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Ofcom report reveals drop in spending on British TV comedy
TV regulator Ofcom's annual report on Public Service Broadcasting reveals that spending on original British TV comedy has fallen by 4% in a year, despite 72% of viewers considering it an important genre. Read |
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The David Nobbs Memorial Trust launches The David Nobbs Memorial Trust, which has been set up in memory of the Reginald Perrin comedy writer, has launched. It is planning a comedy development scheme. Read |
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BBC Two announces 'Brexageddon?!' The team behind political stunt show The Revolution Will Be Televised have filmed Brexageddon?!, a new BBC Two special to tie in with Brexit. Read |
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Goodnight Sweetheart special announced Hit 1990s sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart is to be revived for a one-off special. Read |
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Filming begins on Chewing Gum Series 2 Filming has begun on the second series of Chewing Gum, the multi-award winning E4 sitcom written by and starring Michaela Coel. Read |
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Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie takes £4m+ at the box office Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie has made a strong start at the cinema. It took over £4m at the box office in its opening weekend. Read |
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Bill Bailey signs up for Winnie And Wilbur cartoon Bill Bailey will voice Wilbur the cat in Channel 5's new animated pre-school series Winnie And Wilbur. Read |
Edinburgh Fringe performers: Our listings launch soon, so make sure you've sent us your press release (contact@comedy.co.uk). With over 500,000 comedy fans as readers, BCG is a great place to advertise too... We have just a few packages left now (and only one of these newsletter slots), so do chat to us this week about that - it's cheaper than you might think.
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Porridge 2016 pictures
Some first look pictures from the 2016 version of Porridge. Kevin Bishop takes on the role of Fletch. View |
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How I came to write Expenses Only
Writer/Performer Alex Lynch explains how he got his BBC Radio 4 comedy about work experience commissioned... whilst on work experience. Read |
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First Gig, Worst Gig: Jamali Maddix
The award-laden newcomer Jamali Maddix recalls dodgy dentistry, poetry dicks and bigotry protocols. Read |
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Edinburgh comedy stars take over at Battersea Arts Centre
Between the 18th and 30th July, Battersea Arts Centre is hosting no less than 49 Edinburgh show previews. Read |
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Liam Williams interview
Liam Williams is the budding bard of this year's Latitude Festival, putting on Twelfth Night and his own first play, Travesty. But can you do a fest with smashed-up feet? Read |
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Podcasts
Doc Brown talks to Richard Herring about working with David Brent; Belinda blinks in the podcast we can't name here as it might set off your spam filter; and Rufus & Howard continue to tell their silly story in Grett Binchleaf. Listen |
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Horrible Histories Monday, CBBC, 5pm As part of the BBC's #Lovetoread campaign, the award-winning Horrible Histories returns to look at some of literature's greatest works and history's wackiest writers. There's a music video in our guide. Guide |
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Agatha Raisin Tuesday, Sky 1, 9pm Another Cotswold murder mystery for Ashley Jensen and friends. The village is in shock when a young bride is found dead in the river, shortly after her wedding at Charles's manor. Guide |
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Taskmaster Tuesday, Dave, 10pm In the penultimate episode of the challenge show, the five contestants set out to impress Greg Davies by concealing a pineapple about their person. Guide |
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Russell Howard's Stand Up Central Wednesday, Comedy Central, 10pm Russell Howard talks about his love of women, from their distinctive laughs to his mum's brilliant brain. His guests are Josie Long and Stuart Goldsmith. There's preview clips in our guide. Guide |
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Murder In Successville Wednesday, BBC Three D.I. Sleet is joined by Spice Girl Emma Bunton. Our detectives learn that James May, a cop from North Successville, has been murdered. Guide |
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Boy Meets Girl Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm Jackie welcomes the pest controller into her bed, whilst Tony and James prepare for the opening of the cafe. At the transgender support group, Judy befriends a young man who's struggling to come out. Guide |
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Man Down
Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm Dan, Jo and Brian are back for a new series of immature debauchery. In the first episode, Dan's facing a disciplinary meeting at school, and mum's got a new boyfriend. Meanwhile, Jo is writing her autobiography. Guide |
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Mock The Week
Thursday, BBC Two, 10pm Dara O Briain and Hugh Dennis mock the events of the last seven days with the help of South African stand-up guest Loyiso Gola and UK regulars Milton Jones, Miles Jupp, Ellie Taylor and Josh Widdicombe. Guide |
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It's Not Me, It's You Thursday, Channel 5, 10pm Another edition of Channel 5's fun new panel show about love, dating, romance and relationships. Gemma Collins, Louie Spence, Matt Richardson and Hal Cruttenden are the guests this week. Guide |
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The Last Leg Friday, Channel 4, 10:05pm The last episode in the latest series of the satirical comedy show, although the team will pop up again this summer to cover the Paralympics. After all, it was this sporting event four years ago that started the format in the first place. Guide |
For a complete list of broadcasts, including repeats and radio comedy, see our full schedule.
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K-Shop PRE-ORDER. Brand new horror comedy. After his father is killed in an altercation with drunks, Salah is forced to run the family kebab shop alone. He struggles to manage the increasingly rowdy night life and when a fight with an angry customer goes fatally wrong he finds himself with a body. With no faith in the authorities he disposes of it in the one place he knows best... the kebabs. Details |
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Last Of The Summer Wine - Series 31 & 32 OUT NOW. After a very, very long wait, Last Of The Summer Wine fans can finally get their hands on the final DVD set of the world's longest-running sitcom, and complete their collection. Including the final two series - actually Series 30 and 31 - today's release also sees the original Comedy Playhouse pilot episode available on DVD for the first time ever. Details |
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Boy Meets Girl - Series 2 PRE-ORDER. BBC Two's praised sitcom featuring a transgender woman returns to screens just last week, and the brand new second series is already available to pre-order. Follow the continued adventures of Leo and Judy, their blossoming romance, and their peculiar families in this heart-warming romantic comedy series, out in August. A Series 1 & 2 box set will also be available. Details |
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Love Thy Neighbour - The Complete Series + Feature Film OUT NOW. This era-defining sitcom is often maligned but deserves its place amongst the pantheon of great and important British TV comedies. It focuses on bigoted white socialist Eddie Booth and his similarly short-tempered, educated, black Conservative neighbour, Bill. This new box set includes every episode, the film spin-off, and a brand new-to-DVD special Christmas sketch. Details |
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Love Hurts - The Complete Series PRE-ORDER. Fresh from last week's news of the return of Goodnight Sweetheart, writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran's early 1990s comedy drama Love Hurts is coming soon to DVD. Adam Faith and Zoe Wanamaker star, charting the relationship between an entrepreneur with wildly fluctuating fortunes and a former City high-flyer. This set contains all thirty episodes. Details |
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Curtain Up OUT NOW. Curtain Up is a charming 1952 comedy about a provincial theatre's repertory company. Assembled to rehearse a new play, their producer, Harry (Robert Morley), makes clear that the play is awful and has been forced upon him by one of the venue's directors, and that the author is due to visit. When she (Margaret Rutherford) arrives, things go from bad to worse very quickly. Details |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
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Map Men - World's Worst Border The border between India and Bangladesh has, until recently, been extremely messy and complicated. Why was this? Geography fans Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones explain. Watch |
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Borderline - Trailer The trailer for Borderline, a mockumentary based in the border security office of a fictional airport. It launches on Channel 5 next month. Watch |
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2016: Year Friends - June The latest episode of the online show featuring up-and-coming comedians. The friends are on a mini bus heading to Stonehenge for the pagan burial of Al. Watch |
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Friday Night Dinner - Series 4 trailer Series 4 of Friday Night Dinner begins soon, and it's as riotous as ever. Check out this tantalising trailer for a sneak peek at the six new episodes. Watch |
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Whimsy A film about whimsy by Marek Larwood, a man who "hates whimsy slightly more than war crimes". Watch |
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How To Get Ahead In Advertising After the cult hit success of Withnail & I in 1987, writer-director Bruce Robinson returned just two years later with this farcical comic-fantasy feature laying into the world of advertising. Richard E. Grant once again stars, this time as ad man Dennis Bagley in contemporary London. Overworked, he develops a boil that begins to talk and drive him insane. Richard Wilson co-stars in this laugh-out-loud comedy. It's out on Blu-ray in a special set with Withnail & I. Guide |
British Comedy Guide
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