BCG Daily Thursday 22nd July 2021

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Les Dawson: The Lost Tapes. Les Dawson

Les Dawson: The Lost Tapes review

Glory of Les Dawson and Britain before we lost our sense of fun.

Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 22nd July 2021
Olga Koch

Olga Koch on swapping Russia for Britain

As she returns to stand-up at Latitude this weekend, the 28-year-old says the comedy circuit is full of 'horror' at facing live audiences.

Tristram Fane Saunders, The Telegraph, 22nd July 2021
Olga Koch

Olga Koch to co-host BBC tech podcast Human Error

Olga Koch and journalist Hussein Kesvani are set to present new BBC podcast Human Error. Each episode will get listeners up to speed with the state of technology today while drawing upon the knowledge of relevant experts.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 22nd July 2021
Bobby Ball

Revealed: What the Bobby Ball statue will look like

The statue of Bobby Ball will feature the comic as he was aged 40, with a 'twinkle in his eye' and in his familiar 'Rock On Tommy' stance, tugging on his braces.

Chortle, 22nd July 2021
Les Dawson: The Lost Tapes. Les Dawson

Les Dawson: The Lost Tapes review

A small piece of the godmother-in-law of gags.

Carol Midgley, The Times, 22nd July 2021
Dave Cohen

Second draft - the second draft

In the last blog I mentioned that there is almost no writing about rewriting. Which is ridiculous if you think about it.

Dave Cohen, Dave Cohen's Blog, 22nd July 2021
Assembly Festival

Assembly announces Edinburgh shows

Edinburgh's longest running multi-venue producer returns with a live programme of events for the 2021 Festival Fringe.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 22nd July 2021
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan. Mo Gilligan

Mo Gilligan launches underrepresented group scheme

The second series of the Bafta-winning The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan will include production roles that have been created to accelerate the careers of talented individuals within the industry from underrepresented groups.

Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 22nd July 2021
James Cary

Writing sitcoms: hard work vs frustration

Your sitcom characters can normally be described using adjectives. In general, you need to think of actions they can take so you are showing us, not telling us. But let's stick with the adjectives for now.

James Cary, Sitcom Geek, 22nd July 2021
David Baddiel

David Baddiel: Jewish comedy is Jew comedy

The word 'Jew' describes who we are - but it's a signal of racism, as well as being the foundation of much of the self-deprecation that is the basis of traditional Jewish comedy.

David Baddiel, The Jewish Chronicle, 22nd July 2021
Getting On. Hilary Loftus (Ricky Grover). Copyright: Vera Productions

Ealing Comedy Festival 2021 opening gala review

The joy of being back at a gig was palpable for punters and acts alike. The fact it was a glorious summer evening in an attractive park, the craft beer flowing freely, was a bonus.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 22nd July 2021
Andy Parsons

Andy Parsons: stand-up is easier than homeschooling

You can let an audience know how you truly feel and it can all be part of the show. It is often not advisable to let your children know how your true feelings because it's not always helpful.

Andy Parsons, The Independent, 22nd July 2021
Good Omens. Image shows from L to R: Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), Crowley (David Tennant)

Good Omens Season 2 could be better than the first

The best parts of Season 1 are when Aziraphale and Crowley interact, full stop. And there simply isn't enough of them!

Alicia Kania, The Mary Sue, 22nd July 2021
Simon Amstell: Set Free. Simon Amstell

Simon Amstell interview

"I spent years trying to get away from Popworld - now I feel grateful".

Gary Ryan, NME, 22nd July 2021
The Mash Report. Nish Kumar. Copyright: Princess Productions

Nish Kumar: 'I'd love to keep The Mash Report going'

Nish Kumar's next big appearance is due to be in the open air, but when I talk to him he has become one of the many hundreds of thousands of people in this country who have been trapped indoors by that new sound of the summer, a ping.

Clive Davis, The Times, 22nd July 2021
Mark Watson

Mark Watson on lumps, leaks and talking about stuff

Life is full of embarrassments, but for Mark Watson, putting off a medical appointment to have a lump checked was a valuable lesson - nobody is judging you.

Mark Watson, The Guardian, 22nd July 2021
Off The Rails. Image shows from L to R: Kate Fisher (Jenny Seagrove), Maddie (Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips), Cassie (Kelly Preston), Liz (Sally Phillips)

Off the Rails, review

There's plenty of Blondie in Jules Williamson's film, but precious little innovation - and couldn't they give Judi Dench more to do?

The Telegraph, 22nd July 2021

Suchandrika Chakrabarti on Amy Winehouse

Comedian Suchandrika Chakrabarti recalls how Amy Winehouse "could make heartbreak into great art" and marks this as one of the reasons she chose to create a fringe comedy piece about the pop star this year.

Anya Ryan, Stylist, 22nd July 2021

Suchandrika Chakrabarti on BBC Radio London

Suchandrika Chakrabarti speaking to Salma El-Wardany on BBC Radio London about Amy Winehouse and her fringe show, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of Amy's death (from 36 minutes in).

BBC, 22nd July 2021

Northern Star

Sometimes, finding out the true story about an old sitcom legend gets very complicated. But not always.
...
So if Red Dwarf was never recorded at TV Centre, where was it recorded? For its first three series, the answer is: New Broadcasting House. Not the current NBH in London; this was Manchester's New Broadcasting House, on Oxford Road.

John Hoare, Dirty Feed, 22nd July 2021

Videos

Podcasts

TV & radio

Radio 4
6:30pm
30 min
Olga Koch

Olga Koch: OK Computer

Series 1, Episode 3 - Health

Olga Koch and her digital assistant are on a mission to get healthy, but the topic is very tricky to compute. What is a placebo, and why don't we know any of their songs?

Rob And Romesh Vs. Image shows from L to R: Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan. Copyright: CPL Productions

Rob And Romesh Vs

Series 3, Episode 6 - Team GB Part 2

Rob and Romesh's sporting journey continues as they continue their search to find a sport and join Team GB. The pair will attempt clay pigeon shooting with Aaron Heading, gymnastics with sporting hero Max Whitlock and athletics with gold medallist Denise Lewis. Will they find their sport?

Breeders. Image shows from L to R: Leah (Stella Gonet), Alex (Hugh Quarshie), Paul (Martin Freeman). Copyright: Avalon Television

Breeders

Series 2, Episode 9 - No Power: Part One

As Jim and Jackie's golden wedding anniversary party is plunged into darkness by a power outage, the growing tensions between Paul and Luke reach an explosive and terrifying climax.

ITV2 logo. Credit: ITV
10:05pm
50 min
CelebAbility. Josh Jones. Copyright: Potato

CelebAbility

Series 5, Episode 7

Scarlett Moffatt leads a group of three friends looking to win prizes by defeating Matt Richardson, Vicky Pattison, Josh Jones and Donna Preston in a series of silly games.

Radio 4
11pm
30 min
Michael Spicer: Before Next Door. Image shows left to right: Michael (Michael Spicer), Ellie Taylor

Michael Spicer: Before Next Door

Series 1, Episode 3 - Cheesy String

Michael's Room Next Door character being mentioned in parliament brings an A-List invite that tests his principles even more than an audition to play a cheesy string.

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