BCG Daily Friday 2nd August 2019
Features
Live
Live
Press clippings
Interview: rarely asked questions - Steve N Allen
In a time when you can't do right for doing wrong, Steve N Allen, best known for his smart-suited, sharp-tongued regular appearances on BBC Two's Mash Report, takes a look at how hard it is to be better in his Edinburgh show. When you want to be PC, right on or woke, it can be tough. Be better than an angry Twitter egg. Be better than you.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 2nd August 2019The festival's 10 best comedy acts chosen by comedians
Britain's top comedians including Katherine Ryan, Frankie Boyle, Romesh Ranganathan share their tips for this year's unmissable stand-ups.
Alice Jones, i Newspaper, 2nd August 2019
Q&A: Olaf Falafel
Olaf Falafel is perhaps the best named stand-up heading to this year's Fringe.
Ross Crae, The Sunday Post, 2nd August 2019
Three to see 2019: mental health and the mind
This time three shows about mental health and the mind.
Caro Moses, ThreeWeeks, 2nd August 2019Three to see 2019: motherhood
This time three shows about motherhood.
Caro Moses, ThreeWeeks, 2nd August 201950 word Fringe pitch... Ffion Jones
This time it's the turn of... Ffion Jones.
The Reviews Hub, 2nd August 2019
50 word Fringe pitch... Izzy Mant
This time it's the turn of... Izzy Mant: Polite Club.
The Reviews Hub, 2nd August 201950 word Fringe pitch... Reba Martell
This time it's the turn of... Reba Martell.
The Reviews Hub, 2nd August 2019
Fringe: Our guide to the best shows to see
Holly Williams picks the most interesting shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and International Festival.
Holly Williams, The Independent, 2nd August 2019
How the Edinburgh Fringe transformed TV comedy
As the Edinburgh Fringe begins again, we examine how the festival spawned shows like Taskmaster, Fleabag, and The League Of Gentlemen...
Mark Harrison, Den Of Geek, 2nd August 2019+3 interview: Legs
"It all started in Adelaide. I went to a charity shop with my friend, found a jacket, a hat, and shoes, but couldn't find trousers. I put on the jacket, hat, and shoes, and started doing a silly walk around the shop trouser-less."
Dan Lentell, Edinburgh49, 2nd August 2019
+3 interview: Lost Voice Guy
"I'm worrying about seeing my flyers being trampled into the cobbles on the streets of Edinburgh while my hopes and dreams come crashing down on me."
Dan Lentell, Edinburgh49, 2nd August 2019+3 interview: Nick Horseman: The Rhyme Scheme
"I was away on my honeymoon in Indonesia. It was all pretty glorious until a massive, devastating earthquake hit about 20 miles away from the island we were on at the time and we then had to evacuate, along with the thousands of other tourists and locals, as it had become unsafe to stay."
Dan Lentell, Edinburgh49, 2nd August 2019
Q&A: Catherine Bohart
How a BuzzFeed quiz launched Catherine Bohart's career in comedy.
The Herald, 2nd August 2019
Ciaran Dowd chooses his comedy favourites
I find the 'man-child as an agent of chaos' thing so funny.
Cairan Dowd, Chortle, 2nd August 2019Luke Rollason: why I'm turning my phone off this Fringe
But Luke Rollason is asking his audience to keep theirs on.
Luke Rollason, Chortle, 2nd August 2019
Dad's Army bit-part actor: remake is culutral vandalism
Stuart McGugan, who starred in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and appeared in one episode of the original Dad's Army as, has slammed UKTV channel Gold's remake of three lost episodes from the World War Two sitcom.
Andy Halls, The Sun, 2nd August 2019
Meet the 2019 Funny Women Awards Finalists: Sarah Mann
We were down south in Brighton for our second 2019 Funny Women Awards semi-final, hosted by Julie Jepson at the lovely Komedia where we hold a monthly showcase Brighton Nights. The competition was especially fierce for this heat and Awards founder Lynne Parker noted that any one of the comedians who performed that night could have gone through, but there could only be one winner on the night and that was trombonist Sarah Mann...
Funny Women, 2nd August 2019
Alex Kealy: the Edinburgh interviews 2019
Interview with Alex Kealy.
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 2nd August 2019
James Bran: the Edinburgh interviews 2019
Interview with James Bran.
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 2nd August 2019Tami Stone: the Edinburgh interviews 2019
Interview with Tami Stone.
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 2nd August 2019
Comedians talk about The Cabaret Bar
We speak to some comedians to get their top memories from the legendary Edinburgh venue.
Brian Donaldson, The List, 2nd August 2019
Ronni Ancona interview
The Scottish actress and impressionist reflects on her first impressions, and her current favourites.
Brian Donaldson, The List, 2nd August 2019
A guide to female comedians at the Fringe
Here at To Do List, we actively seek funny female comedians in a world still dominated by straight, white men!
Laura Edmans, To Do List, 2nd August 2019
1996 comedy sketch is an eerie prophecy of Brexit
A recently reemerged clip from the 90s comedy sketch show Bremner, Bird and Fortune, which starred comedians John Bird, John Fortune and Rory Bremner, takes a shot at the Eurosceptics of the mid-90s. Bird assumes the character of George Parr, a fictional Tory MP who isn't too fond of the EU, the European Court of Human Rights, Greek words and the women of Luxembourg.
Greg Evans, The Independent, 2nd August 2019Al Samuels: the Edinburgh interviews 2019
Interview with Al Samuels
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 2nd August 2019
Milton Jones: 'I've never had a funny hairstyle'
The standup, writer and Mock the Week regular on the things that make him laugh the most.
Harriet Gibsone, The Guardian, 2nd August 2019
If your house was on fire, what would you leave behind?
(or even surreptitiously throw into the flames when no one was looking?)
Chortle, 2nd August 2019Courtney Pauroso: interview
The American comedian makes her much-anticipated Fringe debut at this character clown and burlesque show.
Brian Donaldson, The List, 2nd August 2019
Nick Offerman interview
The Parks and Rec star takes on our First & Last Q&A
Brian Donaldson, The List, 2nd August 20195 shows that will actually teach you something new
Learn boozy science, master the art of the ceilidh and find your zen with meditation.
Laura Hotchkiss & Dayna McAlpine, Edinburgh Live, 2nd August 2019
Q&A: Archie Maddocks
What is life, if nothing but a distraction until you die?
Ross Crae, The Sunday Post, 2nd August 2019
This Way Up: A droll, nervy comedy
A funny woman on the brink of disaster is at the centre of this new series resembling a London-Irish Broad City.
Danny Leigh, The Financial Times, 2nd August 2019
Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, review
The template of joshing and musing against gorgeous scenery is totally unchanged, but should provide the perfect Friday night wind-down.
Jeff Robson, i Newspaper, 2nd August 2019
Clunkerdunk & comedy shorts are bringing silliness back
Once a ten-minute pilot from BBC's batch of shorts, Spencer Jones' oddball comedy harks back to the days of The Goon Show and Monty Python.
Emily Baker, i Newspaper, 2nd August 2019Sarah-Jane Scott: Appropriate interview
Well, here's a play which, while completely new to the Fringe, has already won critical acclaim in its creator's native Ireland.
Caro Moses, ThreeWeeks, 2nd August 2019
Gone Fishing, episode 1 review
Lumps in the throat when Paul Whitehouse scattered his father's ashes.
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph, 2nd August 2019
Hold The Sunset makes Mrs Brown look like a masterpiece
Retiree romcom Hold The Sunset (BBC One) returned for a second series but I rather wish it had sailed off into its titular twilight. Instead, almost in the words of The Honeycombs' best-known song, it came right back and I just can't bear it.
Michael Hogan, The Telegraph, 2nd August 2019
Melinda Hughes on satire
For Edinburgh Fringe satirists Trump is gift who keeps on giving.
Melinda Hughes, The Scotsman, 2nd August 2019
Festival picks from Herald critics
The Herald, 2nd August 2019
Frank Skinner interview
Frank Skinner on late fatherhood and why he's still doing stand-up.
Teddy Jamieson, The Herald, 2nd August 2019
What it feels like ... to get drunk and solve crimes
Our live shows are so much fun. The audience tends to get very invested in the case.
Taylor Glenn, The Herald, 2nd August 2019
Our top ten picks of Edinburgh Fringe 2019
Picking which shows to see at The Edinburgh Fringe can be very overwhelming, so we've chosen our Top Ten Picks of the Fringe 2019 to help you out! You're welcome.
2Northdown, 2nd August 2019
An appetite for all things food and drink
Award-winning stand-up comedian and cook, George Egg's new show, Moveable Feast, will have you laughing and salivating in equal amounts.
Edinburgh Foody, 2nd August 2019How Phoebe Waller-Bridge revived tired writing tools
How Phoebe Waller-Bridge revived tired screenwriting tools to make the acclaimed comedy drama. From breaking the fourth wall to flashbacks, Waller-Bridge artfully repurposed two narrative devices that have long been gathering the dust of cliché.
The Independent, 2nd August 2019The truth about comedy writers' rooms
Grubby banter, sexless flirting and the smell of pizza and ambition ... writer Sarah Morgan reveals the funny business that goes on behind the scenes of your favourite shows.
Sarah Morgan, The Guardian, 2nd August 2019Videos
Online
Online
Online
Podcasts
TV & radio
11:30am30 min
Party's Over
Episode 1 - PilotHenry is looking to repair his tattered reputation by getting a publishing deal for his memoirs - hopefully setting the record straight on his premiership.
1:30pm30 min
Breaking The News
Series 13, Episode 7Des Clarke is joined by Justin Moorhouse, Elaine Malcolmson, Scott Agnew and Karen Bartke.
6:30pm30 min
Lobby Land
Series 2, Episode 3Comedy following life in Westminster through the eyes of Sam Peakes, a young political editor at a clickbait website, as she tries to make sense of the madness engulfing British politics.
8pm30 min
Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Series 2, Episode 1 - Wild Brown Trout (River Usk, South Wales)Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer travel to the picturesque River Usk in south Wales, where Paul's father first taught him to fish as a young child.
9pm60 min
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Series 17 (C4: 18), Episode 2Sean Lock and Victoria Coren Mitchell take on Jon Richardson and James Acaster, while Morgana Robinson joins wordsmith Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner.
9pm30 min
Hold The Sunset
Series 2, Episode 1 - The SaleWith Edith and Phil's sunset retirement waiting on the sale of the house, Phil begins to despair of it ever selling.
10pm65 min
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan
Series 1, Episode 3Mo chews the fat with actor David Schwimmer, comedian and writer Aisling Bea, actress, comedian and singer-songwriter Jada Pinkett Smith and musician Ricky Wilson.
10:30pm60 min
BBC New Comedy Award
2019, Episode 5 - Heat 5 - CardiffThe final heat of BBC Introducing Radio 4 Award 2019, recorded at The Glee Club in Cardiff and hosted by Robin Morgan.
10:30pm30 min
The Comedy Underground
Episode 9This week, Stuart Mitchell shares his tips with everyone, Eleanor Morton tries to reinvent herself, Eddy Brimson makes himself comfortable at home in Leith, Lubna Kerr talks about not running off samosas, Vladimir McTavish notices he's getting old for the first time and Julia Sutherland doesn't care how old she is, she's going to keep on doing whatever she likes.
10:35pm30 min
TV Flashback
Series 1, Episode 5 - FoodThis time he's on a quest to discover the truth about food. It's a story of tofu, bean baths and hedgehog crisps, full of lively characters from the nation's TV past.