BCG Daily Monday 15th August 2016
News
Features
Press clippings
David Brent: Life On The Road review
Despite some laugh-out-loud moments, The Office boss's return to the screen is somewhat underwhelming.
Matt Glasby, The List, 15th August 2016Bilal Zafar: Cakes // interview
Cakes - do we have your interest? We caught up with Bilal Zafar to discuss his debut hour at the Fringe and find out a little more about the show!
Callum Moorin, The Angry Microwave, 15th August 2016Ari Shaffir live interview with Thomas Black
Thomas Black talks to American stand up Ari Shaffir about the American approach to writing and performing an hour of stand up compared to the typical thematic driven Edinburgh Fringe show. They also talk mushrooms, missing phones and Anne Frank.
Thomas Black, Short Com, 15th August 2016Matt Winning on the Fringe
Most comedians don't have any use for the word August in their vocabulary, Matt Winning tells me. When it comes to describing the eighth month of the year most prefer to use the word Edinburgh.
Teddy Jamieson, The Herald, 15th August 2016Darren Connell picks his comedy favourites
Sometimes you just need to see a fat guy fall down a hill.
Chortle, 15th August 2016Holly Burn recalls her most memorable gigs
"Hands around my neck, he shouted: 'I'm going to kill you'."
Chortle, 15th August 2016Dara O Briain ruthlessly schools a Twitter troll
Mock The Week host Dara O Briain has proved mum jokes are still alive and well - and used them as an effective way to deal with an online troll.
Seamus Duff, Metro, 15th August 2016The Office relocates to Finland
BBC Worldwide announced today that it has sold The Office scripted format to Finnish broadcasters Elisa Entertainment and Nelonen. The show will be produced by Solar Republic.
BBC, 15th August 2016Reviewers. A polite request for some discretion please
OK, so I need to start out by declaring that in a past life, before being a performer, I have been a reviewer. I was young, I needed the money (well, the free tickets to bands I was too skint to go to).
Angela Barnes, Beyond The Joke, 15th August 2016John Bird: Fringe benefits of political comedy
"Will there be Leavers at the Fringe laughing in some little room somewhere? Brexit deserves some theatrical interpretation"
John Bird, The Big Issue, 15th August 2016Seven questions with... Lazy Susan
Lazy Susan are a sketch double act made of Freya Parker and Celeste Dring, who have been making waves in recent times with shows that get bigger and better each year. Their sketches are unpredictable, silly and surreal, no surprise, then, that they were nominated for the Foster's Best Newcomer Award in 2014. Lazy Susan bring their latest show, Crazy Sexy Fool, to this year's Edinburgh Festival, and it is one that everyone seems to be talking about.
Moody Comedy, 15th August 2016Let's hope Blankety Blank doesn't get Keith Lemon
The best possible thing that could happen to Blankety Blank now is if someone like Paddy McGuinness took over and oversaw a ho-hum photocopy of the original show. But this is ITV. We cannot rule out the horrible prospect of Keith Lemon's Blankety Blank. Look at Through the Keyhole, once a respected if smug BBC One series that ITV snapped up and transformed into a witless totem to endless, tortuous, shrieking, pointless, Lambrini-drinking, grunting, cheapskate, empty-calorie Keith Lemon muck. If ITV has the power to do that to Through the Keyhole, imagine what a mess it would make of Blankety Blank.
Stuart Heritage, The Guardian, 15th August 2016Interview: Ryan Cull - Brace Yourself
Ryan Cull interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Erich McElroy - (US) Electile Dysfunction
Erich McElroy interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Tommy Holgate - The Man in the Miracle
Tommy Holgate interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Elf Lyons - Pelican
Elf Lyons interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Paul McMullan
Paul McMullan interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Matt Tedford
Matt Tedford interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Jenny Collier - Jen-Hur
Jenny Collier interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Joz Norris - Hello, Goodbye
Joz Norris interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Rhys Nicholson - Bona Fide
Rhys Nicholson interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Compromise doesn't have to be a dirty word
Comedians should remember the show isn't all about them, says JoJo Bellini.
JoJo Bellini, Chortle, 15th August 2016Carl Donnelly: 'I don't read reviews of my show' (Link expired)
Carl Donnelly stops by the WOW247 campervan to reveal his darkest Fringe secrets.
Alex Watson, WOW247, 15th August 2016We tested a US comedian on some very Scottish phrases (Link expired)
When Joe DeRosa turned up at our VW campervan at the Edinburgh Festival, we decided to test him on some of our favourite Scottish phrases.
Alex Watson, WOW247, 15th August 2016Edinburgh Festival: Seven shows to see this week (Link expired)
We've got through the first week of Edinburgh action, but we're not even close to running out of things to see. Here's seven shows across the next week which...
Matthew Dunne-Miles, WOW247, 15th August 2016Horrible Histories theatre review
The best bits from the critically acclaimed Barmy Britain shows make for a barnstorming afternoon.
David Crawford, Radio Times, 15th August 2016When you co-write, do you have to split the pay check?
I've done quite enough blogging recently about the state of the industry and Sitcom in general, rather than the business of writing sitcoms. So I asked on Twitter if anyone had any questions. And you did. So I'm working my way through those over the next few weeks.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 15th August 2016Readers' Qs - Do I need a final draft?
No. Probably not. Maybe eventually?
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 15th August 2016Comic Bec Hill ties the knot
Comedian Bec Hill got married at the Edinburgh Fringe today - and recruited plenty of comedy folk to help her.
Chortle, 15th August 2016The best jokes from Edinburgh festival
These are the funniest lines we've heard so far from this year's standup shows.
The Guardian, 15th August 2016Interview with Darren Walsh
Darren Walsh video interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 15th August 2016Fringe Q&As: Asad Mecci on hypnosis, improv and kilts
Asad Mecci talks about Hyprov: Improvisation Under Hypnosis.
The Herald, 15th August 2016Fringe Q&As: Andy Askins
Andy Askins talks about The Man With No Name.
The Herald, 15th August 2016Fringe Q&As: Daniel Nils Roberts
Daniel Nils Roberts talks about Honey.
The Herald, 15th August 2016Fringe Q&As: Sofie Hagen
Sofie Hagen talks abotut her new show, Summer Shatter.
The Herald, 15th August 2016Fringe Q&As: Lazy Susan
Lazy Susan interview.
The Herald, 15th August 2016Interview: Adam and Eve and Steve
Adam and Eve and Steve interview.
Rosie Gillott, Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Mixed Doubles
Mixed Doubles interview.
Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: BEASTS
BEASTS interview.
Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview: Zack and Tom - Police Cops
Police Cops interview.
Fresh Air, 15th August 2016Interview with Carl Donnelly
Carl Donnelly interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 15th August 2016Interview with Lucie Pohl
Lucie Pohl interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 15th August 2016Interview with Jamali Maddix
Jamali Maddix interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 15th August 2016Interview with Des Bishop
Des Bishop interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 15th August 2016Three to see on 16 Aug
Three to see at the Edinburgh Festival tomorrow...
ThreeWeeks, 15th August 2016Podcast: Rachel Parris' best laid plans
Rachel has endured an enormous year of upheaval. Fortunately she's a musical comedian, so has been able to write a show about it. But will her mum approve?
Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 15th August 2016Podcast: Rob Carter is Bliss
Actor and comedian, Rob Carter, is bringing his novelist character creation, Christopher Bliss, to the Edinburgh stage. Who is Christopher? Who is Rob? And what is Stand Up & Slam?
Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 15th August 2016Reviewer review: Jonathan Holmes (Fest)
What is going on at Fes towers this year? Last year their average score - AVERAGE - was 2.3 stars. This year it's like opening a box of glitter. Maybe they realised nobody likes them.
Mister Kipper, FringePig, 15th August 2016Reviewer review: Nina Keen (Three Weeks)
Is the world just wrong? Or is Nina Keen just wrong? Because one of the two MUST be wrong.
Edmund Rumania, FringePig, 15th August 2016Marny Godden Q&A
Marny Godden interview.
Short Com, 15th August 2016Luke Courtier Q&A
Luke Courtier interview.
Short Com, 15th August 2016Tez Ilyas Q&A
Tez Ilyas interview.
Short Com, 15th August 2016Stuart Mitchell Q&A - Edinburgh Fringe 2016
Stuart Mitchell interview.
Short Com, 15th August 2016What happened when a Tory comic met a lefty comic?
When Geoff Norcott met Jonathan Pie.
Ben Williams, i Newspaper, 15th August 2016How Brexit gave comedy the shot in the arm it needed
"I woke up on June 24, and thought 'Cor blimey, I didn't see that one coming!' " exclaims Henning Wehn, self-styled "German Comedy Ambassador in London", near the start of his Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Westphalia is Not an Option.
Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph, 15th August 2016Do you start with a blank screen again in 2nd draft?
Great question. Everyone has their own styles and ways of doing things, so I can only say what's normal for me. And, it depends on how good the first draft is.
James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 15th August 2016Six shows you shouldn't miss
Dolphins on LSD, a comic symphony and an improbable family show about a school siege ... our critics pick the top tickets of this year's fringe.
Lyn Gardner and Brian Logan, The Guardian, 15th August 2016Eric Lampaert discusses his search for aliens (Link expired)
Eric Lampaert stopped by the WOW Wagon to discuss aliens, from our world and other worlds too.
WOW247, 15th August 2016The Birthday Girls answer Punchline's burning questions
Birthday Girls interview.
Punchline UK, 15th August 2016Bechdel Testing Edinburgh Fringe festival
This month we're taking time out from holding Bechdel Theatre Festival conversations to Bechdel test some of the many (many, many) shows at the worlds biggest theatre festival in Edinburgh. We've been endorsing Bechdel test passing shows with stickers. Keep your eye out if you're looking at a wall of posters and want to choose something with women at the forefront to break up the overwhelming maleness of most of the festival scene. If you see this logo you can be sure that women are being represented.
Bechdel Theatre, 15th August 2016Scott Agnew reveals he is HIV positive
Scott hopes that he can change some of the stereotypes surrounding the condition.
Jonathan Geddes, Daily Record, 15th August 2016No days off and 18 hour shifts
I worked for one of the four largest venue providers last year. Like many young people I wanted to experience the fringe and further my dramatic career, and the position I took provided approx. 8 hour days, a room to live in, and a subsistence to live off. While it's true we worked around 8-10 hours in a day, it was managed terribly: we would work 20 mins on, 30 mins off, all day everyday, from 9am to 3 or 4 in the morning.
Fringe Whistleblower, 15th August 2016Exploited by University of Edinburgh Student Union
I worked for the University of Edinburgh's student union during the Fringe last year. It made me so mentally ill that I won't work it again.
Fringe Whistleblower, 15th August 2016Lose your job for doing it well
When the show sold out for its full run nearly a week before the end of the Fringe, the box office temps had the rest of our shifts cancelled.
Fringe Whistleblower, 15th August 2016DAAS have the spirit of the Fringe
Australian comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars were awarded a Spirit Of The Fringe award in Edinburgh last night by festival stalwart Melvyn Stutter. It was the last night of the band's run at the Fringe after a 25-year gap,and likely to be their last appearance because Tim Fergusson now has multiple sclerosis which makes travel difficult.
Chortle, 15th August 2016Pilot for new Welsh comedy filmed in valleys town
The pilot episode for a new comedy drama set in South Wales has been filmed in a valleys town.
Wales Online, 15th August 2016Podcasts
TV & radio
Hacker Time
Series 6, Episode 6 - Steph McGovernBBC Breakfast and Pocket Money Pitch presenter Steph McGovern drops in to the Hacker Time studio to endure Hacker's jokes about money. Pocket Money Pitch becomes Pocket Money Pooch for one day only, plus there's a trip to Rearend-On-Sea for TV's least informative documentary, The Accommodation Place.
Monsignor Quixote
Episode 6Monsignor Quixote and Sancho help a robber - and pay an unexpected price.
Way Out East
Episode 6 - We'll Meet AgainChinese New Year, and the flatmates and their friends are ready to party, if only they can get the float going. Then there is the unresolved sexual tension.
Way Out West
Episode 6 - We'll Meet AgainChinese New Year, and the flatmates and their friends are ready to party, if only they can get the float going. Then there is the unresolved sexual tension.
Just A Minute
Series 76, Episode 2Paul Merton, now the second most prolific player of the game after Kenneth Williams, is joined by Julian Clary, Tony Hawks and Zoe Lyons and will be tackling topics such as 'Let them eat cake' and A Brief Encounter, but gets sidetracked by a debate on chips.
The Big Fat Quiz Of Everything
Episode 1Jonathan Ross, Mel Giedroyc, Kristen Schaal, David Mitchell, Bob Mortimer and Claudia Winkleman join Jimmy to compete for the Big Fat Quiz crown.