
Stand Up & Deliver
- TV factual
- Channel 4
- 2021
- 2 episodes (1 series)
Five celebrities try stand-up comedy for the first time. Features Richard Coles, Shaun Ryder, Sayeeda Warsi, Curtis Pritchard, Katie McGlynn and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 1
Further details
The five celebrities are thrown in at the deep end as their mentors put them straight on stage to gauge their sense of natural comedic talent - in some cases, very little! Former Coronation Street actress Katie McGlynn struggles without a script to hand, reality star and dancer Curtis Pritchard teeters on the edge of a very cringey overperformance and 90s music legend Shaun Ryder, who has ADHD, has a complete mind blank and immediately forgets the stories he wants to tell the audience.
Reverend Richard Coles's mentor David Baddiel was hoping for something more original and unexpected and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi's left-leaning tutor Nick Helm cannot believe his task is to make a Tory look good.
With just fifteen days to perfect their act, Shaun and Sayeeda go back to their roots to gather material, Katie rushes to write herself a script to help overcome her nerves, Curtis is drilled in dropping the jazz hands and David attempts to push Rev Richard into darker material, suggesting he draw on his grief following the death of his partner.
Jason Manford appears to have the biggest mountain of all to climb with Shaun Ryder to coach. Despite Shaun displaying an extraordinary degree of confidence, he tells his mentor he has nothing to worry about and will just be able to wing it on the night.
Throw in an attempt to persuade a Vicar to add some swear words to his set, a Baroness in fancy dress and some excruciating practice performances and its little wonder both the celebrities - and their mentors - wonder if they've taken on too big a challenge.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Thursday 25th February 2021
- Time
- 9pm
- Channel
- Channel 4
- Length
- 65 minutes
Cast & crew
Richard Coles (as Reverend Richard Coles) | Self |
Shaun Ryder | Self |
Sayeeda Warsi (as Baroness Sayeeda Warsi) | Self |
Curtis Pritchard | Self |
Katie McGlynn | Self |
David Baddiel | Self |
Jason Manford | Self |
Nick Helm | Self |
Judi Love | Self |
Zoe Lyons | Self |
Julia Davis | Narrator |
AJ Pritchard | Self |
Paul Taylor | Series Director |
Hiren Amin | DV Director |
Abi Bourne | DV Director |
Simon Longden | DV Director |
Genna Gibson | Series Producer |
Claudine Parrish | Series Producer |
Amy Tandy | Producer |
Andrew Jackman | Executive Producer |
Tamsin Dodgson | Executive Producer |
Martin Oxley | Executive Producer |
Sarah Tyekiff | Executive Producer |
Erin Doyle | Edit Producer |
Holly Challinor | Producer/Director |
Gerard McHugh | Producer/Director |
Ben Potts | Producer/Director |
Laura Harrison | Line Producer |
Sam Buckley | Edit Producer |
Jamie Harris | Editor |
Richard Moysey | Editor |
Daniel King | Editor |
Louise Massignat | Editor |
Steve Roberts | Editor |
Olly Wiggins | Director of Photography |
Videos
Nick Helm meets Sayeeda Warsi
'I'm the Baroness, bitches!'.
Featuring: Baroness Sayeeda Warsi & Nick Helm.
Jason Manford teaches Shuan Ryder to do stand-up
Jason Manford starts to realise he has a challenge on his hands...
Featuring: Shaun Ryder & Jason Manford.
Judi Love tries getting Curtis Pritchard stand-up ready
Curtis Pritchard has a bit to learn before he can do stand-up.
Featuring: Curtis Pritchard & Judi Love.
Press
Stand Up & Deliver: review by Victoria Coren Mitchell
When Channel 4 tried to teach stand-up comedy, a funny thing happened...
Victoria Coren Mitchell, The Telegraph, 27th February 2021Stand Up and Deliver, Channel 4 review
Comedians teach celebrities the art of stand-up.
Veronica Lee, The Arts Desk, 26th February 2021Stand Up And Deliver review
When I watch stand-up on TV, I can never shake the feeling that I'm staring through a tiny window at a figure far away.
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail, 26th February 2021Stand Up And Deliver, C4 review
I don't know if the best celeb comic gets a prize, but Jason Manford deserves an award for patience above and beyond the call of duty.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 26th February 2021Stand Up & Deliver review
Never laughed at a Tory? That could change.
Carol Midgley, The Times, 26th February 2021Review: Stand Up And Deliver
The news that celebrities would be trying their hand at stand-up on TV was initially greeted with rumblings of discontent among some comedians. Why should these famous amateurs be given air time when established practitioners can barely work, was their understandable complaint.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 25th February 2021Stand Up & Deliver review
Five comedians mentor five celebrities - from a Tory peer to the Happy Mondays singer - in the art of live comedy for charity. Even when the jokes don't land, it's a laugh.
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian, 25th February 2021Stand Up & Deliver, review
Left-wing comedian Nick Helm coached Baroness Warsi for a Stand Up To Cancer special and they made a surprisingly delightful double act.
Chris Bennion, The Telegraph, 25th February 2021Can a leftie comic teach a Tory baroness stand-up?
She used to chair the Conservatives. He used to perform in his underpants. Could Nick Helm turn Sayeeda Warsi into a comedian?
Michael Segalov, The Guardian, 24th February 2021