work, and are sometimes a bit reactionary, but that's part of the broad strokes with which they start. They're aware of the criticism, and there's more subtlety close up. Even lesser-known creations (by their standards) are a skilled blend of observation and silliness.

Ricky Gervais painting sells for more than Van Gogh

Ricky Gervais is not just a comedian and writer, he's also a successful artist. On Sunday his painting 'Sunset Cityscape' sold for £1,900 (including auction fees, commission and VAT) to an anonymous bidder. To compare, Vincent van Gogh sold one painting in his lifetime: The Red Vineyard went for 400 Francs in 1890, the equivalent of around £690 today.

History of TV book puts comic heroes in their place

Of course, Phil Norman's book A History of Television in 100 Programmes is not definitive. It's a subjective list like them all. There's nothing to stop you compiling your own, and finding room for Tutti Frutti, Just a Boys' Game or even - bless his manky semmit - Rab C Nesbitt. But Scotland's no-show is even more perplexing when you study Norman's methodology.

Sigourney Weaver on Doc Martin, ITV, review: 'bizarre'

Sigourney Weaver's cameo on cosy ITV drama Doc Martin was all too brief, says Gerard O'Donovan.

Teacher hopes to get top marks for stand-up debut

New stand-up show Rainbow Class is drawn from Vivienne Acheampong's experiences in the capital's classrooms.