Tickets available for Edinburgh TV Fest comedy screenings
At the end of the month, the Edinburgh International Television Festival pops up alongside the Edinburgh Fringe.
Comedy fans in the city between the 24th and 26th might be interested to know that, for the first time in the TV festival's history, members of the public are being given the opportunity to buy tickets to some of the events. It's no longer just for the suited executives.
There's screenings of things like Poldark and panel discussions about topics like sport on the agenda, but here's four events likely to appeal to comedy fans: Three sitcom screenings taking place at the Filmhouse Cinema, and a discussion between Frankie Boyle and Sharon Horgan...
Wednesday 24th August, 2:45pm: Red Dwarf XI screening
A screening of the first episode from the forthcoming new series of Red Dwarf, followed by a Q&A with Red Dwarf co-creator Doug Naylor and actors Craig Charles and Robert Llewellyn.
The show's six episode run sees two of the Dwarfers' dreams come true: Rimmer accidentally saves the life of a Space Corps Captain and is promoted to Officer, while Cat takes time off from being in love with himself to fall in love with a female Cat with a secret. Meantime, Lister wakes up to discover a deranged droid has stolen some of his body parts and Kryten has a mid-life crisis and considers leaving the Dwarfers for a younger crew. The posse also find themselves in an alternative America where modern technology is outlawed, making both Kryten and Rimmer illegal.
Wednesday 24th August, 7:30pm: Porridge screening
A screening of the new episode of Porridge, followed by a Q&A with BBC commissioner Shane Allen and the show's central star, Kevin Bishop.
Bishop plays Nigel 'Fletch' Fletcher - the grandson of Ronnie Barker's iconic character Norman Stanley Fletcher - in the new episode. Written by the original series creators, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the one-off special will air in September on BBC One as part of a landmark sitcom season.
Wednesday 24th August, 8:50pm: People Just Do Nothing screening
A screening from the new series of People Just Do Nothing, followed by a Q&A with writers and creators Steve Stamp and Allan Mustafa.
In this new episode, Chabuddy organises for Kurupt FM to perform at a club in Ipswich. With emotions running high and groupie action on the cards, only Steves' travel sickness can kill the vibe now. Back in Brentford, Miche goes out for her first ever work drinks.
Friday 26th August, 1pm: The Alternative MacTaggart
Sharon Horgan will address the TV Festival in the Alternative MacTaggart speech. The Catastrophe star will be interviewed by Frankie Boyle about pushing the boundaries of comedy.
Sharon Horgan says: "I'm delighted to be following in the comedic footsteps of Nicola Sturgeon and Al Gore and delivering the Alternative MacTaggart speech this year, and even more delighted to be doing it with my uncle Frankie Boyle. I hope to be getting stuck in to the hot topics that are currently affecting all of our lives and working out if knob gags can help."
Talking about opening up the festival to the public, Festival Director Lisa Campbell comments: "We're thrilled to have people as inspiring, engaging and provocative as Shane and Sharon, lead the Festival schedule. To be able to offer tickets to members of the public embraces the ethos of the Festival, which is to celebrate our industry and empower a new generation of creative talent."