BCG Daily Wednesday 25th March 2020
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Features
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Press clippings
Kate and Koji serves up an odd couple for our times
Interviews with stars Brenda Blethyn and Jimmy Akingbola.
Georgia Humphreys, The Sunday Post, 25th March 2020Comedy and the art of STEM communication
Interview with comics Bec Hill and Harriet Braine, who with Professor Lucy Rogers present The DesignSpark Podcast, which explores modern tech from a comedy perspective.
Benjamin Page, The Engineer, 25th March 2020Friday Night Dinner creator denies series end rumours
Simon Bird, who plays Adam, recently suggested that the upcoming sixth series was "probably the end" of the show - even more upsetting for loyal viewers than when Wilson died. But we have good news! Speaking to RadioTimes.com, series creator/writer Robert Popper has suggested that Friday Night Dinner might not be ending after all.
Morgan Jeffery, Radio Times, 25th March 2020Review - Check Up: Our NHS @ 70
As our already cash-strapped NHS is being pushed way beyond its limits by the current coronavirus crisis, it's a very good time to look again (although I missed it first time round) at Mark Thomas's passionate and meticulously researched show celebrating our health service's seventieth anniversary, which appeared in Edinburgh in 2018 and subsequently toured the UK. He's made it easier to do that by making this recording of a performance at Theatre Royal Wakefield during that tour 'free' to download for a limited time, conditional on a donation to the food bank charity the Trussell Trust, "anything from a quid to a million."
David Chadderton, British Theatre Guide, 25th March 2020TV review: Mister Winner, BBC Two
Comedy fans who have seen Jones onstage or enjoyed Clunkerdunk may be surprised by this. There is no laugh track or studio laughter giving it a slightly flat feel. But Jones is great and is always watchable, even when you can see the punchlines coming a miles off. It just seems like an odd fit for someone who is so imaginative, creative and talented.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 25th March 2020Mister Winner, episode 1 review
Spencer Jones is one of the funniest, most inventive comedians to have emerged in recent years - which is why it's so disappointing to see him in this most lukewarm of sitcoms. It's like putting Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel of a Reliant Robin.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 25th March 2020Top 20 British sitcoms of 21st century: This Country
This Country is not a series that benefits from extensive hype: it is perhaps best discovered for yourself, either on DVD or on the BBC iPlayer. But it is nevertheless, quite brilliant, a wonderful, low key, comic delight.
Chris Hallam, Chris Hallam's World View, 25th March 2020Hitmen review
While Hitmen isn't perfect, the likability of its stars, the intrigue of their situation and the unpredictability of the oddballs that come into their orbit make offer intriguing possibilities.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 25th March 2020Hitmen review
Killing people - is it funny? Not just now, when the news is filled with a rising death toll, but ever? I was racking my brain on that one as I gritted my teeth through the painful opening episode of Hitmen, in which Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc set out to show they can still cut it in comedy after veering off into presenting travelogues and the like.
Keith Watson, Metro, 25th March 2020Mister Winner, review
This good-natured comedy is just the tonic we need right now.
Anita Singh, The Telegraph, 25th March 2020Review: Hitmen has perfect casting, but comedy misses
Sure, it's not un-funny. It's an enjoyable half hour. But I wanted so much more.
Emma Bullimore, Radio Times, 25th March 2020Hitmen review
The well-loved duo Mel and Sue bring much-needed laughter as incompetent assassins in this slightly plotted but enjoyable sitcom.
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian, 25th March 2020Hitmen: review
The Bake Off duo reunite as a pair of killing machines in this new Sky series, where the biggest crimes committed are the boring jokes
Ellie Harrison, The Independent, 25th March 2020Hitmen, Sky One, review
Half-baked comedy from Mel and Sue needs killing off.
Rupert Hawksley, i Newspaper, 25th March 2020Maggie Cole and Friday Night Dinner crossover
In last week's episode of The Trouble With Maggie Cole, Mark Heap gave a nod to his other alter ego in a scene with Dawn French as he said "Shalom".
Jill Robinson, The Sun, 25th March 2020Hitmen, review
Mel and Sue as contract killers? They're better off sticking to presenting.
Anita Singh, The Telegraph, 25th March 2020Mae Martin's quietly charming comedy Feel Good
A comedy tackling drug addiction and coming out, Feel Good is neither patronising nor fluffy.
Anna Leszkiewicz, The New Statesman, 25th March 2020Netflix offer £3 million for uncensored Little Britain
Netflix is set to pay around £3 million to the stars of Little Britain to create new episodes.
The streaming giant hopes to poach writers and stars David Walliams and Matt Lucas from the BBC.
Ellie Henman, The Sun, 25th March 2020Podcasts
TV & radio
Class Dismissed
Series 5, Episode 8 - GCSE OptionsYear 9 are choosing their GCSE options - with a Dragons' Den twist!
Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life
Series 3, Episode 4 - WinterIn this final programme in the series, Mark and his guests look at the pros and cons of winter. Pros - Christmas. Cons - the end of the year reminds us that all things must die.
Georgina's Isolation Diaries!
Episode 6 - Day 6Today Georgina discusses beauty tips and has some 'procedures' done at home.
Kate & Koji
Series 1, Episode 2With Kate and Koji's undercover clinic in full swing, the last thing they need is a visit from Dr Radwan. Medium keeps Koji calm, and Kate cooks up a surefire way to get back at an adversary.
The Trouble With Maggie Cole
Episode 4Peter has to contend with a campaign for his resignation and journalists are calling trying to dig up family skeletons...Fortunately, his ever dependable secretary is watching his back.
Mister Winner
Episode 1 - The PianoWhile is Leslie on a house clearance job with his father-in-law Chris he finds an abandoned piano and quickly comes up with a scheme to make some money from it. But will music be the food of love?
Hypothetical
Series 2, Episode 8Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster return with ridiculous hypothetical scenarios for Jamali Maddix, Laura Lexx, Rosie Jones and Joe Lycett.
Feel Good
Series 1, Episode 2Mae and George are so loved-up they haven't spent a moment apart since they met. But when George goes away to a wedding, Mae realises that she's forgotten how to be on her own.
Tim Key's Poetry Programme
Series 5, Episode 2 - RomeTim Key broadcasts live from his trailer in Rome, where he is shooting a film directed by the legendary Sir Hayden Higgins.