Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 10th February 2020 |
Another week dawns in comedy land, and we hope you emerge unscathed from Storm Ciara. There's a lot of news again today, and our article below about Jimmy Clitheroe is a great read. Enjoy.
Latest comedy news
King Gary to return for Series 2
The BBC has ordered a second series of King Gary, the sitcom starring Tom Davis.
BBC Three commissions second series of Ladhood
Liam Williams's coming-of-age comedy series Ladhood has been recommissioned for a second series by BBC Three.
Radio 2 reveals Funny Fortnight pilots
Radio 2 has revealed a raft of comedy pilots, which it will broadcast across two weeks in March under the Funny Fortnight strand.
Michael McIntyre to record Netflix special
Michael McIntyre is to film his first special for Netflix, at the London Palladium in March.
Johnny Vegas returns to stand-up
Johnny Vegas is returning to stand-up comedy. He'll be starting off by hosting a series of gigs at the Just The Tonic clubs.
BBC One orders Shaun The Sheep Christmas special
BBC One has ordered a Shaun The Sheep special for Christmas 2021. The half-hour programme will be called A Winter's Tale From Shaun The Sheep.
Fleabag wins Broadcast Award
Fleabag has added to its award-win list by claiming the Best Comedy Programme title at the Broadcast Awards. The judges praised the show for being a "gamechanger that had resonated with the audience like no other comedy".
Diane Morgan's Mandy gets BBC Two series
Mandy, Diane Morgan's BBC Two Comedy Short, has been commissioned to a six-part series.
Comedians Giving Lectures returns for two more series
Sara Pascoe is to host second and third series of Comedians Giving Lectures on Dave.
Hypothetical Series 3 confirmed
Hypothetical, the comedy show hosted by Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster, will return for a third series.
Mel Giedroyc to host new panel show on Dave
Mel Giedroyc will host Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable, a new panel show for Dave focused around the sins that guests have committed.
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule ends after three series
Harry Hill has said his ITV panel show Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule has ended after three series.
Features
Bristol Improv Marathon 2020 preview
The Bristol Improv Marathon 2020 - on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March - will be based around When In Rome (XXVI Hours BC), a 26 hour-long entirely improvised play.
First Gig, Worst Gig: Harriet Dyer
Why was Harriet Dyer in an ice cream-based hostage situation? All will be revealed.
The TV trials of Jimmy Clitheroe
Diminutive comic Jimmy Clitheroe was once one of radio's biggest stars: this is the story of his ill-fated attempts to make it in television.
British Comedy Quiz #87
What was The Inbetweeners nearly called? That's the first of this week's questions.
Random 8: John Hastings
Canadian comic John Hastings heads to Soho this week, Nazi device permitting.
BCG Pro
New features in BCG Pro this week include an article from new film Say My Name's director; information about an LGBTQ+ new act competition; and tickets for our upcoming conference, with keynote speaker Sandi Toksvig.
Podcasts
The story in Worst Writer continues to get stranger; whilst Richard Herring chats to Athena Kugblenu and Robin Ince. There's also panel show fun from Pappy's.
TV listings
Shakespeare & Hathaway - Private Investigators
A second week of the light hearted comic detective mysteries. The episode titles include 'Best Beware My Sting' and 'O Thou Invisible Spirit Of Wine'.
Cold Feet
Adam comes out on top, but his excitement is short-lived when reality hits, while Karen is put in an impossible position.
Inside No. 9
Young couple Beattie and Sam are finally on the property ladder, but the only flat they can afford has a dark and sinister past - one that demands to be heard.
Roast Battle
Adam Rowe and Maisie Adam focus on each other's appearances, then Phil Wang returns to the show to take on Fern Brady. Joe Lycett is the guest judge.
8 Out Of 10 Cats
Jessica Knappett, Rose Matafeo, Geoff Norcott and Jamie Laing join Jimmy, Katherine and Rob to talk about what's been going on.
Good Omens
Aziraphale and Crowley race towards Tadfield airbase as they attempt to prevent Adam and the Four Horsemen from beginning the apocalypse.
Home
Now he's back in Dorking, Sami is determined to be part of the local community, so his friend Raj invites him to enter the Dorking Marmalade Festival.
Hypothetical
Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster pose more silly scenarios to Richard Ayoade, Sindhu Vee, Ed Gamble and Chloe Petts.
The Russell Howard Hour
With Coronavirus still in the news, it could be one of the topics that Russell Howard will be tackling again this week.
CelebAbility
Aljaz Skorjanec, Janette Manrara, Matt Richardson and Jayde Adams go up against a team lead by Stacey Solomon.
Fern Brady Goes Viral
A two-part series in which Fern Brady is inspired to make her own online videos. She uses make-up to help her glow like a princess, gets into a flame war with a five-year-old, and more.
Would I Lie To You?
It's a special episode of previously unseen material from the hit panel show this week. Although these truths and lies were previously cut, they're just as funny as the rest of the series.
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Jimmy Carr hosts as Sean Lock and Harriet Kemsley take on Jon Richardson and Chris McCausland. Nick Helm is in Dictionary Corner.
QI
Aisling Bea, Nish Kumar and David Mitchell take part in the last episode in the series (although there are some QI XLs and highlights specials still to come).
King Gary
The King family are on holiday and Gary specifically wants to spend some quality time with Terri, but she makes holiday pals.
The Tuckers
Roberto finally moves in and Nats throws a party to celebrate. The Tuckers do the catering, and Bobby has a huge decision to make.
The Last Leg
Mean Girls and Cloverfield actor Lizzy Caplan will be joining the comic trio this Friday.
Frankie Boyle's Tour Of Scotland
In part two of his travel series, Frankie Boyle travel from Edinburgh to Aberdeen to explore language.
The Graham Norton Show
Alan Carr - promoting his stand-up tour - is an interesting booking, given he used to host his own chat show on Channel 4. Also: Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Oti Mabuse and Sam Smith.
The Big Narstie Show
Jesy Nelson, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix, plus Joel Dommett, Samson Kayo and M Huncho are all set to appear on this Friday's episode.
First & Last
Jason Manford hosts the final episode of the comedy game show in which contestants must try not to win or lose, but come in the 'middle'.
For a complete list of broadcasts, including repeats and radio comedy, see our full schedule.
Shop
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Say My NameWhen a one-night stand gets interrupted by a robbery, two complete strangers are forced to navigate the seedy underbelly of a sleepy Welsh isle in order to get back their stolen property. Along the way, their opposing personalities and differing outlooks on life bring them to a boiling point. This independent romantic comedy, written by comedian and podcaster Deborah Frances-White (The Guilty Feminist) and directed by Jay Stern, invites viewers along on the duo's night of unwanted self-discovery, that will have the couple either hating or loving each other by the morning. |
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Monty Python's Flying Circus - Complete Series 2The iconic sketch show was released on DVD and a deluxe-packaged Blu-ray edition (complete with detailed making-of book) a couple of weeks ago, and this standard Blu-ray edition is now available to pre-order. Fully remastered and comprehensively restored - regraded, cleaned, cut sketches reinserted, and much else besides - the comedy really has, and will, never look better than this. Presented natively in HD from new scans of surviving film wherever possibly, and professionally upscaled from master videotapes elsewhere, it's a breathtaking feat of work that no comedy fan should be without. We also have a copy of that deluxe Blu-ray set to give away. |
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A Shaun The Sheep Movie: FarmageddonIt's one small step for lamb in this hit new out-of-this-world family adventure from Aardman Animations. When a mischievous alien crash-lands near Mossy Bottom farm, Shaun sets on a thrilling rescue mission to help return her home. While a secret government UFO organisation is hot on their trail, can Shaun and the flock avert Farmageddon before it's too late? From the multi-award-winning studio that brought you Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit, hold on to your seats as we blast off on an exciting and heart-warming sci-fi comedy adventure. |
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Gloomsbury - The Complete Series 1-5Miriam Margolyes, Alison Steadman and Nigel Planer star in Sue Limb's comedy parodying the arty and adulterous adventures of the Bloomsbury Group. A stellar cast, including Roger Lloyd-Pack, Morwenna Banks, Jonathan Coy and John Sessions, join in this affectionate send-up of the infamous literary circle, who dominated the English cultural scene in the early 20th Century. |
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Father Came Too!James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter star in this hugely successful follow-up to The Fast Lady. Featuring a remarkable array of comedy talent - including Ronnie Barker, Kenneth Cope, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd - Father Came Too! is featured here as a brand-new high definition restoration from original film elements. Newlyweds Dexter and Juliet Munro purchase a ramshackle cottage in order to escape her overbearing father, Shakespearean actor-manager Sir Beverly Grant. But Sir Beverley soon turns up on the doorstep, determined to "help"... and the incompetent builder and his skiffling workmates hired by his son-in-law quickly earn the full force of his temper! Don't miss out on The Fast Lady, which is also being released - both titles remastered in HD, and on Blu-ray for the very first time - in a couple of weeks. |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Lad Pad - Ali's Mum Comes To Visit
The first of a series of sketches from comedians Ali Brice and Joz Norris.
Pie And A Pint
Comedy Central's online show in which up-and-coming comedians talk with each other is back. This episode talks politics... but nothing too deep... they discuss which world leaders are most/least, um, beddable.
When You Work With A Grammar Fascist
Talking about the premise of their latest sketch, comedy group 'Just These, Please' say: "It's really impotent to make shore yew get you're grammar write."
Simon's Cat: Lovestruck
In a special of the cat-based cartoon series, a lovestruck Cat tries to romance his Valentine... but the naughty Kitten gets in the way!
Spotlight
For The Love Of Ada
As we head towards Valentine's Day, it seems appropriate to turn out spotlight this week to a suitable comedy - but not your run-of-the-mill romance. Clocking up 4 series in just 2 years (plus a feature film), For The Love Of Ada was a big early-1970s hit for Thames Television, starring actor Wilfred Pickles and comedy icon Irene Handl (subject of a recent Comedy Chronicles column) as Walter and Ada, widower and widow who meet well into their pensionable years and soon find themselves falling in love. By prolific sitcom scribes Vince Powell and Harry Driver (Love Thy Neighbour, Bless This House, Nearest And Dearest), the series - recently enjoying a popular repeat run on archive television channel Talking Pictures TV - charted their love affair, initially very much against the wishes of Ada's snobby daughter, as the couple fought against the expectations of their age; a north-south divide; friends and family; and their own habits of a lifetime.
Thanks for reading
If you know someone who produces, directs or works behind-the-scenes in another way to make online videos or audio comedy, do point them to our BCG Pro Talent Award for Production. The prize package includes a chance to work with a top production company.
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