BCG Daily Thursday 20th January 2022
News
Press clippings
After Life benches inspired by Ricky Gervais show installed
Benches to mark the final series of a Ricky Gervais TV show about loss have been installed in parks to provide a place for people to chat and reflect.
Amy Phipps, BBC, 20th January 2022Russell Howard, Netflix special review - joyous return to live performance
In 2019 Russell Howard was all set to celebrate his 20th year in comedy by going on a world tour. Covid put paid to that, so it was with some genuine celebration that he was able to return to the stage with Lubricant, his second Netflix special, recorded at the Eventim Apollo in late 2021.
Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk, 20th January 2022British theatre is out of love with comedy - but not for the reason you think
This country has ignored the 400th anniversary of Molière's birth - but we shouldn't be surprised. Bourgeois is a dirty word.
Ben Lawrence, The Telegraph, 20th January 2022Tyler Perry's Netflix movie has unexpected Mrs Brown's Boys crossover
Titled A Madea Homecoming, the film will centre around an "LGBTQ+ storyline", but what's really caught our eye is the fact that Brendan O'Carroll of Mrs Brown's Boys fame is in the film, reprising his role as Agnes Brown.
Digital Spy, 20th January 2022Just For Laughs comedy festival set for UK debut at O2
Just For Laughs, the largest comedy festival in the world, is collaborating with live entertainment company AEG Presents to debut the event at London's The O2 in 2023.
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20th January 2022New dates for Jack Whitehall And Family
New dates have been announced for Jack Whitehall with Hilary and Michael: How To Survive Family Holidays.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 20th January 2022Meet Ogmios, the mysterious star of the BBC's best new comedy
Zen Motoring has all the hallmarks of a cult hit: dashcam footage, trippy music, constant laughs. Its creator Ogmios reveals his unlikely journey from battle rapper to PE teacher to ASMR comedy guru.
Stuart Heritage, The Guardian, 20th January 2022Ricky Gervais: US Office is better than UK Office
Ricky Gervais has confirmed once and for all which series of The Office is best.
Adam Bloodworth, JOE, 20th January 2022Stop gagging our gags!
More bad news for comedy writers: this week's announcement that the government is freezing the licence fee means more cuts on top of the massive ones of the last couple of years. More cuts, fewer programmes. Those of us hoping the comedy department might look again to developing new writing talent can forget that for a while. It would be easy to look at the latest move and conclude that the government, having spent years attacking the corporation and complaining about its content, is moving in for the kill.
Dave Cohen, Dave Cohen's Blog, 20th January 2022Michael Redmond: I could have been as big as Alan Partridge
Michael Redmond has reflected how he could have been as big as Alan Partridge - had the BBC not banned his show for being blasphemous.
Chortle, 20th January 2022Seann Walsh joins 'stellar' line up for Shrewsbury Comedy Festival
The popular comedian will take part in the gala show at Theatre Severn on Sunday, July 17.
Nick Humphreys, The Shropshire Star, 20th January 2022After Life 3: How TikTok took a Ricky Gervais fan to Netflix
Before the pandemic, Cole Anderson-James was a salesman in a "boring 9 to 5 job". Then he downloaded TikTok. The 24-year-old's videos - lip-syncing to scenes from The Office - soon attracted millions of views. And he can now be seen alongside the man he impersonates, after Ricky Gervais cast the fan to appear in the new series of After Life on Netflix.
Kirsty Grant and Mitch Mansfield, BBC, 20th January 2022Chicken Run 2 first look released by Netflix
Titled Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, the follow-up to the beloved Aardman animation will catch up with Ginger, Rocky and their new chick Molly when their "peaceful" island life is interrupted by a "new and terrible threat".
Digital Spy, 20th January 2022Videos
TV & radio
Dead British
Episode 3 - Elizabeth IThey were British, they were dead, but using a donkey's foot, Dead British brings back to life... Queen Elizabeth I! It's the completely unpredictable improv history show where anything could happen.
Screw
Series 1, Episode 3With some of the wing's residents trying dangerous new ways to get high, a prisoner story exploring the radicalisation of a young mind leads Ali to remind Leigh how big a difference she and her team can make to the lives of the inmates.
Scot Squad
Series 7, Episode 3Fletcher and McLaren uncover a crafty criminal at a murder mystery party. Mindful of their duties, they bring in the bad guy without killing anyone's evening. Elsewhere, there is a reunion of partners as PC Charlie McIntosh and PC Jane Mackay catch up in court.
The Nether Regions
Episode 3Scream in terror again as you witness depressing Scandinavian game show Nordic Celebrity Damaged Detective Mystery Squares; previously unheard auditions that didn't make it to the movie, including Alan Bennett's Hannibal Lecter and Sir John Gielgud trying out for Taxi Driver; the perils of adopting a rescue boyfriend; and a valuable boiled sweet.