BCG Daily Wednesday 7th July 2021
News
Features
Press clippings
Lesley Joseph says Birds Of A Feather end is a 'relief'
Lesley Joseph says: "I don't think it's going to happen again to be absolutely honest. I think after 32 years, I need to do other things. Keeping your weight down to play Dorien is not easy."
The Mirror, 7th July 2021Life according to... Still Game star Jane McCarry
The Still Game star talks about returning to work, special times with her family, her rock star moment and why it's never a good idea to wear tights on your head.
The Sunday Post, 7th July 2021Review: Please Help, BBC Three/iPlayer
This is one of those comedies that can be read on at least two levels. It's daft fun, certainly, but it also seems to be making a serious comment about the pressure put on the mental health of individuals by the inadequacy of the NHS care system, which can place a heavy burden on family members.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 7th July 2021Armando Iannucci thinks people liking Tucker "sad"
Speaking exclusively at last week's RadioTimes.com Script to Screen event, writer Armando Iannucci admits it actually saddens him that the rude director of communications became such a beloved figure in British comedy.
Emma Bullimore, Radio Times, 7th July 2021Please Help review
The BBC really ought to pounce on this imaginative, hilarious premise and sign Pearman up for a series immediately.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 7th July 2021Michael Palin's Memory Palaces review
Many of these tales might be familiar to fans, but it's good to hear them told, most engagingly, from the Python's mouth. So don't expect great insights into the working of Gilliam's eccentric mind, but an array of entertaining anecdotes that unfold with a little more space that they would get on the usual chat-show circuit.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 7th July 2021Johnny English revisited
He might not be the smartest, but he gets the job done... eventually.
Melissa, Female First, 7th July 2021The re-evaluation game: Porridge - A Night In
The whole thing is shot through with melancholy in a manner which we rarely see in sitcoms these days, and while I can't say it's a series that I'm any more passionate about given its questionable elements, having rewatched this episode it's certainly given me more respect for it.
Alex Finch, Comedy To Watch, 7th July 2021Assembly announces Fringe comedy on demand
Edinburgh Fringe venue Assembly has announced the first comedy shows to be streamed on its Showcatcher video player for this year's festival.
Chortle, 7th July 2021The Office: Remembering first scathing review
Writing in the Evening Standard, Victor Lewis-Smith hated the show saying: "How this dross ever got beyond the pilot stage is a mystery".
Clémence Michallon, The Independent, 7th July 2021Please Help, BBC3, review
This surreal sitcom pilot about a carer with superpowers left me wanting more.
Barbara Speed, i Newspaper, 7th July 2021Marcel Lucont: the 'French comic' the UK love to hate
"When I was growing up, I always found so many aspects of British culture odd, when no one else did... the repression of the English, the xenophobia, the beige food..." explains Alexis Dubus, the British comedian better known by his stage name, Marcel Lucont.
Catherine Rickman, Frenchly, 7th July 2021Stephen Merchant on 20 years of The Office
'Would it get made today? I don't know'.
Michael Idato, The Age, 7th July 2021Videos
Podcasts
TV & radio
Please Help
A normal girl, trapped in a mundane and claustrophobic life as her grandmother's only carer, starts to develop mysterious and unexplainable powers.
Fighting Talk
Series 18, Special - Euros SpecialGabby Logan hosts a special episode prior to England's semi-final against Denmark in Euro 2020. She is joined by comedians Justin Moorhouse and Ivo Graham, football commentator and sports journalist Vicki Sparks, and sports broadcaster David Alroka.
Michael Palin's Memory Palaces
Michael Palin invents fantastical new interview technology to fire James Peak deep inside Terry Gilliam's memory palace.
Horrible Histories
Series 9, Special - Gruesome Guide To Growing Up: Animated SpecialLife wasn't always fun for children in the past. Horrible Histories delves into the not-so-easy lives of children throughout history, from the strict parenting of ancient civilisations, to the terrible fights the young King Louis XIV had with his little brother - even weeing on each others beds! And find out just why Henry VIII was so keen for his son Edward VI to stay inside.
Unite
Series 1, Episode 3 - Chicken ManAshley starts a new job promoting a local fried chicken restaurant, and after inadvertently stopping a jewellery heist, he becomes a national hero. Meanwhile, Gideon and Rebecca open up a vegan pop up cafe, Imogen holds a Jiu Jitsu class and Tony catches up with one of his old comrades from The Revolutionary Party for Working Workers (Marxist-Leninist).
Adrian Edmondson - Signs Of Life
Series 1, Episode 3 - Fegato Per DueAdrian remembers the glorious feeling of belonging in the early days of working in Soho at The Comic Strip and eating at the Italian restaurant where the waiters know his name, and his favourite dish.
Heidi Regan: No Worries
Episode 2Heidi realises that repressing worries could actually lead to them bubbling up uninvited.
The Skewer
Series 4, Episode 6This week - Freedom Day, Wacky Space Races, and William and Harry take on The Krays.