Graham McCann
- English
- Author
Graham McCann features - page 2
Comedy Chronicles: When Cary met Pastry - Cary Grant's friendship with Richard Hearne
Sunday 13th August 2023
The story of the perhaps unlikely-seeming friendship between Hollywood icon Cary Grant and English slapstick comic Richard Hearne, better known as the aged Mr Pastry.
Comedy Chronicles: The little Cannon that could - The clever cameos of Esma Cannon
Sunday 30th July 2023
A name you may not know, but if you've watched any amount of British comedy from the 1950s or 60s, a face you certainly will: this is a look at the life and career of the utterly marvellous Esma Cannon.
Comedy Chronicles: Pete and Club: Peter Cook's Establishment
Sunday 16th July 2023
The remarkable and little-told full story of the rise and fall of Peter Cook's famed satirical nightclub, The Establishment.
Comedy Chronicles: Well, really! - The crafty art of Richard Wattis
Sunday 2nd July 2023
Comedy Chronicles shines a light on one of British comedy's most reliable faces, prolific supporting actor Richard Wattis, known for a plethora of roles in officialdom.
Comedy Chronicles: It seemed a good idea at the time #4 - The Bee Gees' Cucumber Castle
Sunday 18th June 2023
A look at the strange and exotic cultural creature that is Cucumber Castle, a one-off TV comedy special starring The Bee Gees. The story of its ill-fated creation involves commercial opportunism, professional naivety, musical differences, sibling tensions, a number of sudden misfortunes and a great deal of chaos and confusion.
Comedy Chronicles: The heart of the matter - The real battle of Hugh Carleton Greene
Sunday 4th June 2023
The BBC's story is long and varied, but its revolutionary free-thinking approach to television broadcasting in the 1960s is a story that is more often than not only half-told: enter Director-General Sir Hugh Carleton Greene.
Comedy Chronicles: The duo you don't know - Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss
Sunday 21st May 2023
Britain's favourite comedy double act before Morecambe & Wise found fame in the 1960s, cousins Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss are now largely forgotten - despite having a huge impact on radio and television comedy.
Comedy Chronicles: It seemed a good idea at the time #3 - Dick Emery's Cookbook
Sunday 7th May 2023
In another edition of the occasional 'It seemed a good idea at the time' series, Comedy Chronicles addresses comics' forays into culinary endeavours, and the remarkably quirky Dick Emery's Cookbook.
Comedy Chronicles: The nation's cheerer-upper - In celebration of Eric Sykes
Sunday 23rd April 2023
Ahead of his centenary on 4th May 2023, Comedy Chronicles looks at Eric Sykes, the brilliant writer and performer who dedicated his life to making people laugh.
Comedy Chronicles: Fraternally Yours - The Brotherhood of British comedy
Sunday 9th April 2023
Graham McCann looks at the formation and membership of show business clubs The Grand Order of Water Rats and Masonic Chelsea Lodge No 3098.
Comedy Chronicles: It seemed a good idea at the time #2 - When Peter Gabriel met Charlie Drake
Sunday 26th March 2023
Comedian Charlie Drake was the subject of the inaugural Comedy Chronicles, and we return to Charlie Drake Land in this fascinating tale of his one-time encounter with the world of prog rock.
Comedy Chronicles: Woody Allen versus a boxing kangaroo
Sunday 12th March 2023
In 1966, inside an office at British TV company Rediffusion, a programme meeting reached its climax when some bright spark volunteered the idea: '...Kangaroo Boxing?'.
Comedy Chronicles: Utterly Buffery - The short but special comic career of Tony Buffery
Sunday 26th February 2023
A remarkable, acclaimed talent whose flirtations with comedy touched and influenced the likes of The Pythons, The Goodies and Clive James, this is the fascinating tale of neuropsychologist Tony Buffery.
Comedy Chronicles: A nation of comedy shopkeepers
Sunday 12th February 2023
Imagine a high street, in some parallel but very-near dimension, where some of the greatest names of British comedy are in fact the proprietors and landlords of each establishment...
Comedy Chronicles: One sitcom did 'ave 'em - The strangely short career of Raymond Allen
Sunday 29th January 2023
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em is one of Britain's favourite sitcoms, but for writer Raymond Allen it was almost his only success a comedy writer. Normally sitcoms flop and writers flourish - so why the near-opposite here?
Comedy Chronicles: Tempus fugit - When time means something for a sitcom
Sunday 1st January 2023
As 2022 draws to a close and 2023 embraces us like a warming hug, it's natural to consider the passage of time: something that traditional situation comedies have a curious relationship with.
Comedy Chronicles: And so this is Christmas... TV's strange reluctance to indulge in seasonal fun
Sunday 25th December 2022
Comedy was once the staple of British television - and particularly so at Christmas. Now it feels a third consideration at best. But how did the present set of events come to pass?
Comedy Chronicles: Random acts of kindness - Comedians being good to each other
Sunday 18th December 2022
Negative stories always make the biggest press headlines; so much so that positive tales, such as acts of unfaltering kindness, are often left completely untold.
Comedy Chronicles: The sinuous comic art of Spike Mullins - Before I begin I'd just like to say...
Sunday 4th December 2022
The annals of British comedy are peppered with those who did not seek the limelight, but were happy to simply write and make millions laugh. Spike Mullins is one such genius - a prolific scribe whose name you may not know, but whose material you definitely do.
Comedy Chronicles: Michael Bentine - A Goon who should not be forgotten
Sunday 20th November 2022
In his centenary year, Comedy Chronicles addresses the remarkable and often-overlooked legacy and career of the multi-talented, fascinating Michael Bentine, co-creator of The Goon Show.