Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 9th July 2018 |
As Monday rolls around once more we're back to lift your post-weekend blues with a rundown of comedy news and features. Enjoy! |
Latest Comedy News |
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ITV ends Benidorm after 10 years
Benidorm has been cancelled by ITV after 10 series. The channel says "We'd like to say a huge thank you to Benidorm's creator Derren Litten and the wonderful cast and crew". Read
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Jonathan Ross joins Roast Battle judging panel
Jonathan Ross is joining the second series of Comedy Central's Roast Battle as a judge. He takes over from Russell Brand, and will sit alongside Jimmy Carr and Katherine Ryan. Read
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Simon Lomas wins £10,001 in Petfringe 2018 competition
Simon Lomas has won the Petfringe Comedian Of The Year 2018 competition, which has the biggest cash prize in UK comedy. Nick Page was second and Alistair Williams was third. Read |
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Adam Kay's junior doctor book to become BBC comedy drama
BBC Two has ordered This Is Going To Hurt, an eight-part comedy drama based on the award-winning memoirs of former junior doctor Adam Kay. Read |
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Tim Vine to host ITV comedy quiz series Football Genius
Tim Vine is to host Football Genius, a comedy quiz series for ITV in which two teams of football loving fans compete against each other across a virtual pitch. Sam Quek and Paul Sinha are the team captains. Read |
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Mark Watson announces 2019 tour
Mark Watson is to tour the UK in 2019 with new offering The Infinite Show. Read |
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Ellie Taylor to co-host new Heart radio show
Ellie Taylor and blogger Anna Whitehouse are to host a new Sunday night radio show on Heart. Read |
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Cast revealed for Ricky Gervais sitcom After Life
The cast for After Life, the new Netflix sitcom from Ricky Gervais, has been revealed. It'll see the star working again with Extras star Ashley Jensen and Derek's David Earl and Kerry Godliman. Other stars signed up include Penelope Wilton and David Bradley. Read |
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In The Long Run and Pls Like win at Broadcast Digital Awards
In The Long Run and Pls Like were amongst the winners at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2018. Read |
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Taskmaster Series 7 line-up revealed
The contestants have been revealed for the next series of Taskmaster. The players in the seventh series of Dave's hit comedy will be James Acaster, Jessica Knappett, Phil Wang, Kerry Godliman and Rhod Gilbert. Read |
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Bridget Christie to film Channel 4 pilot
New pilot The Bridget Christie Television Programme will see comedian Bridget Christie present stand-up, monologues, sketches and "reinvented archive". Read |
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BBC orders new children's comedies School Bus and GiggleQuiz
CBBC has ordered new sitcom School Bus, and CBeebies will bring Gigglebiz spin-off GiggleQuiz to the screen. Read |
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People Just Do Nothing stars working on new sitcom Gary1987
Steve Stamp and Allan Mustafa, who play Steves and Grindah in People Just Do Nothing, are working on a virtual reality-themed sitcom called Gary1987. Read |
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Features |
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First Gig, Worst Gig: James Meehan
He played the Leave 'Em Laughing festival at the weekend, next up is the Edinburgh Fringe - but why did James Meehan almost give it all up for hair? Read |
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Jamie Demetriou and Robert Popper chat
Jamie Demetriou and Robert Popper talk to each other about how they developed Stath Lets Flats. Their chat includes some funny stories along the way. Read |
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British Comedy Quiz #7
What year was Carry On, Constable released in cinemas? There's five dates to pick from... and nine other questions to answer. Try |
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Podcasts
Anna Mann and Lou Sanders are the guests in the latest anarchic episode of Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown, meanwhile comedy writer Lucien Young talks to Sitcom Geeks. Listen |
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TV Listings |
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Live From The BBC
Wednesday, BBC Three
The BBC series that showcases longer sets from up-and-coming comedians continues. Suzi Ruffell takes to the stage for 30-minutes of stand-up on the topic of class. Guide |
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Stath Lets Flats
Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm
After Stath accidentally burns down a property, he falls out with his exasperated dad. So he heads to work for rivals Smethwicks. Guide |
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CelebAbility
Wednesday, ITV2, 10pm
Matthew Wolfenden, Nathan Henry, Perri Shakes-Drayton, Amber Davies and Ashley Roberts are the guests taking on comic challenges this week. Guide |
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Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing
Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm
Episode 4 of the charming slow-paced series. Paul and Bob fish the beautiful river Wensum this time, in search of the equally beautifully roach. Guide |
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Lookalikes
Wednesday, Channel 4, 10:30pm
Tim has come up with another money-making idea to secure his fame and fortune. Having stumbled upon fan fiction, he is confident the stage show he's planning will be a rip-roaring success. Guide |
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Mock The Week
Thursday, BBC Two, 10pm
Angela Barnes, Ed Byrne, Rhys James, Nish Kumar and Suzi Ruffell are the guests. In a tricky situation for the show, the programme is being recorded on Tuesday night so they won't be able to reference Wednesday night's big football game. Guide |
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John Bishop In Conversation With...
Thursday, W, 10pm
John Bishop is joined by comic actor Ruth Jones. She opens up about overcoming her own insecurities as she became one of Britain's most successful actresses. Guide |
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Keith Lemon: Coming In America
Thursday, ITV2, 10pm
Keith is advised that Hollywood is a yes town and that to get ahead he needs to say yes to every opportunity that comes his way. Keith commits to this philosophy and also decides he needs some guy friends. Guide |
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The Week That Wasn't
Thursday, Sky One, 10pm
Another episode of the comedy show that gives news footage new voices. This has gone far under the radar of most, but seems to get better every week - a great modern satire. Guide |
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News Crack
Thursday, Channel 4, 11:05pm
An anarchic, clip based comedy pilot from video editors Mother's Best Child. This duo have previously made topical videos for BBC Three - expect some cutting satirical jokes. Guide |
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8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Friday, Channel 4, 9pm
Katherine Ryan guest hosts the first episode in a brand new series, with an all-female line-up celebrating 100 years of women's suffrage. Roisin Conaty and Jessica Hynes take on Sara Pascoe and Lolly Adefope. Morgana Robinson is in Dictionary Corner pretending to be Natalie Cassidy. Guide |
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The Last Leg
Friday, Channel 4, 10pm
Will the boys be celebrating or conducting a post-mortem on England's game, come Friday night? We suspect they might have some far more important political issues to talk about, if the day's news so far is anything to go by. Guide |
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The Big Narstie Show
Friday, Channel 4, 11:05pm
Big Narstie and Mo Gilligan continue to host their own entertainment show. No news on this week's guests yet. Guide |
For a complete list of broadcasts, including repeats and radio comedy, see our full schedule.
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New Shop Products |
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Wallace & Gromit - The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit DVD
PRE-ORDER. Re-release of the much-loved Wallace & Gromit feature film.
Daffy scientist Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his heroic dog Gromit are doing well with their business, Anti-Pesto, a pest control company keeping their town safe from rabbits chomping on prized vegetables. Details |
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The Windsors - Complete Box Set DVD
PRE-ORDER. This is a complete collection of Channel 4's satirical soap-opera sitcom The Windsors, spoofing the lives of the Royal Family, including the recent, glorious Royal Wedding special. We hope a third series of this wonderful series will follow, but until such a time that that is confirmed, this 3-disc set comprises the show's complete collection. Details |
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Anyone For Denis? DVD
PRE-ORDER. Satirical farce by - and starring - John wells as Margaret Thatcher's husband, Denis. While Maggie's away he invites two friends for a weekend at Chequers. Things start to go badly wrong when Maggie returns home unexpectedly and mistakes Denis's friends for EEC Commissioners; his weekend is ruined by the ensuing confusion. Angela Thorne plays the Iron Lady. Details |
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The Quanderhorn Xperimentations Hardback, eBook & audiobook
OUT NOW. Novel based on the new sci-fi sitcom heard on Radio 4, from the creators of Red Dwarf and 2.4 Children. Great Britain is stuck in 1952. It is under attack from Martians, Mole men and beatniks. Only one man can save the world - Professor Quanderhorn! Shame he's a bit rubbish, really. Details |
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Keep It In The Family - The Complete Collection DVD
OUT NOW. This new box set includes all 5-series of the popular early 1980s Thames sitcom about a procrastinating cartoonist, his wife, and two young-adult daughters, all living between an upstairs and ground floor flat in the same house. Robert Gillespie, Pauline Yates and Stacy Dorning are amongst the stars. Details |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
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Comedy Videos |
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The Favourite - Trailer
The trailer for the new film that comes from the team behind The Lobster. Set in the early 18th century, it focuses on a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. Watch
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Talking Paintings - Wedding Photos From Hell
A groom comes to realise that asking his friend to do his official wedding portrait may have been a bad idea. Watch |
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Romesh: Talking To Comedians - Rob Beckett
Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett have a chinwag about starting out together, gigging at Romesh's dad's pub and in an attempt to compliment each other Romesh hands out some low blows. Watch |
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What I Wish I'd Said - Tim Renkow
Tim Renkow reveals what he wishes he said to a patronising woman who awkwardly told him he was in a wheelchair. Watch |
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Straight man obsessed with Queer Eye
Gabriel meets a man who loves watching the TV show Queer Eye. Watch |
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Sick Of It - Trailer
Sick Of It, the first scripted series to be written by Karl Pilkington, is coming soon to Sky. He plays a man who has broken up with his girlfriend... and also plays that man's visible inner monologue. Watch |
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Love Is Blind
A short film with a great punchline. When Alice's husband arrives home to try and make amends it leaves her navigating a tricky situation. Watch |
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Crossfit Rap
Do you even crossfit, bro? It's a comic rap from stand-up comedian Simon Feilder. Watch |
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Guide Spotlight |
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Top Of The Form
Ronald Shiner leads a fantastic cast - including a very young Ronnie Corbett, Alfie Bass, Richard Wattis, Anthony Newley and Gerald Campion - in this comical 1953 feature. He plays a wheeler-dealer who finds himself appointed headmaster of a troubled private boys' school, before taking his young charges to Paris where they are unwittingly involved in a museum robbery. It's out on DVD today. Guide |
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Thanks for reading |
Check out British Comedy Guide tomorrow to see our new weekly interview column, Random 8. Our first chat is with stand-up comedian and goalkeeper Lloyd Griffith, who is currently in Russia watching the World Cup.
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