The Sarah Millican Television Programme. Sarah Millican. Copyright: So Television / Chopsy Productions
The Sarah Millican Television Programme

The Sarah Millican Television Programme

  • TV stand-up
  • BBC Two
  • 2012 - 2013
  • 20 episodes (3 series)

TV series in which Sarah Millican delivers stand-up comedy inspired by what she has seen on television, and interviews her favourite presenters. Stars Sarah Millican.

Press clippings Page 2

Stand-up on TV is one thing, but live is something else

"The first half of the set was delivered to complete silence. Then something happened... it was like someone had injected Dairy Milk into my face"

Sarah Millican, Radio Times, 19th February 2013

Mumsy comedian Sarah Millican brings her surprisingly filthy brand of humour to bear on this mix of chat and stand-up. Tonight Millican is joined by Noel Edmonds, who discusses the intricacies of long-running game show Deal or No Deal. Magician Pete Firman completes the line-up, and teaches Millican some tricks of the trade.

Toby Dantzic, The Telegraph, 21st January 2013

Series two of The ­Sarah Millican Television Programme... and ­another amusing anecdote that had the studio ­audience in fits of canned ­laughter.

The squeaky-voiced comedienne revealed that after strongly disagreeing with The X-Factor's hopeless judges, she tweeted: "Does that mean I'm old, sensible or tone-deaf?" And one person ­responded: "You're a fat, unfunny dyke." Which was a disgrace. Because there's no way she's a (nicer word) lesbian.

Question: Where does stand-up Sarah come from? I just can't place her accent. But hey there, Geordie girl... congratulations on your passable BBC2 show. See you next Tuesday.

To be fair... Ms Millican is not afraid to use her superior comic timing to turn her ­celebrity guests into laughing stocks. As Sporty Spice learned to her cost... But everyone knows that this clapped out let's-talk-telly format is as old as the hills.

Kevin O'Sullivan, The Mirror, 19th January 2013

Thank heaven for The Sarah Millican Television Programme (BBC2), proof that you don't have to be really horrid to be funny. Good jokes, quick wit, timing, a bunch of bawdiness, that all helps ... though speaking dead funny is obviously the main thing.

Not that it's over-cosy. "On a scale of one to 10, how creepy is [Andrew Lloyd Webber] in person?" she asks Melanie "Singy Spice" C. (Mel C unfortunately is a very dull guest and gives only asinine, on-message answers.)

I'm not sure about Sarah M's impressions - either of Nigella L or of a wolf. That's a bichon frisé isn't it? (I've just learned that one, I'm trying to get him in a lot.) Brilliant idea for a talent reality show, though Sarah - Dances with (actual) Wolves.

As for the voice, I started wondering if you slowed Millican down to about half speed (like when batteries used to run down on tape recorders), whether she would turn into Brendan Foster off the Olympics. So I did. I even learned the Garage Band programme on the computer especially, took me ages. And you know what? She doesn't. She just sounds like Sarah Millican, after a few drinks and a sex change.

Sam Wollaston, The Guardian, 16th January 2013

A new run of the stand-up-plus-chat series sees RT's prim-looking (but don't be fooled) columnist welcome Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood and Spice Girl Melanie C to her show. They should be savvy enough to keep up with Ms Millican's cheeky wit, but how will the cast of Casualty fare?

David Butcher, Radio Times, 15th January 2013

That's not just a functional title you're reading. Sarah Millican's Television Programme is indeed a programme on television about television, back tonight for a second series. Tonight, Millican turns a twinkling eye on reality-competition shows, approaching her subject with all the bloused causticity you've come to expect. Guests include Craig Revel Horwood of Strictly Come Dancing - who looms giant-headed like the Wizard of Oz from a big screen at centre-stage - and an impeccably coached Mel C (here in her capacity as a former judge on Superstar), who's done this enough to endure Millican's jokes with charm, good grace and an impenetrable wall of stock answers. On an actual chatshow it might be vexing, but The Sarah Millican Television Programme turns out to be a 30-minute stand-up routine, occasionally visited by recognisable faces off which to bounce cue-carded jokes. Too bad for Millican that she shines brightest (competing even with that blinding set) on those rare occasions that she's making it up.

Nick Aveling, Time Out, 15th January 2013

Sarah Millican: I hope my bullies have their TVs on

Sarah Millican has had the last laugh on bullies who made her life hell by declaring: "I hope they've all got their tellies on now."

Steve Corbett, The Sun, 11th January 2013

Given that Giggle Beats is first and foremost based in the North East, I thought it was only right to review a Christmas comedy presented by someone from the region. Luckily The Sarah Millican Television Programme was a joyous programme.

Like the series broadcast earlier in the year - which is coming back early next - the show is a mixture of stand-up and interviews, in which Millican covers all things concerning telly. The stand-up routines are good in themselves, but this is to be expected because it's what she does best. The only problem's that because this is television, she can't be as rude as she is on stage.

However, the interviews allow Millican to be rude in a different way. In this case she gets to ask all sorts of cheeky questions to her guests (Hugh Bonneville, Shane Richie - complete with an attempt to kiss each other via a giant TV screen - and her father Philip). It puts me in mind of the character Mrs. Merton, but without the need for a comedy character. The guests know they're going to be mocked, so in a way everyone gets what they want.

The other thing I like is that the special is less gimmicky that the first series, with less reliance on props. The closest to a funny prop in this show was Sarah's Christmas outfit and some mince pies. Hopefully this more simplistic approach is continued in series two.

Ian Wolf, Giggle Beats, 31st December 2012

Sarah Millican's secret Santa

RT's regular columnist dishes out presents to her favourite comics, including Jonathan Ross, Jimmy Carr and Stephen Fry...

Sarah Millican, Radio Times, 23rd December 2012

Sarah Millican comes out supporting page 3 of The Sun

The comic Sarah Millican has saluted The Sun's Page 3 because it champions natural beauty.

Laura Caroe, The Sun, 6th December 2012

Share this page