Weekly Newsletter |
Monday 26th July 2021 |
Believe it or not, the Stephen Fry and Jon Richardson stories below are not fake news!
Latest comedy news
Flaps returns to Comedy Central for Series 2
Comedy Central's female-led sketch strand, Flaps, returns for a second series on 5th August.
Stephen Fry to publish a book about ties
Stephen Fry is to publish Fry's Ties, a 320 page book about "man's greatest clothing companion".
Rob Rouse stars in Pubwatch sitcom pilot
Rob Rouse is piloting a sitcom about a committee combatting yobbish behaviour in pubs, with fellow comics Mick Ferry, Stephen Bailey, Hannah Platt and Pete Selwood, who also wrote the script.
Harry Enfield making BBC history spoof for its centenary
Harry Enfield is working on a spoof history of the BBC for its centenary next year.
Big Age sitcom pilot to broadcast on Channel 4
Big Age, a sitcom pilot about four young black British friends, will air on Channel 4 on Friday 10th September as part of the channel's Black To Front day.
Jon Richardson to host Channel 4 show Trash Monsters
Jon Richardson is to host Trash Monsters, a one-off show for Channel 4 in which three celebrities will wear their household rubbish over the course of two weeks.
Gemma Arterton set to star in Nick Hornby's Funny Girl for Sky
Gemma Arterton has been lined up to star in Sky's adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel Funny Girl.
The Birth Of Daniel F Harris coming to Channel 4
Lewis Gribben, Rory Keenan, Lisa McGrillis and Samuel Bottomley will star in Channel 4's dark comedy drama The Birth Of Daniel F Harris.
Lenny Henry and Neil Gaiman bring Anansi Boys to Amazon Prime
Lenny Henry is writing an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys with the fantasy novelist for Amazon Prime.
The Other One to return for Series 2
Filming is underway on a second series of BBC One sitcom The Other One.
Mark Dolan joins GB News
Comedian and presenter Mark Dolan has joined TV station GB News. He presents Tonight Live With Mark Dolan on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 9pm.
Sue Perkins to host Just A Minute
Sue Perkins is to be the new host of Radio 4's much-loved panel show format Just A Minute.
People Just Do Nothing documentary coming to BBC
The stars of People Just Do Nothing have reunited to make a documentary about their rise from internet obscurity to television popularity and upcoming feature film Big In Japan, for a new BBC Three documentary, Kurupting The Industry: The People Just Do Nothing Story.
Morecambe & Wise's wiped BBC1 debut found
A missing episode of The Morecambe & Wise Show has been found. The 45-minute special aired in October 1970 as the duo's BBC1 debut for their hit sketch series. Highlights will be shown on ITV this Wednesday.
Advert
Bridget Christie - the Edinburgh Comedy Award, Rose d'Or and South Bank Sky Arts Award winner - presents her highly-anticipated brand new tour show. Join Bridget this September to December as she tries to work out who she is and how she became the star of her own Netflix special and BBC Radio 4 series. Info & tickets
Features
Alan Davies interview
After a break of several years, Alan Davies returns to Dave this week with his As Yet Untitled chat show format. Here's an interview with the host.
Comedy Chronicles: Lost Balls - When British comedy went golf mad
Graham McCann says: "There used to be few things more frightening for television viewers than the sight of a comedian in a Pringle sweater. It meant that he was almost certainly about to talk about golf..."
Mo Gilligan interview
With the second series of his TV show here, Mo Gilligan chats about what we can expect in the new run, what his younger self would think of his success, who his dream guest would be, and more.
First Gig, Worst Gig: Chris McCausland
He's been waiting ages for this tour to get rebooked, but when did Chris McCausland have to hang about for a budget Houdini?
British Comedy Quiz #163
How many times did Channel 4's Comedy Gala run? Were there 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 big shows? That's one of the questions to tackle this week.
Podcasts
David Baddiel is on RHLSTP; Paterson Joseph guest stars in Isy Suttie's The Things We Do For Love; Rufus has written a romance movie in Worst Writer; and more.
Advert
FINAL CHANCE to stream Mischief Movie Night In from just £10. The stars of the hilarious Goes Wrong Show are stepping back to their comedy roots with Mischief Movie Night In, an improvised movie live on stage, streamed worldwide from Riverside Studios until Sunday 1 August. Join in the laughs. Info & Tickets
TV listings
Silky Hotel
This comedy - in which Susie Blake and John Henshaw run "the most romantic hotel in the world (this side of the M55)" - can now be found on iPlayer.
Big Zuu's Big Eats
Big Zuu returns to his West London roots to meet with comedian and presenter Mel Giedroyc who's in town researching her debut novel. Click through to our website for a fun interview with Mel.
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
Series 6... a welcome return for the format after several years off screen. Swapping stories in this one are Darren Harriott, Sarah Keyworth, Angela Scanlon and Dara O Briain. Look out for the podcast version too.
Morecambe & Wise: The Lost Tapes
We're very much looking forward to this. As you hopefully noted from our news story above, it's a documentary featuring newly rediscovered wiped sketches from Morecambe & Wise at the BBC.
This Way Up
Episode 3. Aine and Bradley work out in the park and Shona asks Aine for a surprise for her hen do.
Rob And Romesh Vs
The very best bits from the last three series of the BAFTA-nominated show. See the boys become drag queens, go on a very special safari, perform ballet and get a rather invasive treatment in Hollywood.
Breeders
On the day of Leah and Alex's wedding, Paul and Ally find they have only a few hours to deal with a seemingly insoluble family crisis. It's the last in the series, but a third run has already been confirmed.
CelebAbility
Joey Essex, Dianne Buswell, David Potts and Sophie Duker are this week's guests on the challenge show.
King Gary
The Kings are back and it's a momentous day in Butterchurn Crescent. It's the funeral of Gary's next door neighbour, Mrs Watson. But more importantly, Gary has hired a skip.
The Lateish Show With Mo Gilligan
Mo's guests in this edition are set to include Joel Dommett, YouTuber and rapper KSI and singer-songwriter Raye.
Jerk
Four new episodes of Tim Renkow's sitcom will be available on BBC iPlayer from Sunday. Click through to our website for an episode guide. The series also starts on BBC One from Monday 2nd August.
The Unbelievable Truth (Monday, 6:30pm), Jordan Brookes On... (Wednesday, 11pm), Party's Over (Friday, 6:30pm) and Tessa Coates: Resting Witch Face (Sunday, 7:15pm) start on Radio 4 this week. For a complete list of TV and radio broadcasts, including repeats, see our full schedule.
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Mo Gilligan - That Moment When: Life Stories From Way Back ThenYou might know Mo as the critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, BAFTA-winning presenter, Masked Singer judge and social media mega star. But do you know the moments that really made him? Opening up on the turning points, the good times, the challenges and the lessons learned, this is Mo as you've never seen him before. Journeying through childhood memories in South London, Mo reminisces about school days and old-school raving, and takes us behind the scenes of his first comedy gigs, the creation of the original Geezer, selling out national tours and becoming one of TV's most in-demand stars. Share the moment that Mo decided he wanted to be a comedian, the moment he went viral, the moment he realised he was famous (and how to deal with it), the moment his Netflix special dropped, the moment he won his BAFTA and the moments he still has to come. In among the laugh-out-loud observations, life lessons and candid storytelling, there lies the bigger influences in Mo's life - the unsung heroes of the black British comedy scene, the power of community and the feel-good legacy he wants to create. |
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Just Like A WomanWendy Craig and Francis Matthews star as a bickering couple going through an acrimonious separation in this swinging, offbeat comedy from producer Bob Kellett and idiosyncratic writer/director Robert Fuest. Also starring John Wood, Dennis Price, Miriam Karlin, Peter Jones and Clive Dunn, Just Like A Woman is presented here as a brand new high definition restoration from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Lewis and Scilla's rocky marriage finally breaks apart - a situation made worse by the fact that Scilla is a key part of the television show that Lewis produces. But while Lewis copes by picking up a passing starlet, Scilla indulges her passion for bathrooms by getting one custom-designed by an ex-Nazi architect! |
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Stanley HollowayBorn in London in 1890 Stanley Holloway was one of Britain's finest comedy actors. It was in the 1950s that Holloway produced arguably his finest work on the big screen and this box set includes four of his finest films: The Happy Family (1952); A Day To Remember (1953); Fast And Loose (1954); and Jumping For Joy (1956). In terms of recognition, Stanley Holloway was awarded an OBE in 1960 and was also nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. He continued his long acting career into his 90s, passing away in 1982 aged 91, and will be remembered as one of Britain's greatest comedy actors. With co-stars including Donald Sinden, Kathleen Harrison, George Cole, Frankie Howerd, Dora Bryan and many others, these are comic gems well worth treating yourself to. |
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Say The WordFrank Delaney's language based panel quiz game series revolves around the English language. This upbeat, fun word battle sees a host of well-known contributors battling to say the word first, and was recorded in front of a live audience at a range of literary festivals as well as at the BBC's studios. In each episode the contestants move through five varied quiz rounds, from creating new words derived from a known writer's work, guessing the origins of words, guessing the spelling of hard English words, to untangling the dramatic riddles to find the connecting syllables. In the round Loose Change the contestants look at words that have changed meaning. Can they guess the old definition and come up with the true new meaning? The finale is the definitive round Say the Word where famous passages from famous literature works are read out with words missing. Will the contestants succeed in guessing the words, the novel and the author? |
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The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A MountainA new DVD release of the hit 90s rom-com. Hugh Grant stars as a young man who offends an entire town by declaring their mountain - a prized local landmark - to be a "hill". But he soon finds the eccentric locals, led by a witty innkeeper (Colm Meaney), will stop at nothing to defend their honour. While the townspeople rally around their "mountain", a fiery young woman (Tara Fitzgerald) charms the puzzled out-of-towner into seeing things their way. The distributor teases: "Enjoy the laughs as the hilarious townspeople rise to the occasion - and the bewildered visitor stumbles into love when he least expects it!" |
For more, see our full list of new releases and items coming soon.
Comedy videos
Things Brits NEVER Say
You will never catch a TRUE Brit saying any of these things. A sketch by Ollie Firrell.
When you are desperate for a job
Are you desperate for employment? With the situation nowadays, it's becoming harder and harder to find a good job, not even good but a job. And sometimes it's time to take the first chance you have... even if it's a bit of an unconventional job.
How Agencies Create Period Product Adverts
Madverts Advertising Agency in Shoreditch have landed a last minute pitch meeting with a feminine hygiene product at 9am tomorrow. Looks like the team are going to have to pull an all nighter...
Trying to order drinks
If you've been to a pub that uses an app for ordering the next round, you'll recognise this situation.
Sex Education - Series 3 Trailer
With a new headmistress, new uniform and a new attitude - it's time for change at Moordale Secondary. They are reopening their doors on 17th September.
The ParaPod: A Very British Ghost Hunt - Trailer
After 3.5 million podcast downloads, sold-out live shows and hit specials, get ready to go on the road with hardwired sceptic Ian Boldsworth and paranormal believer Barry Dodds as they present a movie version of their hit podcast format.
Spotlight
After Henry
Written by celebrated and prolific producer Simon Brett, After Henry is a hit generation-clash sitcom that starred Fawlty Towers favourites Prunella Scales and Joan Sanderson in a tale of mother, daughter and grandmother living together in the same home. It ran for four popular series on BBC Radio 4 (released as a digital download last year), and another four on television thanks to Thames and ITV.
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